Economic growth is wrecking the planet. It’s the engine driving climate change, pollution, and the shrinking of natural spaces. To save the environment, will we have to shrink the economy? Might this lead to a better society, helping us break free from an obsession with material wealth that only benefits the few? Alessio Terzi takes these questions as a starting point for a journey into the socioeconomic, evolutionary, and cultural origins of our need for growth.
Terzi ranges across centuries and diverse civilizations to show that focus on economic expansion is interwoven with the human quest for happiness, wellbeing, and self-determination. Growth is underpinned by core principles and dynamics behind the West’s rise to affluence. Today growth contributes to the stability of liberal democracy, the peaceful conduct of international relations, and the way our society is organized. Abandoning growth would not only prove impractical, but would also sow chaos, exacerbating conflict.
This does not mean we have to choose between chaos and environmental destruction. Growth for Good presents a credible agenda to enroll capitalism in the fight against climate catastrophe. With the right policies and the help of engaged citizens, pioneering nations can set in motion a global decarbonization wave and create good jobs and a better world.