Regenerative Economics
Note: Emerging concept connecting David Witzel's and Klaus Mager's thinking during the OGM 2025-11-06 call.
The Concept
Economics that:
- Goes beyond "sustainable"
- Actively regenerates systems
- Mimics living systems
- Creates positive-sum outcomes
- Builds rather than depletes
Examples from the Call
Klaus's Dual Revenue Model
Farmers grow two crops:
- Food (traditional revenue)
- Environmental benefits (new revenue)
This:
- Incentivizes regeneration
- Makes healing profitable
- Aligns economics with ecology
David's Growth Question
How can economic growth work like living system growth:
- Cyclical rather than endless
- Regenerative rather than extractive
- Within healthy constraints
- Building capacity for more
Traditional vs Regenerative
Traditional:
- Growth = more extraction
- Efficiency = doing more with less
- Optimization within constraints
- Zero-sum competition
Regenerative:
- Growth = building capacity
- Efficiency = doing more with more (more health, more connection)
- Optimization for abundance
- Positive-sum collaboration
Challenges
- How to measure regenerative value
- How to price ecosystem services
- How to shift incentive structures
- How to scale beyond niche
David's Question
What metaphors from biological systems can inform traditional economics in new ways?
Klaus's Answer (in practice)
Create economic incentives for regenerative behavior through:
- Payment for ecosystem services
- Measurement of environmental benefits
- Secondary revenue streams
Related Concepts
- Growth in Living Systems
- Regenerative Agriculture
- David Witzel
- Klaus Mager
- Environmental Services Revenue
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