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Is economic growth compatible with sustainability? A new report by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), DNR and the Institute for Sustainable Economies (ZOE) clearly shows: No! Resource consumption, which is responsible for increasing environmental degradation, cannot be decoupled from economic growth. With a comprehensive analysis of scientific data, the report "Decoupling debunked - Evidence and arguments against green growth as a sole strategy for sustainability" dispels the myth of decoupling and shatters the dream of green growth as an engine for prosperity and sustainability.

Prosperity in Europe has so far been achieved through the continuous growth of the economy and consumption. The side effects have been soil erosion, species extinction and climate disruption. In the search for more environmentally friendly alternatives, the idea of green growth, of decoupling the consumption of natural resources and environmental damage from economic growth through technological progress and structural change, is gaining momentum.

In an analysis of more than 100 scientific papers, the report shows that absolute decoupling of economic growth from resource-intensive production has never occurred, nor will it occur in the future. "To actually stop the collapse of the world's ecosystems, decoupling must be absolute, permanent, global and fast enough," the report says. There is "no scientific evidence whatsoever that such decoupling can be expected," it said.

"The findings of the decoupling report shatter the dream of green growth in great detail and with scientific evidence: Absolute decoupling of growth and the use of nature is not possible. A green efficiency economy cannot save the planet. The report thus shakes the foundations of our economy: in future, prosperity can no longer be achieved through growth. What is really needed for the future of prosperity is not a growth-fixated society, but an adult one"
Prof. Dr. Kai Niebert, President of the German Nature Conservation Ring

It was the great acceleration of economic growth after World War 2 that drove us into the climate, plastics, transport and agricultural crises. Now we need to find ways to counteract these crises. The report shows impressively that the growth paradigm is not sustainable.

Climate change and biodiversity loss can only be mitigated if policy makers develop alternatives to green growth and translate them into political action.

The report is available online at: https://www.dnr.de/publikationen/themenhefte/eeb-bericht-entlarvt-entkopplung-als-mythos/

Source: PM of the DNR from 15.07.2019

Keywords:
New books and studies, Resource efficiency, SDG 2030, Environmental policy