Welfare-reducing growth despite individual and government optimization

In the presence of substantial relative-income effects and environmental disruption effects, economic growth may be welfare-reducing even if each and all individuals are optimizing and eagerly trying to make more money and the government also maximizes the welfare of individuals by the choice of income-tax rate and the ratio devoted to the abatement of environmental disruption. Welfare-reducing growth may be avoided if environmental disruption may be directed taxed at low costs and/or government spending on public goods is not environmentally disruptive.