ABSTRACT
The Green New Deal anticipated by the economic model of Natural Capitalism is not the old New Deal. The democratic distribution of renewable energies and economic opportunity ally naturally with distributed governance based on local peer assemblies. Geopolitically, we expect an emphasis on a system of universal codes and standards and broad agreement on regulatory frameworks that permit smooth collaboration across contiguous land masses.
Also, it is noted that this model of sustainability applies to advanced industrial economies that have pushed for the model of globalization that sustains Consumer Capitalism. Sustainability will look quite different elsewhere, where it will require a delicate balance between development that delivers prosperity and sustainable management of resources.
Comparing the alternatives, it is clear that Classical Liberalism is detrimental to our lives in multifarious ways. It rationalizes and supports a model of globalization that is ruinous of the environment; it is corrosive of public trust and the foundations of our democratic institutions; and it is impossible to reconcile it with our moral values. It is reassuring that the very means needed to put sustainability on a sure footing will be the very same things that need to be done to restore this public trust and reinvigorate our democracies.
