Doughnut Economics is nothing short of a phenomenon, and Regen Brisbane is excited to be using ‘the doughnut’ in our work.
Doughnut economics refers to the visual and conceptual framework created by Kate Raworth , when she drew the needs of humanity, inside the circular diagram that had been created by the team who developed the critically important concept of Planetary Boundaries. The hole in the middle of the ‘doughnut’ diagram represents the people that lack access to life’s essentials (healthcare, education, food etc). The ‘crust’ of the doughnut represents the ecological ceiling – our 9 Planetary Boundaries.
Kate developed the diagram and her core ideas in her 2012 Oxfam paper – ‘A Safe and Just Space for Humanity’, and she elaborated on the concepts in her 2017 book, mentioned above, Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. Since 2020, the creation of the ‘Doughnut Economy Action Lab’ or DEAL, has translated Doughnut Economics into resources and tools so that thousands of people and hundreds of organisations have engaged with and used ‘the Doughnut.’
Kate’s framework invites people to re-frame our economy and our economic future, by changing our goals: to enable all people to live well, within the ecological ceiling of our planet. The Doughnut helps people rethink the myth of endless growth, and begin seeing economics for what it is: a tool to support humanity.
In Doughnut Economics, an economy is considered prosperous when all 12 social foundations are met, without overshooting any of the nine ecological ceilings.
About the ‘Greenprints Doughnut’
Regen Brisbane uses the ‘the Aussie Greenprints Doughnut’, developed by Greenprints creator, Dr Michelle Maloney.
Michelle writes:
“I love the Doughnut Economy concept. And I added to it, because I thought it’s missing two elements: (i) how to articulate a vision for the future that includes more than just humans, and includes the rest of the Earth community and (ii) how to connect us to the things that matter most in our local place: the water we drink, the air we breathe, the plants and animals and other evolutionary companions that support our physical and mental health. As an Australian, I was especially interested in how ‘Doughnut Economics’ might connect with Indigenous wisdom and Caring for Country too.”