Editing Economic growth (section)

==={{visible anchor|Environmental impact|Environmental impacts}}===
{{See also|The Limits to Growth|Overconsumption}}
Critics such as the [[Club of Rome]] argue that a narrow view of economic growth, combined with globalization, is creating a scenario where we could see a systemic collapse of our planet's natural resources.<ref>Donella H. Meadows, Jorgen Randers, Dennis L. Meadows. ''Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update''. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green, 2004.</ref><ref><!-- Allan Schnaiberg (1980) The environment: From surplus to scarcity-->{{cite Q|Q111450348}}</ref>

[[File:Uneconomic Growth diagram.jpg|thumb|The marginal costs of a growing economy may gradually exceed the marginal benefits, however measured.]]

Concerns about negative environmental effects of growth have prompted some people to advocate lower levels of growth, or the abandoning of growth altogether. In academia, concepts like [[uneconomic growth]], [[steady-state economy]], [[eco-taxes]], green investments, [[Guaranteed minimum income|basic income guarantees]], along with more radical approaches associated with [[degrowth]], [[Commons|commoning]], [[eco-socialism]] and [[Green anarchism|eco-anarchism]] have been developed in order to achieve this and to overcome possible [[Growth imperative|growth imperatives]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wiedmann|first1=Thomas |last2=Lenzen|first2=Manfred |last3=Keyßer|first3=Lorenz T. |last4=Steinberger|first4=Julia K.|author-link4=Julia Steinberger|title=Scientists' warning on affluence |journal=[[Nature Communications]] |date=2020 |volume=11 |issue=3107 |page=3107 |doi=10.1038/s41467-020-16941-y |pmid=32561753 |pmc=7305220 |bibcode=2020NatCo..11.3107W }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hickel|first1=Jason|author-link1=Jason Hickel|last2=Kallis|first2=Giorgos|author-link2=Giorgos Kallis|last3=Jackson|first3=Tim|author-link3=Tim Jackson (economist)|last4=O’Neill|first4=Daniel W.|last5=Schor|first5=Juliet B.|author-link5=Juliet Schor|display-authors=etal.|date=December 12, 2022|title=Degrowth can work — here's how science can help|url= |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]]|volume=612|issue=7940|pages=400–403|doi=10.1038/d41586-022-04412-x|pmid=36510013 |bibcode=2022Natur.612..400H |s2cid=254614532 |access-date=|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=E. T. |date=2024-01-23 |title=Practising Commoning |url=https://commonslibrary.org/practising-commoning/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Anitra |date=2024-01-31 |title=Degrowth as a Concept and Practice: Introduction |url=https://commonslibrary.org/degrowth-as-a-concept-and-practice-introduction/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=The Commons Social Change Library |language=en-AU}}</ref> In politics, [[Green party|green parties]] embrace the [[Global Greens Charter]], recognising that "... the dogma of economic growth at any cost and the excessive and wasteful use of natural resources without considering Earth's [[carrying capacity]], are causing extreme deterioration in the environment and a massive extinction of species."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.globalgreens.org/sites/globalgreens.org/files/GG_charter_2012_english.pdf |format=PDF contains full charter |title=Charter of the Global Greens |place=Dakar |date=2012 |website=Global Greens |access-date=2024-02-23  |archive-date=2020-10-17  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017102418/https://www.globalgreens.org/sites/globalgreens.org/files/GG_charter_2012_english.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{rp|2}}

The 2019 ''[[Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services]]'' published by the [[United Nations]]' [[Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services]] warned that given the [[Holocene extinction|substantial loss of biodiversity]], society should not focus solely on economic growth.<ref>{{cite web|title=One million species at risk of extinction, UN report warns|website=National Geographic|date=6 May 2019|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/05/ipbes-un-biodiversity-report-warns-one-million-species-at-risk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506164806/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/05/ipbes-un-biodiversity-report-warns-one-million-species-at-risk/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=6 May 2019 | access-date=18 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=World must undergo huge social and financial transformation to save future of human life, major report finds|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/un-biodiversity-report-2019-human-future-nature-food-green-farming-waste-action-a8901776.html|date=6 May 2019|access-date=18 May 2019|newspaper=The Independent}}</ref> Anthropologist Eduardo S. Brondizio, one of the co-chairs of the report, said "We need to change our narratives. Both our individual narratives that associate wasteful consumption with quality of life and with status, and the narratives of the economic systems that still consider that [[environmental degradation]] and social inequality are inevitable outcomes of economic growth. Economic growth is a means and not an end. We need to look for the quality of life of the planet."<ref>{{cite news |last= McKenzie|first=A. D.|date=7 May 2019 |title=Loss of Biodiversity Puts Current and Future Generations at Risk|url=http://www.ipsnews.net/2019/05/loss-biodiversity-puts-current-future-generations-risk/|work=[[Inter Press Service]]|access-date=18 May 2019 }}</ref> 

