Economic Futures: Climate Change and Modernity - Ruth Irwin

The life of our planet has reached a critical stage. Its survival depends on our ability to rethink our relationship with ecology, and create a new economy which does not rely on economic growth, and supports care and sustainability for our planet.

This book examines histories of alternative economic theories to advocate for different ways of economic distribution that do not keep producing emissions. It calls into question our philosophy of time, our relationship with ecology, and the original creation of debt, interest, and ways of avoiding exponential economic growth. The author uses ideas from Maori philosophy, Mesopotamian finance and quantum mechanics to set out a new basis for economic theory which is no longer set up on greedy individualism, or a hierarchical trickle-down effect, or even overall economic growth. Instead, this new materialist philosophy emphasises the integration of humanity and the ecosystem, and sets out to create a philosophy of economics built on interconnection and care.