Economic growth: enough is enough

O'Neill, Daniel W.

doi:10.1038/468897b

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Published: 15 December 2010

Economic growth: enough is enough

Daniel W. O'Neill¹

Nature volume 468, page 897 (2010)Cite this article

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There is substantial evidence that further economic growth in wealthy nations is neither sustainable nor desirable. It is indeed time, as Peter Victor writes (Nature 468, 370–371; 2010), to answer key questions about what a non-growing economy would look like in practice. We need a new macro-economics for sustainability, and we need it now.

On 17 November a report was released in the United Kingdom, entitled Enough is Enough: Ideas for a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources (see http://go.nature.com/hv52np). The report brings together the ideas generated at the first Steady State Economy Conference held in June this year in Leeds, UK. It discusses policy proposals in ten key areas needed to achieve a no-growth economy. Proposals include policies to limit resource use, reduce income inequality, reform the monetary system, change consumer behaviour, restructure business, secure full employment and improve the way in which we measure progress.

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Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy, Leeds, UK
Daniel W. O'Neill

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O'Neill, D. Economic growth: enough is enough. Nature 468, 897 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/468897b

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Published: 15 December 2010
Issue date: 16 December 2010
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/468897b

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Dorothy Bennett 16 December 2010, 05:38

Great to see these ideas emerging. Moreover the population factor needs to be discussed more clearly. There is a maximum human population that the planet can support (the estimate depending on the proposed lifestyle). So one day population growth will stop. Then, that number of people cannot go on forever producing and consuming more per person. So economic growth cannot go on forever, even if we wanted it to.
Raimundo Henriques 16 December 2010, 09:58

For us from in developing countries (Brazil, India, Chine) the implementation of unequality political actions are more important than only economic growth. Mantain the actual growth of economy with the same consumer behaviour will worse at long time or ever short time and push dow the limit of resource reserve, which can lead eventually to abrut stop in economic growth with unemployment, poverty and all the slums which came with all these factors.
Eric Bowen 29 December 2010, 17:48

Profit and growth seem fundamental to the functioning of capitalism. That any government could regulate what seem to be pillars of the world economic system seems a bit far-fetched. Combine that with current problems being created by institutional sclerosis and widespread status quo bias, the necessary changes seem impossible to implement. Of course I'm an ecologist, not an economist...