2
H. Schlör et al.
scenarios for the four countries: Country A follows a zero-growth scenario, countries
B and C grow by moderate rates of 1.2% and 1.9%, respectively, and country D is
on a de-growth pathway (−1.3%). This model approach reveals the possible socioeconomic consequences and alterations of various growth models for the FEW nexus
sector, as well as the other economic sectors of the four countries.
Keywords Food–energy–water nexus · General equilibrium model · History of
economic growth · Growth models
1 Introduction
As it becomes undeniably clear that the window of opportunity to stop the unrestricted and accelerating climate change is about to close [22, 30, 40, 95], Porter
proposed a thought experiment to leave the current global economic model behind
[59]. He recommended to discuss and imagine instead a world without economic
growth [59] to reduce CO 2 -emissions as demanded by the IPCC [36] and the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) [87] to limit global warming to 1.5 °C [36].
The current scientific and political discussions increasingly support this idea and
challenges the necessity and plausibility of the prevailing economic growth model
[37, 38, 50, 77, 89], raising instead questions as the following:
• Is “the burning of fossil fuels … the price of continued economic growth [88]”,
or could a world without economic growth lead to CO 2 -reductions [88]?
• Is economic growth a natural phenomenon [72]?
• And if so, are economic growth and sustainability mutually exclusive, or is it
possible to find a balance between economic growth and the requirements of
sustainability?
Taking a look at the concept’s historical emergence, it becomes apparent that the
discussion about alternative economic growth models started nearly 60 years ago
with the concern about a ‘silent spring’ [16], referring to the general conditions of
the global environment. The book leads to the 1972 United Nations Conference on
the Human Environment in Stockholm and the Club of Rome report in the same
year. This discussion was mainly influenced by Daly’s “Steady State Economics”
[18], Georgescu-Roegen’s fundamental paper “The Entropy Law and the Economic
Process” [29] about the biophysical limits of growth, Boulding’s paper on “The
Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth [12]”. Hardin’s essay “Tragedy of the
Commons” started the discussion about institutional requests for a sustainable development [31], and Schumacher discussed a new institutional economic framework
published in his book “Small is Beautiful” [68]. These books built the basis for
Ostrom’s book about “Governing the Commons” [56] who added new institutional
ideas on sustainable development.
Those concepts can be considered as the economic foundation of sustainability
science and have influenced the UNEP ideas of a green economy [81] and of a
H. Schlör et al.
scenarios for the four countries: Country A follows a zero-growth scenario, countries
B and C grow by moderate rates of 1.2% and 1.9%, respectively, and country D is
on a de-growth pathway (−1.3%). This model approach reveals the possible socioeconomic consequences and alterations of various growth models for the FEW nexus
sector, as well as the other economic sectors of the four countries.
Keywords Food–energy–water nexus · General equilibrium model · History of
economic growth · Growth models
1 Introduction
As it becomes undeniably clear that the window of opportunity to stop the unrestricted and accelerating climate change is about to close [22, 30, 40, 95], Porter
proposed a thought experiment to leave the current global economic model behind
[59]. He recommended to discuss and imagine instead a world without economic
growth [59] to reduce CO 2 -emissions as demanded by the IPCC [36] and the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) [87] to limit global warming to 1.5 °C [36].
The current scientific and political discussions increasingly support this idea and
challenges the necessity and plausibility of the prevailing economic growth model
[37, 38, 50, 77, 89], raising instead questions as the following:
• Is “the burning of fossil fuels … the price of continued economic growth [88]”,
or could a world without economic growth lead to CO 2 -reductions [88]?
• Is economic growth a natural phenomenon [72]?
• And if so, are economic growth and sustainability mutually exclusive, or is it
possible to find a balance between economic growth and the requirements of
sustainability?
Taking a look at the concept’s historical emergence, it becomes apparent that the
discussion about alternative economic growth models started nearly 60 years ago
with the concern about a ‘silent spring’ [16], referring to the general conditions of
the global environment. The book leads to the 1972 United Nations Conference on
the Human Environment in Stockholm and the Club of Rome report in the same
year. This discussion was mainly influenced by Daly’s “Steady State Economics”
[18], Georgescu-Roegen’s fundamental paper “The Entropy Law and the Economic
Process” [29] about the biophysical limits of growth, Boulding’s paper on “The
Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth [12]”. Hardin’s essay “Tragedy of the
Commons” started the discussion about institutional requests for a sustainable development [31], and Schumacher discussed a new institutional economic framework
published in his book “Small is Beautiful” [68]. These books built the basis for
Ostrom’s book about “Governing the Commons” [56] who added new institutional
ideas on sustainable development.
Those concepts can be considered as the economic foundation of sustainability
science and have influenced the UNEP ideas of a green economy [81] and of a