Green Growth or No Growth
Find the debate here
Overview:
All four speakers believe that the climate is more imporant than the economy, however the question of weather we need to halt economic growth in order to save the climate is a heavily debated topic. Etkins and Lipsey believe that we can continue economic growth as technology will increase to a point in which we can deal with all of our emissions. They also believe that we will find new sources of energy that are both renewable and good for the economy. Jackson and Victor believe that economic growth cannot coexist with the climate, as one of the main externalities of economic growth is waste/GHGs. They believe that our technology cannot catch up to our growth.
Analysis:
The concept of creating a better climate while growing economically is an interesting one. This debate has proven, to me at least, that not only can green growth and economic growth coexist, but that our economy can actually grow stronger through green growth than through carbon-baseed growth. One of the most important points raised in this debate is the point that by having green growth, we can find new energy sources, which can in turn produce huge economic growth, as we will be using previously untapped energy sources. And this is already happening. There is technology which generates electricity from foot steps. If a company like Exxon used this technology, they could literally make money through doing nothing. It seems as if green growth is not only something that can lead to economic growth, but it could very well be one of the best ways to spur our broken economy.
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