ABSTRACT
The object of sustainability theories is to examine how a good life might be possible today and in the future, and which economic, social and ecological factors will play a role in it. The fundamental problem of non-sustainable developments is the endless loop of more production and more desire without measure, no timeline and no endpoint, none of which is changed by improved efficiency. The power of conviction of theory-based narratives certainly increases whenever they are able to dock onto political, economic and other societal practices. Economic history since the industrial revolution is to a great extent a history in which scarcity, efficiency and growth have occupied the main roles. The growing supply of goods pushes the level of what is considered normal prosperity upwards, resulting in new shortages which in turn generate new growth processes. With the aid of science and technology, the goal is to use ever more natural resources, materials, energy and space, for these processes.
