Economic Growth is not Compatible With Environmental Sustainability

| March 15, 2018 | Leave a Comment

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Date of Publication: February 21, 2018

Year of Publication: 2018

Publisher: European Environmental Bureau

Author(s): Federico Demaria

Journal: Meta

Federico Demaria challenges the dominant “growth for growth’s sake” credo pointing out that further economic growth is environmentally unsustainable and socially unnecessary. For Demaria, it is past time we started grappling with the questions of what does an economy without growth look like, and how can we move towards it.

Economic growth is presented as the panacea that can solve any of the world problems: poverty, inequality, sustainability, etc. You name it. Left wing and right wing policies only differ on how to achieve it. However, there is an uncomfortable scientific truth that has to be faced: Economic growth is environmentally unsustainable. Moreover, beyond a certain threshold already surpassed by EU countries, socially it is not necessary. The central question then becomes: How can we manage an economy without growth?

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