The trouble with growth

The concept of economic growth has dominated political and policy thinking for 50 years. But increasingly, that hold is being questioned, as the urgent need to cut emissions, protect nature and create a more socially just world becomes ever clearer.

In this episode of the Make Change Happen podcast, IIED director Andrew Norton leads the discussion with Clare Shakya, director of IIED's climate change research group, Paul Steele, IIED chief economist, and Dr Essam Yassin Mohammed, IIED’s head of blue economy, asking: what is the trouble with growth, and how can we fix it?

"Perhaps the pandemic will produce changes that make societies more willing to act on the climate crisis in the long run. Strengthening recognition of our interdependence – that everyone’s health is everyone else’s business – could strengthen the understanding that compassion and empathy are functional traits for humanity."