Surely, understanding and successfully modifying the underlying values
within our society to the extent that they are leading us to pursue an
unsustainable economic model is a priority. Overturning the accepted
wisdom that environment is a subset of economics rather than economics
being a subset of the environment would be an achievement. Furthermore,
extending an understanding of the simple ecological truth that we have
to collectively modify our behaviour as a species so that we operate
within the constraints of our ecological life support system, without
degrading its quality for future generations is fundamental.
A colleague of mine has also raised the interesting question " Would it
be correct to say that what economic analysis does not - and can not -
take account of is irreversibility?"
Dr Colin Trier
Centre for Sustainable Futures Fellow (ESD CETL)
Programme Manager for Environmental Science
University of Plymouth
Tel: 01752 233033
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