Rethinking Economic Growth through Nature-Inspired Technologies: Biomimicry, Artificial Intelligence and the Circular Economy
Abstract
Mainstream economic growth models centered on increased production and consumption have intensified environmental degradation and social inequalities on a global scale, while market-oriented prescriptions have failed to offer effective solutions to these issues. This study, grounded in the theoretical foundations of ecological economics, approaches biomimicry and the circular economy as transformative elements capable of redefining growth and proposes an alternative paradigm that prioritizes technological progress and social welfare while remaining within planetary boundaries. Emphasizing the pivotal role of artificial intelligence (AI) in this transformation, the study argues that biomimetic technologies should be implemented not with a focus on short-term profit maximization, but in line with the principles of sustainability and social welfare. In this context, AI-assisted visual representations have been developed for selected economic processes, drawing inspiration from the structural and functional properties of mycelial networks and protoplasmic forms. This method constitutes a novel contribution to the literature, both through its biomimetic-analogical matching approach and its capacity to produce multi-layered visual representations of economic systems.
References
- Ackerman, Frank, Elizabeth A. Stanton ve Ramón Bueno (2010). “Fat Tails, Exponents, Extreme Uncertainty: Simulating Catastrophe in DICE”, Ecological Economics, 69 (8): 1657–1665.
- Aghion, Philippe ve Peter Howitt (1998). Endogenous Growth Theory. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Barro, Robert J. ve Xavier Sala-i-Martin (1995). Economic Growth. New York: McGraw-Hill.
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- Binswanger, Mathias (2001). “Technological Progress and Sustainable Development: What About the Rebound Effect?”, Ecological Economics, 36 (1): 119–132.
- Cass, David (1965). “Optimum Growth in an Aggregative Model of Capital Accumulation”, Review of Economic Studies, 32 (3): 233–240.
- Daly, Herman (1977). Steady-State Economics: The Economics of Biophysical Equilibrium and Moral Growth. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman.
- Fontana, Giuseppe ve Malcolm Sawyer (2013). “Post-Keynesian and Kaleckian Thoughts on Ecological Macroeconomics”, European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, 10 (2): 256–267.
- Grimaud, André (1999). “Growth and Environment: Are They Compatible?”, Economic Modelling, 16 (1): 249–267. Jackson, Tim (2009). Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet. London: Earthscan.
- Kallis, Giorgos (2011). “In Defence of Degrowth”, Ecological Economics, 70 (5): 873–880.
- Keynes, John Maynard (1930). “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren”, Essays in Persuasion (ss. 358–373). New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
- Klein, Naomi (2014). This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Kneese, Allen V. (1988). “The Economics of Natural Resources”, Population and Development Review, 14: 281–309.
- Latouche, Serge (2009). Farewell to Growth. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Lebdioui, Amir (2022). “Nature-Inspired Innovation Policy: Biomimicry as a Pathway to Leverage Biodiversity for Economic Development”, Ecological Economics, 202:1-15.
- Pearce, Mick (1999). Sustainable Architecture: Eastgate, Harare–Zimbabwe. https://www.mickpearce.com/biomimicry.html
- Raman, Raghu, Aswathy Sreenivasan ve Ma Suresh (2024). “Mapping Biomimicry Research to Sustainable Development Goals”, Scientific Reports, 14: 18613. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69230-9.
- Ramsey, Frank Plumpton (1928). “A Mathematical Theory of Saving”, Economic Journal, 38 (152): 543–559.
- Raworth, Kate (2017). Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. London: Random House Business.
- Rezai, Armon, Duncan K. Foley ve Lance Taylor (2013). “Global Warming and Economic Externalities”, Economic Theory, 49 (2): 329–351.
- Solow, Robert Merton. (1956). “A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth”, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 70 (1): 65–94.
- Stagl, Sigrid (2014). “Ecological Macroeconomics: Working Time Reduction, Consumption, and Sustainability”, Environmental Policy and Governance, 24 (2): 125–137.
- Stern, Nicholas (2014). The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Van Nierop, Ernst A., Silas Alben ve Michael P. Brenner (2008). “How Bumps on Whale Flippers Delay Stall: An Aerodynamic Model”, Physical Review Letters, 100 (5): 054502. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.054502
- Victor, Peter A. (2008). Managing Without Growth: Slower by Design, Not Disaster. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Vincent, Julian F.V., Olga.A. Bogatyreva, Nikolaj.R. Bogatyrev, Adrian. Bowyer ve Anja-Karina. Pahl (2006). “Biomimetics: Its Practice and Theory”, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 3 (9): 471–482.
