Economic growth is still heating the planet. Is there any way out?

February 9, 2026

TL;DR

Rising global GDP per capita and carbon emissions are occurring simultaneously, challenging the idea of decoupling economic growth from environmental harm.
UN Secretary General António Guterres has called for economies to "move beyond GDP" as a measure of progress, echoing the principles of post-growth economics.
Post-growth economics proposes frameworks like "doughnut economics" and "wellbeing budgets" that account for environmental damage.
The concept of "green growth," which posits that the economy can expand while avoiding catastrophe, is contested by experts who argue that accumulated carbon emissions, not just annual flows, are the primary issue.
Research on "planetary boundaries" reveals that seven out of nine critical ecological processes are being breached to a dangerous degree, and no nation has met basic needs without exceeding biophysical limits.
Three main contemporary positions exist: green Keynesians (state-led green growth), green capitalists (market-driven green growth), and post-growth advocates (continued growth is impossible within planetary boundaries).
The post-growth camp includes movements like "de-growth," which calls for scaling down economies, and others who prioritize wellbeing over growth, regardless of whether green growth is achievable.
Despite differing approaches, the global goal is to reduce emissions significantly by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050 to stay within the 1.5C target of the Paris Agreement.

Continue reading the original article