E-Book, Englisch, Band 5, 328 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 227 mm
Reihe: Umweltsoziologie
Spengler Sufficiency as Policy
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-3-8452-8474-3
Verlag: Nomos
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)
Necessity, Possibilities and Limitations
E-Book, Englisch, Band 5, 328 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 227 mm
Reihe: Umweltsoziologie
ISBN: 978-3-8452-8474-3
Verlag: Nomos
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)
Can technology solve all our environmental problems, or do we also have to reduce our consumption? This question has been debated for a long time within environmental science circles and can, with regard to at least some environmental problems, be answered in the affirmative today. However, it is not enough if only some individuals reduce their use of environmentally relevant goods voluntarily (which is known as “sufficiency”) to achieve overall sustainable consumption patterns. Sufficiency has to become an issue on a political level, too. There are, however, doubts about the possibility of reducing consumption by means of politics in a liberal state because of the potential restrictions to freedom involved. This book shows the necessity and ways of legitimating a sufficiency policy within liberal-democratic, wealthy states from a political and philosophical perspective. Furthermore, it discusses ways of implementing such a policy as well as their limitations. Finally, the author proposes a concept for a sufficiency policy.
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Weitere Infos & Material
1;Cover;1
2; 1. Introduction;17
2.1; Aim and framework of this study;19
2.2; Status quo regarding selected environmental issues and their potential harmful consequences;21
2.3; Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change;23
2.4; Use of natural resources;26
2.5; Biodiversity loss;29
2.6; Structure of the study;31
3; 2. Theoretical framework: liberal democracy and sustainability;33
3.1; Introduction;33
3.2; 2.1 Liberalism;34
3.2.1; 2.1.1 Liberty;34
3.2.2; 2.1.2 Equality;36
3.2.3; 2.1.3 Liberalism and neutrality towards the good;37
3.2.4; 2.1.4 Categories of liberalism;40
3.2.5; 2.1.5 Liberalism and Green Political Theory;42
3.3; 2.2 Democracy;43
3.3.1; 2.2.1 Democracy and Liberalism;43
3.3.2; 2.2.2 Empirical characteristics and theories of the democratic state;45
3.3.3; 2.2.3 Deliberative democracy;46
3.3.4; 2.2.4 Democracy and Green Political Theory;50
3.4; 2.3 Sustainability;54
3.4.1; 2.3.1 Introduction;54
3.4.1.1; Dimensions and “Three Pillars Model”;56
3.4.1.2; Other models and theories of sustainability;58
3.4.1.3; An objective or normative concept?;59
3.4.1.4; Relevant aspects of sustainability;60
3.4.2; 2.3.2 Anthropocentrism and physiocentrism;60
3.4.3; 2.3.3 Intra and intergenerational distributive justice;62
3.4.3.1; Comparative and absolute standards;63
3.4.3.2; Particular challenges of global justice;70
3.4.3.3; Particular challenges of intergenerational justice;72
3.4.3.4; A just distribution pattern internationally and towards the future;74
3.4.3.5; Synthesis;77
3.4.4; 2.3.4 Weak and strong sustainability—the role of natural capital;77
3.4.4.1; “Critical” sustainability;83
3.4.4.2; Planetary boundaries;85
3.4.5; 2.3.5 Sustainability, development and economic growth;90
3.4.5.1; Development;90
3.4.5.2; Economic growth;91
3.4.5.3; Compatibility of sustainability and different paths of economic development;96
3.4.5.4; Synthesis;102
3.5; 2.4 Interim summary;103
4; 3. Sufficiency and technical solutions;105
4.1; Introduction;105
4.2; 3.1 Technology and technical solutions;106
4.2.1; 3.1.1 Technology in environmental discourse;106
4.2.2; 3.1.2 The term “technology”;111
4.2.3; 3.1.3 Technical solutions: efficiency and environmentally adapted technologies;112
4.2.4; 3.1.4 Limitations of technical solutions;114
4.2.4.1; Scale;115
4.2.4.2; No sustainable and no 100% environmentally sound technologies;116
4.2.4.3; Rebound effect;118
4.2.4.4; “No technical solution problems”;120
4.2.4.5; Available time and the cost involved;120
4.2.5; 3.1.5 Theories and political programmes with a focus on technology;121
4.2.5.1; Ecological Modernisation;122
4.2.5.2; Industrial Ecology;123
4.2.5.3; Political programmes with a focus on technology;124
4.2.5.4; Inclusion of organisational aspects and “social innovations”;126
4.3; 3.2 Sufficiency;127
4.3.1; 3.2.1 History of the idea;127
4.3.2; 3.2.2 The term “sufficiency” and its interpretation;130
4.3.2.1; Positive versus negative understanding;131
