[The report itself, Prosperity without Growth? - The transition to a
sustainable economy, can be accessed from:
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications.php?id=914 ]
* * *
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/30/g20-sustainable-development-commission
Ahead of G20 summit, report says: promote sustainability over growth
* Nick Fletcher
* The Guardian, Monday 30 March 2009
The pursuit of economic growth was one of the root causes of the
financial crisis, and governments should respond to the recession by
abandoning growth at all costs in favour of a more sustainable,
greener system, says a report out today.
Before this week's G20 summit, the Sustainable Development
Commission, an independent adviser to the government, says the
developed world's reliance on debt to fuel its relentless growth has
created an unstable system that has made individuals, families and
communities vulnerable to cycles of boom and bust. The benefits of
growth have also been delivered unequally, with a fifth of the
world's population earning only 2% of global income. Increased
consumption also has disastrous environmental consequences, including
the degradation of some 60% of the world's ecosystems.
According to the SDC, the global economy is almost five times larger
than it was 50 years ago, and if it continues to grow at the same
rate it would be 80 times larger by the end of the century.
"Faced with the current recession, it is understandable that many
leaders at the G20 summit will be anxious to restore business as
usual," said Professor Tim Jackson, economics commissioner at the
SDC. "But governments really need to take a long, hard look at the
effects of our single-minded devotion to growth - effects which
include the recession itself.
"It may seem inopportune to be questioning growth while we are faced
with daily news of the effects of recession, but allegiance to growth
is the most dominant feature of an economic and political system that
has led us to the brink of disaster. Not to stand back now and
question what has happened would be to compound failure with failure:
failure of vision with failure of responsibility. Figuring out how to
deliver prosperity without growth is more essential now than ever."
The report - called Prosperity without growth? - calls on governments
to develop a sustainable economic system that does not rely on
ever-increasing consumption.
The SDC's proposals to achieve this include: improving financial and
fiscal prudence, as well as giving priority to investment in public
assets and infrastructure over private affluence; allowing
individuals to flourish by tackling inequality, sharing available
work, improving work-life balance and reversing the culture of
consumerism; and establishing ecological limits on economic activity.
The report concludes: "The clearest message from the financial crisis
is that our current model of economic success is fundamentally
flawed. For the advanced economies of the western world, prosperity
without growth is no longer a utopian dream. It is a financial and
ecological necessity."
* * *
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/redefining-prosperity.html
Redefining Prosperity
Road scene with sign, Please find alternative routeThe economy is
geared, above all, to economic growth. Economic policy in the current
recession is all about returning to growth - but an economic crisis
can be an opportunity for some basic rethinking and restructuring.
Two objectives other than growth - sustainability and wellbeing -
have moved up the political and policy-making agenda in recent years,
challenging the overriding priority traditionally given to economic
growth.
SDC's "Redefining Prosperity" project has looked into the connections
and conflicts between sustainability, growth, and wellbeing.
As part of a two year programme of work, we commissioned thinkpieces,
organised seminars, and invited feedback. This project has now
resulted in a major SDC report: 'Prosperity without growth?: the
transition to a sustainable economy' by Professor Tim Jackson, SDC's
Economics Commissioner. Prosperity without growth? analyses the
relationship between growth and the growing environmental crisis and
'social recession'. In the last quarter of a century, while the
global economy has doubled, the increased in resource consumption has
degraded an estimated 60% of the world's ecosystems. The benefits of
growth have been distributed very unequally, with a fifth of the
world's population sharing just 2% of global income. Even in
developed countries, huge gaps remain in wealth and well-being
between rich and poor.
While modernising production and reducing the impact of certain goods
and services have led to greater resource efficiency in recent
decades, our report finds that current aspirations for 'decoupling'
environmental impacts from economic growth are unrealistic. The
report finds no evidence as yet of decoupling taking place on
anything like the scale or speed which would be required to avoid
increasing environmental devastation.
Prosperity without growth? proposes twelve steps towards a
sustainable economy and argues for a redefinition of "prosperity" in
line with evidence about what contributes to people's wellbeing.
SDC intends to generate discussion and debate on the challenges on
the issues that Prosperity without Growth? raises. We have sent the
report to the Prime Minister, government leaders in the devolved
administrations, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and other
government ministers, as well as business and civil society leaders.
*** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this
material is distributed, without profit, for research and educational
purposes only. ***
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