Rhetoric touting the decoupling of economic growth from increased emissions prompted Mark Burton of Steady State Machester to look for evidence supporting claims of decoupling. He presents his findings in this article, mainly that:
“the hypothesis that economic growth is compatible with action on climate change remains unproven” and that though “degrowth is not likely, on its own, to deliver the 4.9% annual emissions reduction that is needed to stabilise atmospheric CO2 at 450 ppm by 2050 (itself a frighteningly high level): economic growth makes the task harder”.
This article appeared on Resilience.org, part of Post Carbon Institute‘s Resilience program dedicated to building resilient communities as we transition away from fossil fuels. You can find more resources from Resilience.org through the news feed here on the MAHB site.