Decoupling pessimism and the dilemma of growth. A reply to Jackson et al. (2024)

IF 6.6 2区经济学 Q1 ECOLOGY Ecological Economics Pub Date : 2025-03-03 DOI:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2025.108580

Rikard H. Warlenius

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Abstract

Are most degrowth/postgrowth advocates “decoupling pessimists”, in the sense that they are critical about the possibilities to decouple carbon emissions from economic growth quickly and sufficiently? So I have claimed, but to my surprise, Tim Jackson, Jason Hickel, and Giorgos Kallis (2024) denounce that they are and instead claim that “most postgrowth scholars readily accept the need for high levels of decoupling”. Despite what is stated in Hickel and Kallis (2020) and how the article has been interpreted, they now further claim that there are no “definable limits to decoupling”.

In this reply to Jackson, Hickel and Kallis commentary, the foundation for why they were interpreted as decoupling pessimists is laid out, while their new and more optimist standpoint is welcomed. Further, my view on “the dilemma of growth” and how it differs from Jackson, Hickel and Kallis is elaborated. The difference revolves around the question of capitalism: can it be expected to stop growing, and is it likely to disappear within short? If the answer to both questions is no, strong decoupling is our best chance to avoid runaway climate change.

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来源期刊

Ecological Economics 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

12.00

自引率

5.70%

发文量

313

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： Ecological Economics is concerned with extending and integrating the understanding of the interfaces and interplay between "nature''s household" (ecosystems) and "humanity''s household" (the economy). Ecological economics is an interdisciplinary field defined by a set of concrete problems or challenges related to governing economic activity in a way that promotes human well-being, sustainability, and justice. The journal thus emphasizes critical work that draws on and integrates elements of ecological science, economics, and the analysis of values, behaviors, cultural practices, institutional structures, and societal dynamics. The journal is transdisciplinary in spirit and methodologically open, drawing on the insights offered by a variety of intellectual traditions, and appealing to a diverse readership. Specific research areas covered include: valuation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture and development, ecologically integrated technology, integrated ecologic-economic modelling at scales from local to regional to global, implications of thermodynamics for economics and ecology, renewable resource management and conservation, critical assessments of the basic assumptions underlying current economic and ecological paradigms and the implications of alternative assumptions, economic and ecological consequences of genetically engineered organisms, and gene pool inventory and management, alternative principles for valuing natural wealth, integrating natural resources and environmental services into national income and wealth accounts, methods of implementing efficient environmental policies, case studies of economic-ecologic conflict or harmony, etc. New issues in this area are rapidly emerging and will find a ready forum in Ecological Economics.