In this online debate, we bring together policymakers, researchers and civil society organisations to discuss the findings of the latest report by European Environmental Agency (EEA): “Growth without economic growth”

Europe’s addiction to economic growth is quite literally consuming nature and wrecking the climate. It’s clear that current production and consumption patterns are no longer sustainable. In a recent report, the European Environmental Agency (EEA) has confirmed what we already knew: we cannot have infinite growth on a finite planet. The only solution available to EU leaders is to rethink and reinvent the idea of progress. 

Monday, 22 February, 15:30 – 17:00

To watch the recording, click here!

Host and Moderator

Stephane Arditi, Director of Policy Integration and Circular Economy at EEB

Speakers

Hans Bruyninckx, Executive Director, European Environmental Agency

Lorenzo Benini, System Assessments and Sustainability Expert and co-author of the Growth without economic growth report, European Environmental Agency

Zora Kovacic, Postdoctoral Research Fellow and one of the main authors of the Growth without economic growth report, University of Bergen

Reactions by

Anthony Agotha, Senior Diplomatic Expert and Member of the Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Timmermans, European Commission

Philippe Lamberts, Member of the European Parliament, Greens/European Free Alliance

Key messages

• Climate change, pollution, the loss of biodiversity and natural capital is tightly coupled to economic activities and economic growth.
• Full decoupling of economic growth and resource consumption may not be possible.
• Doughnut economics, post-growth and degrowth are alternatives to mainstream conceptions of economic growth that offer valuable insights.
• The European Green Deal and other political initiatives for a sustainable future require not only technological change but also changes in consumption and social practices.
• Growth is culturally, politically and institutionally ingrained. Change requires us to address these barriers democratically. The various communities that live simply offer inspiration for social innovation.
• The EEA report is based on the work of many academics that we at the EEB have worked closely with in the last few years, including Kate Raworth and Federico Demaria. For more information about our work on this topic, see the report Decoupling Debunked – Evidence and arguments against green growth as a sole strategy for sustainability.