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In an era of escalating climate crises and persistent social inequalities, the Doughnut Economics framework provides a powerful visual metaphor for understanding humanity’s precarious position between social deprivation and ecological collapse. Originally developed by economist Kate Raworth in her influential 2017 book “Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist,” this revolutionary approach challenges conventional economic thinking that prioritizes growth above all else.
The Doughnut Economics Framework: Understanding Our Safe Operating Space
The doughnut shape represents the safe and just operating space for humanity, balancing essential social foundations with planetary boundaries. The hole at the center symbolizes shortfalls in life’s essentials—food, water, healthcare, education, and political voice—while the outer crust represents ecological overshoot where we exceed Earth’s capacity to sustain life. This conceptual model, detailed in the official Doughnut Economics framework documentation, has evolved from a static snapshot into a dynamic tool for assessing global progress.
Recent research published in Nature by Andrew Fanning and Kate Raworth represents the first major update since 2017, transforming the framework into an annual time series spanning 2000-2022. This longitudinal data reveals alarming trends about our global trajectory and raises fundamental questions about what constitutes genuine progress in the 21st century.
Alarming Global Trends: Accelerating Ecological Overshoot
The updated data reveals a disturbing divergence between economic growth and sustainable development. While global GDP has more than doubled since 2000, progress on social foundations has dramatically slowed while ecological overshoot has accelerated. We’re now damaging critical biophysical processes faster than we’re improving human wellbeing—a clear indication that our current economic model is fundamentally flawed.
The research shows overshoot on six of nine critical planetary boundaries, with separate studies indicating we’ve since crossed a seventh boundary. According to the Stockholm Resilience Centre’s planetary boundaries assessment, this represents a dangerous departure from the stable conditions that enabled human civilization to flourish. The concept of ecological overshoot explains how humanity is consuming resources faster than Earth can regenerate them, creating an unsustainable debt against future generations.
Global Inequality in Ecological Impact and Social Deprivation
The nation-level breakdown in the updated framework reveals stark inequalities in how countries contribute to and experience these imbalances. The richest 20% of nations, housing just 15% of global population, are responsible for 44% of ecological overshoot while experiencing only 2% of social foundation shortfalls. Meanwhile, the poorest 40% of countries, with 43% of global population, account for merely 4% of ecological overshoot but bear 63% of social deprivation.
This data illustrates how the current economic system creates an unjust trade-off between social foundations and ecological boundaries. Wealthy nations externalize environmental costs while poor nations bear disproportionate social burdens—a systemic failure that demands urgent addressing through reformed economic policies and international cooperation.
Redefining Progress Beyond GDP Growth
The dominant economic narrative equating growth with progress is increasingly questioned by the evidence. Australia’s Productivity Commission Growth Mindset report, which barely addresses poverty, inequality, or environmental impacts, exemplifies this disconnect. As detailed in the comprehensive Growth Mindset inquiry, this narrow focus on economic expansion ignores critical dimensions of human and environmental wellbeing.
Fortunately, alternative frameworks are emerging. Australia’s Measuring What Matters initiative, developed by Treasury, tracks progress toward a healthier, more secure, sustainable, and cohesive nation. Similarly, regional frameworks like the Australian Regional Wellbeing Agenda and Victoria’s Wellbeing Strategy demonstrate growing recognition that true progress encompasses multiple dimensions beyond economic output.
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Doughnut Economics in Action: Global and Local Applications
Since its publication, Doughnut Economics has evolved into a global movement centered around the Doughnut Economics Action Lab (DEAL). Cities worldwide are adopting this framework to assess their social and ecological conditions, with Melbourne’s Doughnut City Portrait featured in the Nature article as a leading example. The Melbourne portrait confirms Australia’s position within global patterns: relatively low social deprivation coupled with very high ecological overshoot.
This approach aligns with Indigenous perspectives, particularly Australian First Nations’ view of Country as an inseparable integration of economy, society, and environment. Indigenous consultancy Dinadj is developing an Indigenous doughnut for Australia, bridging traditional wisdom with contemporary economic analysis. Meanwhile, initiatives like South Australia’s economic statement demonstrate how governments are beginning to integrate wellbeing considerations into economic planning.
Pathways Forward: Repurposing Our Economic Systems
The updated Doughnut Economics framework, as analyzed in The Conversation’s comprehensive coverage, makes clear that repurposing our economy away from destructive growth and toward human and environmental flourishing is both urgent and achievable. This requires fundamentally rethinking how we measure progress, design economic policies, and distribute resources between nations and generations.
Government initiatives at multiple levels—from Australia’s Measuring What Matters framework to the Australian Capital Territory’s wellbeing guide for decision-making—signal growing recognition of these challenges. While these efforts remain in early stages, their proliferation indicates a shifting paradigm that acknowledges the limitations of GDP as our primary progress indicator.
The Doughnut Economics image illustrates with striking clarity the complex challenges of the 21st century. The recent update demonstrates that addressing ecological overshoot while ensuring social foundations for all humanity requires transformative change to our economic systems, measurement frameworks, and ultimately, our definition of prosperity.
