Exit Ramp to Sustainability: the plenitude path

Juliet Schor, economista de renom i catedràtica de sociologia, identifica signes vitals de resistència iesperança en un món confrontat per desafiaments ecològics extrems. En el seu molt lúcid i documentattreball, l’autora mostra les interconnexions existents entre un amenaçant col·lapse ecològic, la pobresaglobal i les crisis econòmiques. Mentre les proves al voltant de la intensitat dels abusos humans globalssobre la nostra biosfera segueixen augmentant, les estructures, teories i polítiques econòmiqueshegemòniques, en lloc d’oferir solucions sensates, segueixen exacerbant la contribució humana a ladegradació del medi ambient del nostre planeta. Mentre els economistes de les societats riques segueixentractant el medi ambient com un be de luxe, les proves científiques ens diuen que la humanitat no potpermetre’s el luxe d’esperar que certs individus percebin que són novament rics abans de prendre accionsefectives. Segons explica l’autora, hi ha una necessitat urgent de trobar noves formes de reduir les nostrespetjades ecològiques i les emissions de gas d’efecte hivernacle mentre es resolen els problemes econòmicsdel Nord global i augmenten els estàndards de vida de la gent pobre del Sud global. Aquest és el problemareal del nostre temps i el nucli dels conflictes i canvis socials que tenim pel davant. Com demostra JulietSchor en el seu article, necessitem una rampa de sortida, una visió econòmica de transició cap a unaeconomia planetària sostenible que es fonamenti, no només en una comprensió clara del lloc on hem estat,sinó de la resistència d’un moviment emergent i en expansió de persones que estan forjant un camí cap auna nova plenitud.Juliet Schor, a well regarded economist and professor of sociology, identifies vital signs of resistance andhope in a world confronted by extreme ecological challenges. In her very lucid and well-documentedwork, the author shows the interconnection among a threatening ecological collapse, global poverty andeconomic crises. While evidence on the intensity of global stressors on our biosphere keeps mountingprevailing economic structures, theories and policies, rather than offering meaningful solutions, keepexacerbating human contribution to the degradation of our planet’s environment. While economists inwealthy societies keep treating the environment as a luxury good, scientific evidence tells us thathumanity does not have the luxury of waiting for some people to feel rich again before taking effectiveaction. There is an urgent need to find new ways to reduce our eco-footprints and green house gasemissions while solving the economic problems of the global north and raising the standard of living ofpoor people in the global south, she explains. This is the real problem of our time and the core of socialconflict and change ahead. As Juliet Schor demonstrates in her article, we need an exit ramp, an economicvision of the transition towards a sustainable planetary economy based not only on a clear understandingof where we have been, but on the resistance of an emerging and expanding movement of people who areforging a path to a new plenitude.Juliet Schor, economista de renombre y catedrática de sociología, identifica signos vitales de resistencia yesperanza en un mundo confrontado con desafíos ecológicos extremos. En su muy lúcido y documentadotrabajo, la autora muestra las interconexiones existentes entre un amenazante colapso ecológico, lapobreza global y las crisis económicas. Mientras que las pruebas acerca de la intensidad de los abusoshumanos globales sobre nuestra biosfera siguen aumentando, las estructuras, teorías y políticaseconómicas hegemónicas, en lugar de ofrecer soluciones sensatas, siguen exacerbando la contribuciónhumana a la degradación del medioambiente de nuestro planeta. Mientras que los economistas de lassociedades ricas siguen tratando el medioambiente como un bien de lujo, las pruebas científicas nos dicenque la humanidad no puede darse el lujo de esperar que ciertos individuos perciban que son de nuevoricos antes de tomar acciones efectivas. Según explica la autora, hay una necesidad urgente de encontrarformas nuevas de reducir nuestras huellas ecológicas y emisiones de gas de efecto invernadero mientrasse resuelven los problemas económicos del Norte global y aumentan los estándares de vida de la gentepobre del Sur global. Este es el problema real de nuestro tiempo y el núcleo de los conflictos y cambiossociales que tenemos por delante. Como demuestra Juliet Schor en su artículo, necesitamos una rampa desalida, una visión económica de transición hacia una economía planetaria sostenible que se base, no soloen una comprensión clara de dónde hemos estado, sino de la resistencia de un movimiento emergente yen expansión de personas que están forjando una senda hacia una nueva plenitud

Social science perspectives on drivers of and responses to global

This article provides a review of recent anthropological, archeological, geographical, and sociological research on anthropogenic drivers of climate change, with a particular focus on drivers of carbon emissions, mitigation and adaptation. The four disciplines emphasize cultural, economic, geographic, historical, political, and social‐structural factors to be important drivers of and responses to climate change. Each of these disciplines has unique perspectives and makes noteworthy contributions to our shared understanding of anthropogenic drivers, but they also complement one another and contribute to integrated, multidisciplinary frameworks. The article begins with discussions of research on temporal dimensions of human drivers of carbon emissions, highlighting interactions between long‐term and near‐term drivers. Next, descriptions of the disciplines\u27 contributions to the understanding of mitigation and adaptation are provided. It concludes with a summary of key lessons offered by the four disciplines as well as suggestions for future research

Conspicuous consumption of the elite: Social and self-congruity in tourism choices

This paper relies on social and economic psychology to explore how the travel choices of Portuguese citizens, with different status levels in their daily lives, perceive and adopt different conspicuous travel patterns because of public exposure. To account for the moderated role of public exposure on conspicuous travel patterns, 36 Portuguese citizens were interviewed. Q-methods were applied to explore the varying senses of conspicuous travel choices among citizens with different levels of public exposure, both individually and relative to each other. Complementary qualitative methods were applied, in order to explore how the interviewees construct tourism conspicuous meanings that match their social or self-representations. The results suggest that social contexts moderate the ways in which individuals perceive and experience conspicuous travel. Further, the results show that public groups with higher exposure tend to prefer subtle signals of conspicuousness, in order to differentiate themselves from the mainstream

Estimating the Impact of the Recent Economic Crisis on Work Time in Turkey

This paper provides estimates of the impact of the recent economic crisis on paid and unpaid work time in Turkey. The data used in this study come from the first and only time-use survey available at the national level. Infrequency of collection of time-use data in Turkey does not allow us to make a direct comparison of pre-versus postcrisis time-use patterns. We introduce a tractable way for estimating these possible effects by measuring the impact of an increase in unemployment risk on time-use patterns of women and men living in couple households. The method developed here can be applied to other developing-country cases where there is a lack of longitudinal data availability. Our findings support the argument that economic crises reinforce the preexisting gender inequalities in work time