John committed his life to conservation at a young age. He didn’t realize this would involve a commitment to economics. Pursuing degrees in business and ecology in the early ’90s, John became intrigue by a universal challenge: preserving earth’s ecosystems while meeting humanity’s economic needs. John brings over three decades of practical experience and economic analysis to bear on our understanding of a sustainable economy. This includes founding three businesses and co-founding four NGOs, recycling program management, regional and state-wide restoration initiatives, and investigative interviews around the globe. This experience is woven throughout his book, Ecosystems as Models for Restoring Our Economies (to a sustainable state), 2nd edition by Anthem Press. John is as comfortable tromping through wetlands as he is in the boardroom. He regularly delivers keynote addresses and seminars for a wide range of organizations, universities, and public audiences. In the process, he is building a toolbox of creative policies, programs, and models for economic restoration. Some of the greatest tools and models come from the most unexpected places.
Principal/Owner, Economic Restoration Services Founder, Economic Restoration Institute, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
Abstract
Building a Tariff-Proof Economy: Ecosystem Rules for a Sustainable Economic Future
Humanity suffered a wide range of health concerns until we gained understanding of the inner-workings of the human body, and the nature of pathogens that threaten it. We lack an equivalent understanding of our economy, leaving many nations vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, volatile energy markets, declines in soil fertility, shifting global trade policy, and a litany of other social and environmental challenges. These challenges will likely remain unresolved until we address the economic flaws responsible for their creation. Drawing from thirty years of research and practice in business, economics, and ecology, this seminar outlines three foundational components governing sustainable, tariff-proof, economies—diversity, energy, and trade. The identification of these foundational (governing) components, and the dynamic relationships between them, is the central theme of this talk. This talk presents a fresh perspective on the structure of a sustainable economy, as well as traditional and nontraditional measures of economic productivity, the role of economic succession in stimulating productivity, an ecological explanation of the wealth gap, and the natural geography of a sustainable economy.
Rather than perceive tariffs and volatile energy markets as threats, how might nations navigate around such forces while increasing GDP and resilience. The talk closes with a path for economic restoration, with case studies from the U.S., Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Italy, and elsewhere. Policy implications are provided for national and local levels. To guide the public’s attention and resources toward building a sustainable economy, and to catalyze change, the structure of a sustainable economy must first be understood. And the paths toward economic restoration must be clearly visible.
Keywords: Tariff and trade policy, resource-use efficiency, circularity, endogenous growth theory, energy neutrality, economic diversity, resilience & resistance, systems thinking/complexity theory, economic succession, root causes, wealth gap.