4.3.2.2; Narrow and broad meaning;132
4.3.2.3; Motivation: environmental carrying capacity and the good life;132
4.3.2.4; “Enough” as an upper and lower threshold;133
4.3.2.5; The macro and the micro perspectives;134
4.3.2.6; The absolute versus the relative;135
4.3.2.7; Voluntariness and dependence on external structures;136
4.3.2.8; Reducing not only consumption but also population size?;137
4.3.2.9; How to distinguish sufficiency from technical sustainability strategies?;138
4.3.3; 3.2.3 Sufficiency in this study;142
4.3.4; 3.2.4 Limitations and obstacles to sufficiency as a sustainability strategy;144
4.3.4.1; Macroeconomic rebound effects;144
4.3.4.2; Acceptance and other obstacles;145
4.3.5; 3.2.5 Related concepts and debates;147
4.3.5.1; Sufficiency as a notion in justice theory;147
4.3.5.2; Satisficing;148
4.3.5.3; Consumption research and sustainable consumption;151
4.3.5.4; Social innovations;156
4.4; 3.3 Interim summary;157
5; 4. The individual and the political;160
5.1; Introduction;160
5.2; “Individual” and “political”;162
5.3; 4.1 Sufficiency as an individual and as a political approach;164
5.3.1; 4.1.1 Sufficiency on individual level: practical potential and limitations;164
5.3.1.1; Potential;164
5.3.1.2; Limitations;166
5.3.2; 4.1.2 Sufficiency as a political concern: state of the debate;169
5.3.2.1; Potential role and functions of a sufficiency policy;169
5.3.2.2; Concerns about the impact of a sufficiency policy on liberty and according responses;171
5.3.2.3; Practical concerns;173
5.3.3; 4.1.3 Interdependence between the individual and collective levels;176
5.3.4; 4.1.4 Individual and collective responsibility for sustainability;177
5.3.5; 4.1.5 The alternative: moralising individually harmless acts?;180
5.4; 4.2 Justification of state interventions to protect the environment;182
5.4.1; 4.2.1 Justifications of political interventions in a liberal society—the harm principle;182
5.4.2; 4.2.2 The harm principle and environmental impacts—accumulative harm;188
5.4.2.1; Problems related to accumulative harm;189
5.4.2.2; Typical excuses to the principle and lines of critique;191
5.4.2.3; Conclusion on accumulative environmental harm;195
5.5; 4.3 Consumption levels, accumulative harm, and interference;197
5.5.1; 4.3.1 Consumption levels as the cause of accumulative harm?;197
5.5.2; 4.3.2 What is the difference in terms of restrictions on liberty between technology and sufficiency policies?;198
5.5.2.1; Production, consumption, and liberty;199
5.5.2.2; Technical strategies, sufficiency, and liberty;201
5.5.3; 4.3.3 When is consumption “excessive”?;202
5.5.4; 4.3.4 Can the excessive use of resources cause harm to others?;205
5.5.5; 4.3.5 What degree of interference is legitimate with regard to excessive consumption?;210
5.5.6; 4.3.6 How to translate limits on “excessive” aggregate consumption into ways to reduce individual consumption?;213
5.5.6.1; Targeting harmful pollutants and scarce resources;214
5.5.6.2; Targeting individuals;215
5.5.6.3; Targeting certain activities or consumption goods;217
5.6; 4.4 Potential toe-holds for criticism;219
5.6.1; 4.4.1 “Sufficiency policies violate the neutrality principle”;219
5.6.2; 4.4.2 “What is at stake is too important”;225
5.6.3; 4.4.3 “Without any foundation in an account of the good life sufficiency policy remains ineffective”;226
5.6.4; 4.4.4 “In a democracy, sufficiency will never be adopted as policy”;228
5.7; 4.5 Interim summary;230
6; 5. Sufficiency as policy: potential solutions;234
6.1; 5.1 Overview of policy instruments;234
6.1.1; 5.1.1 Categories and assessment criteria;235
6.1.2; 5.1.2 Policy proposals in the literature;237
6.1.3; 5.1.3 Discussion;243
6.1.3.1; Regulatory law;244
6.1.3.2; Planning;246
6.1.3.3; Economic instruments;247
6.1.3.4; Nudging;248
6.1.3.5; Cooperation;251
6.1.3.6; Information;252
6.2; 5.2 Selected policy examples;254
6.2.1; 5.2.1 Environmental taxes on resources and emissions;254
6.2.2; 5.2.2 Personal carbon trading;259
6.2.3; 5.2.3 Planning instruments for urban transport infrastructure;265
6.2.4; 5.2.4 Conclusions from the policy examples;270
6.3; 5.3 A “political conception” of sufficiency;272
6.3.1; 5.3.1 Conception;273
6.3.1.1; Area of application and normative basis;273
6.3.1.2; Characterisation of sufficiency as policy;274
6.3.1.3; Justification;275
6.3.1.4; Environmental carrying capacity and critical limits;276
6.3.1.5; Practical suggestions for sufficiency policies;277
6.3.2; 5.3.2 Open questions and limitations of the conception;281
7; 6. Summary and conclusions;284
8; References;291
