Presentation at #WERN2018

1. BIOS
From decoupling to ecological
reconstruction. An evaluation
based on the need for absolute
decrease in material use.
Tere Vadén, Ville Lähde, Antti Majava, Paavo
Järvensivu, Tero Toivanen Tero1, Jussi T.
Eronen
1
BIOS Research Unit
Helsinki, Finland

2. BIOS
Decoupling
• ”Detaching environmental bads from economic goods”
• Economic growth with no growth or even degrowth in ecological
damage
 ex. Obama 2017, Orpo 2018, Tiilikainen 2018
• GDP compared to CO2 emissions, waste, material use, etc.
• Relative (economy growing faster than ecol. damage)
• Absolute (ecol. damage actually diminishing)

3. BIOS
”Successful decoupling”
• GDP growth 2% per year
• Global material resource use 7 tons per capita by 2050 (tot. 68 billion
tons, population 9,7 billion)
• →
• Per capita use -40% (-70% in Finland & North America)
• 2.6 times more GDP out of every material ton (6,6 times in Finland)
 (ca. 50% of material use goes to maintaining existing stock)

4. BIOS
GDP/material use (DMC)

5. BIOS
Finland

6. BIOS
”Ecological reconstruction”
• the main task of economy: human welfare (not GDP)
• Historical precedents: war economy, post-war reconstruction
• massive public investment
• wide-reaching government regulation & coordination
 Deinvesting from fossil infra, investment in new energy, food,
travel, housing infra & social/welfare arrangements

7. BIOS
Thank you!
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@biosresearch