How to manage the viability of the economic system in regard to Sustainable Development stakes : the industrial and territorial ecology

In a first part, the author will present why sustainable development, such as defined by the Brundtland Commission and such as transcripted in national and international strategies, is not in measure to answer to the problems at stake. Strategies are mainly based on technological solutions, rather than on changes in behaviours, and structured without any systemic view. Even solutions developed justified by environmental considerations may have catastrophic social and environmental effects. Biases such as rebound effects are not considered and mass consumption through the globalisation of markets is not even questioned. Several myths followed by the dominant economic system (“the more is the better”, “control of space-time”, “control of nature”) increase the entropy of the biosphere (N. Georgescu-Roeggen) and lead in a direction at the opposite of sustainable development. On such a basis, the second part of the lecture focuses on the potential of industrial and territorial ecology. If we consider the triangle of Kolm, a much wider range of mechanisms of coordination between the actors are available, than the predominant vision lying on market coordination with a small dose of regulation.

Besides market coordination and State planning, the sphere of autonomy also has a potential. Industrial and territorial ecology is based on the analogy with ecosystems and on the analysis of energy and matter exchanges between human society and nature. It aims at a better understanding of impacts through a spatialisation of energy and matter flows.

Industrial and territorial ecology is a question of coordination, but should also question the aims of producing goods, i.e. the question of needs. Two main strategies relying on better governance might be promising : the increasing of territorial autonomy ; the economy of functionality. Both strategies will be presented in relation with the triangle of Kolm.

Speaker

Dr. Nicolas Buclet, Economist, Université de technologie de Troyes, France

Organisers

French Institute of Pondicherry

Venue

Jawaharlal Nehru Conference Hall, French Institute of Pondicherry, 11, Saint Louis Street, Pondicherry - 605 001

Time

4.30 pm