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Degrowth by design rather than disaster
Johnson, Gearold R. Siller, Thomas J.
Johnson, Gearold R.
Siller, Thomas J.
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2025
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Abstract
It has been fifty-three years since Limits to Growth was published with its warning that unless global economic growth is highly limited an overshoot and societal collapse could occur sometime during the twenty-first century. In most developed countries the warning has been ignored. Major developed country governments still promote continued economic growth. However, a looming population decline could promote slow/no/degrowth scenarios. This is not a doom and gloom future, but rather an opportunity to develop a degrowth future with significantly less impact on the surrounding planetary ecosystem. Such a development will require a new mindset that features a gentle interaction with the planet. Engineering should be at the forefront of this movement and the paper describes what this might entail with examples provided of what should begin at this time and a timeline of future developments.
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degrowth, engineering education, engineering for sustainable development, education for sustainabilty, sustainability in engineering