Jay van Tol, Myocum
The conflict between economic growth and ecological sustainability is a serious issue. Standard economic theory and world-wide governmental policy promote economic growth as a panacea to everything: poverty, unemployment, even environmental degradation. However, good evidence indicates that economic growth is now causing more problems, at least in developed countries, than it solves. As any sane person would conclude, on a finite planet growth cannot continue forever.
Yet, zero growth has a negative connotation because many people fail to distinguish between growth and development. A good analogy to our economy is a human body: a baby grows but eventually stops accreting matter and demanding more energy, but a grown adult can continue to develop through education and experience without any growth at all.
To pick a random example that conflates growth and development and ignores standard economic policy, the ‘park and ride’ (letter 27 February) argues against the Byron Bypass – which I agree with – but building projects, especially on a large scale, help fulfil our macroeconomic policy of growing. The author also makes the common error of referring to the West Byron Development project, which is in fact a growth project.
An appropriate alternative to the growth economy is Herman Daly’s steady-state economy: ase.tufts.edu/gdae/es135/SSE.pdf.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
