“In 1871 Paris was under siege, in a final effort to resist the enemy what did the people ask for? Rationing!” Pierre Kropotkine, 1887.
Degrowth thinkers tend to recognize a central thesis in which the finite quantity of natural resources automatically creates a limit to growth. This idea of material finitude can also be found in the works of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, who emphasizes the inevitable degradation of useful energy as a result of the laws of thermodynamics and entropy.
As such, it is no exaggeration to state that degrowth puts a particular stress on the notion of limited, declining and non-substitutable resources, whether in terms of energy, water, biodiversity, open spaces and so on.
By considering this perspective, we can understand the recent regained interest for various forms of energy rationing.
Degrowth thinkers tend to recognize a central thesis in which the finite quantity of natural resources automatically creates a limit to growth. This idea of material finitude can also be found in the works of Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, who emphasizes the inevitable degradation of useful energy as a result of the laws of thermodynamics and entropy.
As such, it is no exaggeration to state that degrowth puts a particular stress on the notion of limited, declining and non-substitutable resources, whether in terms of energy, water, biodiversity, open spaces and so on.
By considering this perspective, we can understand the recent regained interest for various forms of energy rationing.
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