‘Green Economic Growth’, Decoupling Is A Myth

There are ‘no realistic scenarios’ to make the economic growth demanded by capitalism compatible with a safe climate, researchers who advised the United Nations found.

As societies get richer, they consume more resources. That also means they generate more pollution, driving climate change and destroying natural ecosystems.

We need to somehow break this link between material wealth and environmental catastrophe. That’s why financial institutions and governments have been focused on the idea of “decoupling” GDP growth from resource use.

The idea of “decoupling” is driven by the recognition that to stay within the ˜safe limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius, we have to dramatically reduce our material consumption of Earth’s resources.

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