Biodiversity loss is driven by economic growth

the idea was that if we use the term ‘sustainable development’ and talk about ‘green growth’, ‘decoupling’ etc. then we won’t have a fight… I think that framing, in hindsight, was kinda disastrous.

With Prof Julia Steinberger of the University of Leeds and the IPCC.

Julia is Professor of Ecological Economics at the University of Leeds and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change.

Highlights

  1. So the idea was that if we use the term ‘sustainable development’ and talk about ‘green growth’, ‘decoupling’ etc. then we won’t have a fight. We’re not in a strong position as environmentalists. Let’s not go out and seek that fight. We might not win. Let’s just be nice to everyone. I think that framing, in hindsight, was kinda disastrous.
  2. If we want to take biodiversity loss seriously, we have to accept that it’s driven by economic growth.
  3. So we’re learning to tell the story of how growth is economically, socially and environmentally disastrous, but we’re not telling it fast enough.

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