New book: From economic to sustainable, from exploitation to co-existence

- The book shows that the great economic progress that has been made so far, and the dominating economic thinking, is based on exploitation possibilities and an expansion space the earth no longer offer, says Karl Johan Bonnedahl, associate professor in business administration at Umeå School of Business and Economics, Umeå University.

Two competing stories crash in discussions on sustainable development. One is about mankind and society’s progress – not least financial and technological – while the other is about how we live beyond our means, impoverish the eco-systems and exterminate other species.

In this, the economic perspective stands relatively unshaken. Consumption, growth and efficiency; demand as a superior control system and a reduction of values to things that can be measured in money or traded at markets, are things that will continue to guide us forward.

The book Från ekonomiskt till hållbart, från exploatering till samexistens: En bok om att tänka om (From economic to sustainable, from exploitation to co-existence: A book about re-thinking) describes how not only the human society, but also our financial thinking has to adapt to the biophysical condition a few generations have had the possibility to entrench upon. It describes how sustainability demands more than small adjustments – more than technological development – and gives suggestions on necessary changes in thought and action.

The book was published by Studentlitteratur in July this year. Karl Johan Bonnedahl is an associate professor at Umeå School of Business and Economics at Umeå University. He has in recent years researched on climate adaption in the food industry, particularly on the development of standards and product labeling. One main interest is how our fundamental perspectives and priorities affects the possibility of sustainable development.