Those more optimistic about the environmental impacts of growth believe that, though localized environmental effects may occur, large-scale ecological effects are minor. The argument, as posited by commentator [[Julian Lincoln Simon]], stated in 1981 that if these global-scale ecological effects exist, human ingenuity will find ways to adapt to them.<ref>''[[The Ultimate Resource]]'', Julian Simon, 1981</ref> Conversely [[Partha Dasgupta]], in a 2021 report on the economics of biodiversity commissioned by the British Treasury, argued that [[Biodiversity loss|biodiversity is collapsing]] faster than at any time in human history as a result of the demands of contemporary human civilization, which "far exceed nature's capacity to supply us with the goods and services we all rely on. We would require 1.6 Earths to maintain the world's current living standards." He says that major transformative changes will be needed "akin to, or even greater than, those of the Marshall Plan," including abandoning GDP as a measure of economic success and societal progress.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carrington |first=Damian |date=February 2, 2021 |title=Economics of biodiversity review: what are the recommendations? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/02/economics-of-biodiversity-review-what-are-the-recommendations |work= [[The Guardian]]|location= |access-date=8 February 2021}}</ref> Philip Cafaro, professor of philosophy at the School of Global Environmental Sustainability at [[Colorado State University]], wrote in 2022 that a scientific consensus has emerged which demonstrates that humanity is on the precipice of unleashing a major [[extinction event]], and that "the cause of global biodiversity loss is clear: other species are being displaced by a rapidly growing human economy."<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Cafaro|first1=Philip|date=2022 |title=Reducing Human Numbers and the Size of our Economies is Necessary to Avoid a Mass Extinction and Share Earth Justly with Other Species|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359182950|journal=Philosophia|volume=50 |issue= 5|pages=2263–2282 |doi=10.1007/s11406-022-00497-w|s2cid=247433264 |access-date=}}</ref>

In 2019, a [[World Scientists' Warning to Humanity#2019 warning on climate change and 2021 and 2022 updates|warning on climate change]] signed by 11,000 scientists from over 150 nations said economic growth is the driving force behind the "excessive extraction of materials and [[overexploitation]] of ecosystems" and that this "must be quickly curtailed to maintain long-term sustainability of the biosphere." They add that "our goals need to shift from GDP growth and the pursuit of affluence toward sustaining ecosystems and improving human well-being by prioritizing basic needs and reducing inequality."<ref>{{cite journal |last1= Ripple |first1=William J|last2=Wolf|first2=Christopher |last3= Newsome |first3=Thomas M |last4=Barnard |first4= Phoebe  |last5= Moomaw |first5=William R |date=November 5, 2019 |title=World Scientists' Warning of a Climate Emergency |url=https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biz088/5610806 |journal=[[BioScience]] |volume=70|pages=8–12|doi=10.1093/biosci/biz088 |access-date=November 8, 2019|author-link1=William J. Ripple|hdl=1808/30278 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Carrington |first=Damian |date=November 5, 2019 |title=Climate crisis: 11,000 scientists warn of 'untold suffering'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/05/climate-crisis-11000-scientists-warn-of-untold-suffering |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=November 8, 2019}}</ref> A 2021 paper authored by top scientists in ''Frontiers in Conservation Science'' posited that given the environmental crises including [[biodiversity loss]] and [[climate change]], and possible "ghastly future" facing humanity, there must be "fundamental changes to global capitalism," including the "abolition of perpetual economic growth."<ref>{{cite news |last= Weston |first=Phoebe |date=January 13, 2021 |title=Top scientists warn of 'ghastly future of mass extinction' and climate disruption |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jan/13/top-scientists-warn-of-ghastly-future-of-mass-extinction-and-climate-disruption-aoe |work=[[The Guardian]] |location= |access-date=January 21, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bradshaw |first1=Corey J. A. |last2=Ehrlich |first2=Paul R. |last3=Beattie |first3=Andrew |last4=Ceballos |first4=Gerardo |last5=Crist |first5=Eileen |last6=Diamond |first6=Joan |last7=Dirzo |first7=Rodolfo |last8=Ehrlich |first8=Anne H. |last9=Harte |first9=John |last10=Harte |first10=Mary Ellen |last11=Pyke |first11=Graham |last12=Raven |first12=Peter H. |last13=Ripple |first13=William J. |last14=Saltré |first14=Frédérik |last15=Turnbull |first15=Christine |last16=Wackernagel |first16=Mathis |last17=Blumstein |first17=Daniel T. |date=2021 |title=Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future |journal=Frontiers in Conservation Science |volume=1 |issue= |pages= |doi=10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Specktor |first=Brandon |date=January 15, 2021|title=The planet is dying faster than we thought |url=https://www.livescience.com/ghastly-future-global-crises.html |work=[[Live Science]] |location= |access-date=January 21, 2021}}</ref>