Beyond growth: against the misplaced focus on economic growth

This paper aspires to argue in favour of a simple, but fundamental, hypothesis. This hypothesis is that economic growth is neither the cause of nor the solution to environmental problems and that therefore both anti-growth environmentalists and pro-growth neoclassical environmental economists share a misplaced focus on economic growth. Economic growth is not the issue, environmental problems are. Environmental problems can be solved no matter whether or not economic growth takes place and environmental problems can be solved without any significant detrimental effect on economic growth. On the other hand, economic growth in itself will not solve any environmental problems.