Interestingly, the members of the Cult of Climastrology who say this never tell us what sacrifices they’ve made
Saving the planet demands sacrifices just as Covid-19 does
Certain environmentalists have long argued that economic growth must end for the sake of the planet. “Degrowth†is concisely defined by one proponent, Riccardo Mastini, as “the abolition of economic growth as a social objectiveâ€.
Degrowth represents the view that sufficiently sharp reductions in carbon dioxide emissions cannot be achieved through new technology, pricing incentives or even major investment in energy and transport systems. The only thing that will work is economic growth itself coming to an end, permanently.
The pandemic is giving us a taste of what an end to growth might look like. So what lessons should we learn?
The lockdowns have indeed suppressed carbon dioxide emissions, but less than we might hope. The climate science website Carbon Brief estimates that emissions in 2020 are likely to fall by about 5 or 6 per cent relative to emissions last year. That would be the largest fall on record.
What might be a surprise is that it is not enough. If the cuts were compounded at that rate for the rest of the decade, we’d still fall short of what the UN Environment Programme estimates would be needed to restrict global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees. (A 2 degree target would be easier: five pandemics in the next decade would suffice.)
The writer, Tim Harford, isn’t particularly happy with all this talk about degrowth, especially since it would destroy everything. But, see, he’s only unhappy about talking about it
Fine. Yet if ending growth is not the objective, but the means to an end, might I suggest that it is not a very effective means? “Abolish economic growth†works as a radical political slogan, but when we’re looking for policy levers to pull we find ourselves coming back to specific taxes, subsidies, public investments and regulations. So why don’t we stop talking about degrowth and focus on the particular policies that might address environmental degradation?
We might find that those policies, applied with sufficient vigour to save the planet, would indeed have the side-effect of bringing economic growth to a halt. I doubt it. But the way to find out is to try; we might be pleasantly surprised at how flexible economic activity can be, and how much fun we can all have while respecting planetary limits.
See, don’t talk about doom, just implement it. Hey, maybe things won’t be bad. But, then again, it might, but, why not give it a shot? For The Planet, you know.
The virus has taught us that our way of life is more vulnerable than we might hope. It has taught us the importance of making sacrifices now to prepare for predictable risks in the future. It may even have reminded us that driving to work, or flying half way around the world for a meeting, are not always necessary, and of the joys of walking or cycling through quiet streets.
What has Tim sacrificed?
