Can degrowth save the climate? – podcast | Science

Since the 1960s, global GDP has grown rapidly and living standards have reached record levels. But something else has also increased: carbon emissions. For years, scientists and economists have been wondering: is it possible to cultivate without heating and polluting the Earth? And as the climate becomes more unstable, the issue becomes even more urgent. Madeleine Finlay hears two economists argue for a change in the way we measure a country’s success. Nick Stern is professor of economics and government at the London School of Economics and an advocate of green growth, an approach to growth that prioritizes green industry. Jason Hickel is a political economist and professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona who advocates degrowth, the shrinking of parts of the economy that do not advance our social and ecological goals.