NEW YORK ¨C Everyone needs a foil, and for many who are focused on climate and sustainability, economic growth ¡ª capitalism ¡ª is a convenient target.
This is understandable. Economic expansion is the quintessential capitalist imperative, but infinite material growth on a finite planet is physically impossible. Hence the rise of ¡°degrowth,¡± ¡°agrowth,¡± ¡°post-growth,¡± and other concepts that have emerged to underpin seemingly sophisticated criticisms of the ¡°standard¡± economic model.
Look beneath the surface and you will find that this clash of worldviews is more about rhetoric than actual policy. It is also a distraction.
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