Publication details
Economic growth and sustainability
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| Year of publication | 2015 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Description | Hardly any other matter is debated as fiercely in sustainability research as the role of economic growth. However, this debate is still somewhat one-sided, as those who do not question the possibility and desirability of further economic growth rarely engage with the critics and sceptics who do. In this chapter we provide an overview of the different views on the relationship between economic growth and sustainability. We first present the arguments brought forward by those who do not see a conflict between growth and sustainability and who engage in concepts and theories such as ecological modernization, green growth, the green economy, the Environmental Kuznets Curve and dematerialization. We then deliver an overview of the counter arguments to these theories, which can be divided into three broad critiques: (1) growth is not sustainable due to environmental and resource limits (2) growth is not desirable because it is failing to improve people’s lives, and (3) growth is not realistic due to factors such as an ageing population and increasing debt. Finally we provide a condensed introduction to the post-growth perspectives of steady state economics and degrowth, their theoretical background, differences and complementarities. |