Category Archives: Understanding economic growth

Is it really so difficult to BEE good?

Posted on 17 August 2010 by

by Lauren Hermanus It is easy to dismiss Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) as a vital component of socio-political transformation, given the lack of trickling down from the top, and persisting stench of cronyism and corruption in the upper echelons of … Continue reading →

Posted in The bigger picture, Understanding economic growth | 7 Comments

Why nuclear energy is just another quick fix that will make things worse in the long run

Posted on 9 November 2009 by

I have mixed feelings about nuclear energy. Part of my rational mind sometimes says maybe there’s a place for it in an interim energy mix before we shift to renewables. But my gut doesn’t like it at all. And my … Continue reading →

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Good news from China?

Posted on 26 May 2009 by

So, anyone know whether the IPCC’s predictions for China’s emissions increases are based on a linear correlation with anticipated economic growth? I ask, because Business Day is reporting that China’s energy use has declined over the last year. (Yee-haa!) The … Continue reading →

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“We are enriching ourselves to death”

Posted on 20 April 2009 by

Elections this week in South Africa, and I’ve published two articles surveying the policies of our different parties in respect of climate and sustainability, and suggesting some ways to think about a voting decision. Environmental sustainability means focusing on equality, … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Economic crisis, Renewable energy, The bigger picture, Understanding economic growth, Women and gender | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Not just another recession

Posted on 24 March 2009 by

For several centuries, Western countries have unwound a cycle of boom and bust that never really compromised underlying growth. Heading into the current recession, and even taking into account predictions that this will be worse than the Great Depression, is … Continue reading →

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Repairing our intellectual ecology

Posted on 9 February 2009 by

Humanity is currently on a collision course with a resource crisis and global ecological disaster. In the Western Cape, as just one example, we will hit the limits of our water reserves in the next 20 years. (Perhaps then, we’ll … Continue reading →

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