Book review of Escape from overshoot: Economics for a planet in peril, by Peter A. Victor, New Society Publishers, 2023
Year: 2025
Type: book-review
Abstract: In this book review, we summarize and analyze overshoot macroeconomics, which is put forward by Peter Victor. In this remarkable book, Victor mainly explains and discusses what overshoot is, why overshoot occurs, and how to escape from overshoot. Five key points can be summarized from the book: (a) overshoot is an emerging and nonnegligible challenge for sustainable development of humanity and countries; (b) to achieve ecological sustainability and live within planetary boundaries, we have to escape from overshoot as soon as possible; (3) if quantitative growth around the world continues apace, we have little chance of escaping from overshoot; (d) post-growth solutions, such as the steady-state economy and doughnut economics, provide more possibilities for escaping from overshoot; and (e) high-income countries should take the lead in escaping from overshoot. The five key points have obvious implications and inspirations for policymaking in the field of sustainable development.
Authors: Shuai Zhang, Daijian Zhu
Institution: Tongji University
Language: English
Subfield: Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Award: G1426906409
OpenAlex ID: W4414846195