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İktisadi Büyümeyi Doğadan İlham Alan Teknolojiler ile Yeniden Düşünmek: Biyomimikri, Yapay Zeka ve Döngüsel Ekonomi
Abstract
Üretim ve tüketim artışına dayalı anaakım iktisadi büyüme modelleri, küresel ölçekte çevresel tahribatı ve toplumsal eşitsizlikleri derinleştirmiş; piyasa odaklı reçeteler ise bu sorunlara etkili çözümler üretememiştir. Bu çalışma, ekolojik iktisadın kuramsal temellerinden hareketle, biyomimikri ve döngüsel ekonomiyi büyümeyi yeniden tanımlayabilecek dönüştürücü unsurlar olarak ele almakta; gezegenin sınırlarını gözeten, teknolojik ilerleme ve toplumsal refahı önceleyen alternatif bir paradigma önermektedir. Yapay zekânın bu dönüşümdeki belirleyici rolüne dikkat çeken çalışmada, biyomimetik teknolojilerin kısa vadeli kâr maksimizasyonu yerine sürdürülebilirlik ve toplumsal refah ilkeleri doğrultusunda uygulanması gerektiği savunulmaktadır. Bu bağlamda, seçili iktisadi süreçlere ilişkin olarak miselyum ağları ve protoplazmaların yapısal ve işlevsel özelliklerinden esinle, yapay zekâ destekli görsel temsiller geliştirilmiştir. Söz konusu yöntem, hem biyomimetik-analojik eşleştirme yaklaşımıyla, hem de iktisadi sistemlere ilişkin çok katmanlı görsel temsil üretimiyle literatürde özgün bir ilk olma niteliği taşımaktadır.
References
- Ackerman, Frank, Elizabeth A. Stanton ve Ramón Bueno (2010). “Fat Tails, Exponents, Extreme Uncertainty: Simulating Catastrophe in DICE”, Ecological Economics, 69 (8): 1657–1665.
- Aghion, Philippe ve Peter Howitt (1998). Endogenous Growth Theory. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Barro, Robert J. ve Xavier Sala-i-Martin (1995). Economic Growth. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Benyus, Janine M. (1997). Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. New York: HarperCollins E-Book.
- Bhushan, Bharat (2009). “Biomimetics: Lessons from Nature – An Overview”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, 367 (1893): 1445–1486. doi: 10.1098/rsta.2009.0011.
- Binswanger, Mathias (2001). “Technological Progress and Sustainable Development: What About the Rebound Effect?”, Ecological Economics, 36 (1): 119–132.
- Cass, David (1965). “Optimum Growth in an Aggregative Model of Capital Accumulation”, Review of Economic Studies, 32 (3): 233–240.
- Daly, Herman (1977). Steady-State Economics: The Economics of Biophysical Equilibrium and Moral Growth. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman.
- Fontana, Giuseppe ve Malcolm Sawyer (2013). “Post-Keynesian and Kaleckian Thoughts on Ecological Macroeconomics”, European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, 10 (2): 256–267.
- Grimaud, André (1999). “Growth and Environment: Are They Compatible?”, Economic Modelling, 16 (1): 249–267. Jackson, Tim (2009). Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet. London: Earthscan.
- Kallis, Giorgos (2011). “In Defence of Degrowth”, Ecological Economics, 70 (5): 873–880.
- Keynes, John Maynard (1930). “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren”, Essays in Persuasion (ss. 358–373). New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
- Klein, Naomi (2014). This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. New York: Simon & Schuster.
- Kneese, Allen V. (1988). “The Economics of Natural Resources”, Population and Development Review, 14: 281–309.
- Latouche, Serge (2009). Farewell to Growth. Cambridge: Polity Press.
- Lebdioui, Amir (2022). “Nature-Inspired Innovation Policy: Biomimicry as a Pathway to Leverage Biodiversity for Economic Development”, Ecological Economics, 202:1-15.
- Pearce, Mick (1999). Sustainable Architecture: Eastgate, Harare–Zimbabwe. https://www.mickpearce.com/biomimicry.html
- Raman, Raghu, Aswathy Sreenivasan ve Ma Suresh (2024). “Mapping Biomimicry Research to Sustainable Development Goals”, Scientific Reports, 14: 18613. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-69230-9.
- Ramsey, Frank Plumpton (1928). “A Mathematical Theory of Saving”, Economic Journal, 38 (152): 543–559.
- Raworth, Kate (2017). Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. London: Random House Business.
- Rezai, Armon, Duncan K. Foley ve Lance Taylor (2013). “Global Warming and Economic Externalities”, Economic Theory, 49 (2): 329–351.
- Solow, Robert Merton. (1956). “A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth”, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 70 (1): 65–94.
- Stagl, Sigrid (2014). “Ecological Macroeconomics: Working Time Reduction, Consumption, and Sustainability”, Environmental Policy and Governance, 24 (2): 125–137.
- Stern, Nicholas (2014). The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Van Nierop, Ernst A., Silas Alben ve Michael P. Brenner (2008). “How Bumps on Whale Flippers Delay Stall: An Aerodynamic Model”, Physical Review Letters, 100 (5): 054502. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.054502
- Victor, Peter A. (2008). Managing Without Growth: Slower by Design, Not Disaster. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Vincent, Julian F.V., Olga.A. Bogatyreva, Nikolaj.R. Bogatyrev, Adrian. Bowyer ve Anja-Karina. Pahl (2006). “Biomimetics: Its Practice and Theory”, Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 3 (9): 471–482.
- Wahl, Daniel Christian ve Seaton Baxter (2008). “The Designer's Role in Facilitating Sustainable Solutions”, Design Issues, 24: 72–83.
- World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. https://databank.worldbank.org/source/world-development-indicators
Details
| Primary Language | Turkish |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Green Economy |
| Journal Section | Articles |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | April 30, 2025 |
| Submission Date | February 24, 2025 |
| Acceptance Date | April 15, 2025 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2025 Volume: 3 Issue: 1 |
