The Climate Change, Energy Policy and Sustainability Research Group brings together colleagues and external speakers to discuss current research and developments in climate, energy and sustainability. This semester’s event series addresses a range of contemporary challenges, including energy insecurity, debates over economic growth and sustainability, international climate negotiations, and the geopolitics of critical mineral supply chains.
Should we ‘degrow’ the economy? I argue that this would not be a sensible approach for addressing ecological problems. Measures such as GDP or material throughput are not good indicators for environmental impact. Instead, we should use a constrained optimisation approach. Production output is to be maximised, but within ecological constraints such as a cap on carbon emissions. I also consider whether sufficiently stringent constraints would inevitably lead to some form of degrowth. Here we should carefully differentiate between different outputs. While some, such as local cultural performances or rail travel, can be scaled within ecological constraints, for others, such as air travel, this is more difficult or impossible. Technological possibilities can also change over time. While degrowth is often seen as a path towards a steady-state economy, I argue that production within ecological constraints can be expanded with the availability of new technologies. I conclude that we should adopt an agrowth approach, which constrains environmental impact irrespective of whether other economic measures grow.
About the event
This event is only for Westminster’s staff and students - no registration is required. It will take place at Regent Street, Room 252.
About the speaker
Dr Jan Philipp Dapprich
Dr Jan Philipp Dapprich is a Leverhulme early career fellow at the Centre for Study of Democracy and School of Social Sciences. He holds a PhD in philosophy from the University of Glasgow, a MA in political economy from the University of Manchester, a MA in philosophy from the University of Dusseldorf and a BSc in Physics from the University of Dusseldorf. Prior to joining the University of Westminster, he was a postdoctoral researcher at the Free University of Berlin and the University of Potsdam. In his research he investigates what alternative economic systems can overcome economic inequality, the domination of workers, and climate change.
