Traditional economic theories have long pretended that the human economy exists in a world of unending expanse. That the availability of natural resources has no limit. That the natural world can absorb as many of the “externalities” (pollution & waste) as we need it to.
But, of course, this is not the case. We exist on a finite planet that has finite resources and a limited ability to handle the junk we throw at it. Several decades ago, some economists began insisting that economics recognize these truths, and “Ecological Economics” was born.
“The Progress Illusion” by Jon D. Erickson is a new book in a proud line of publications that explore and expand this thinking. It’s published by Island Press, and includes a Foreword from a pioneer in the field, Herman Daly.
The book: https://islandpress.org/books/progress-illusion
Jon Erickson is a professor at the University of Vermont: https://www.uvm.edu/rsenr/profiles/jon_erickson
More on the topic of Ecological Economics:
U.S. Society for Ecological Economics: https://www.ussee.org/
International Society for Ecological Economics: https://www.isecoeco.org/
A helpful video on the topic: https://youtu.be/vUF7s4Bp_ok