Energy and Stuff Landing Page

THE VERY BRIEF

After becoming the richest humans in history during the 20th century, we have begun to see shrinking incomes for the past 10-15 years, and younger people experience more difficulties finding good jobs and building a nest egg.

And: everyone is blaming everyone.

This is not happening because we have elected the wrong politicians or someone has made a specific mistake, it is because our planet is no longer supporting economic growth as we know it. We have to find ways to live better with less.

These ways do exist.

PLEASE READ OUR COVER STORY

INCOMES HAVE RECENTLY PEAKED FOR MOST PEOPLE

After decades of intense growth, most people today have less available income than 10-15 years ago, and nobody has a good explanation.

After becoming the richest people of all times around the year 2000, inflation-adjusted incomes since shrunk for most households in advanced economies, despite many attempts at reviving growth.

Equally, prospects for young people are becoming bleaker, and many are struggling to find jobs matching their expensive educations, to buy a house or build a nest egg.

DRIVERS BEHIND OUR SUCCESS: ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Behind this change is a long-forgotten truth: more economic activity needs more energy and natural resources.

When trying to understand the recent problems to maintain growth, we have to re-discover an old truth: More economic activity means more energy and resource use.

Solar power has always been driving prosperity, but since the beginning of the industrial revolution we have been tapping into fossil fuels (=prehistoric sunlight) at breathtaking speed.

ENERGY AND RESOURCE LIMITS ARE NOW INHIBITING GROWTH

Given our experience, we are hard-wired to believe that growth is bound to continue, but we have reached the limits of our planet.

After 250 years of unlimited expansion, energy and natural resources are once again limiting our world. Extracting more is becoming increasingly difficult, making it hard to expand the economy further.

This is difficult to grasp for all of us, as our brains are wired to use the recent past for guidance. If that fails, we are getting confused, and angry.

WHAT OPTIONS ARE LEFT IN A GROWTH-CONSTRAINED FUTURE?

As far as we can see, there is no way out. Recognizing that we don’t need more growth and accepting this new reality will be a huge relief.

Unfortunately, there is no return to steady growth in sight. If we don’t want to go down fighting, we have no choice but to embrace a world of "less". The good news is that happiness isn't tied to incomes as long as our true needs are covered.

This means we have to give up our bad feelings and actively start thinking about how to run our lives with a new sense of reality.

INCOMES HAVE RECENTLY PEAKED FOR MOST PEOPLE

After decades of intense growth, most people today have less available income than 10-15 years ago, and nobody has a good explanation.

After becoming the richest people of all times around the year 2000, inflation-adjusted incomes since shrunk for most households in advanced economies, despite many attempts at reviving growth.

Equally, prospects for young people are becoming bleaker, and many are struggling to find jobs matching their expensive educations, to buy a house or build a nest egg.

ENERGY AND RESOURCE LIMITS ARE NOW INHIBITING GROWTH

Given our experience, we are hard-wired to believe that growth is bound to continue, but we have reached the limits of our planet.

After 250 years of unlimited expansion, energy and natural resources are once again limiting our world. Extracting more is becoming increasingly difficult, making it hard to expand the economy further.

This is difficult to grasp for all of us, as our brains are wired to use the recent past for guidance. If that fails, we are getting confused, and angry.

DRIVERS BEHIND OUR SUCCESS: ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Behind this change is a long-forgotten truth: more economic activity needs more energy and natural resources.

When trying to understand the recent problems to maintain growth, we have to re-discover an old truth: More economic activity means more energy and resource use.

Solar power has always been driving prosperity, but since the beginning of the industrial revolution we have been tapping into fossil fuels (=prehistoric sunlight) at breathtaking speed.

WHAT OPTIONS ARE LEFT IN A GROWTH-CONSTRAINED FUTURE?

As far as we can see, there is no way out. Recognizing that we don’t need more growth and accepting this new reality will be a huge relief.

Unfortunately, there is no return to steady growth in sight. If we don’t want to go down fighting, we have no choice but to embrace a world of "less". The good news is that happiness isn't tied to incomes as long as our true needs are covered.

This means we have to give up our bad feelings and actively start thinking about how to run our lives with a new sense of reality.

INCOMES HAVE RECENTLY PEAKED FOR MOST PEOPLE

After decades of intense growth, most people today have less available income than 10-15 years ago, and nobody has a good explanation.

After becoming the richest people of all times around the year 2000, inflation-adjusted incomes since shrunk for most households in advanced economies, despite many attempts at reviving growth.

Equally, prospects for young people are becoming bleaker, and many are struggling to find jobs matching their expensive educations, to buy a house or build a nest egg.

DRIVERS BEHIND OUR SUCCESS: ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Behind this change is a long-forgotten truth: more economic activity needs more energy and natural resources.

When trying to understand the recent problems to maintain growth, we have to re-discover an old truth: More economic activity means more energy and resource use.

Solar power has always been driving prosperity, but since the beginning of the industrial revolution we have been tapping into fossil fuels (=prehistoric sunlight) at breathtaking speed.

ENERGY AND RESOURCE LIMITS ARE NOW INHIBITING GROWTH

Given our experience, we are hard-wired to believe that growth is bound to continue, but we have reached the limits of our planet.

After 250 years of unlimited expansion, energy and natural resources are once again limiting our world. Extracting more is becoming increasingly difficult, making it hard to expand the economy further.

This is difficult to grasp for all of us, as our brains are wired to use the recent past for guidance. If that fails, we are getting confused, and angry.

WHAT OPTIONS ARE LEFT IN A GROWTH-CONSTRAINED FUTURE?

As far as we can see, there is no way out. Recognizing that we don’t need more growth and accepting this new reality will be a huge relief.

Unfortunately, there is no return to steady growth in sight. If we don’t want to go down fighting, we have no choice but to embrace a world of "less". The good news is that happiness isn't tied to incomes as long as our true needs are covered.

This means we have to give up our bad feelings and actively start thinking about how to run our lives with a new sense of reality.

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Energy and Stuff Landing Page

THE WORLD AROUND US IS CHANGING FAST.

WHEN ARE WE GOING TO CHANGE?

THE VERY BRIEF

PLEASE READ OUR COVER STORY

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