One thing you can be certain of in what was billed as the most uncertain of elections, is that most candidates will be trying to convince you that their party can deliver growth. If they feel their audience is environmentally inclined, they may even claim they can deliver green growth. But is green growth as much of a myth as the Loch Ness monster? Many claim sitings, but the evidence is lacking?
In the face of XR’s demand to ‘tell the truth’, is this where we are most in denial? But could that change? Is the FT’s recent opinion piece, ‘The Myth of Green Growth’, by one of their own journalists, Simon Kuper, a sign?
However Kuper asserts that democracies will never chose degrowth even in the face of climate change catastrophe, and almost certain economic and social collapse. Is this true?
Nick Meynen, an environmental activist with the European Environmental Bureau, believes, like Kuper, that green growth is a myth and presents evidence to support that. But he also shows how positive post growth policy thinking is flourishing and reaching parliaments all over Europe, including the European Parliament. So could we also have a positive (de)growth debate in the UK?
Nicky Chambers responds from her experience and expertise as a consultant seeking to create green growth.
