"Green Economy"
Myth or Reality?

Unit 8

Introduction

This final unit in the Introduction To The Environment module concentrates on the concepts of the green economy and sustainable development and looks at the impacts and opportunities for future business.

"But first folks some words from our sponsors ........................."

• "The ecological and social aims of green politics are compatible neither with a free market economy nor with a state-controlled economy, both of which are based on unlimited growth and expansion."
• "There are many more jobs in a Green economy"
• " The impact of increasing economic growth and massive over-consumption by the wealthy has now reached a critical mass threatening the natural capital on which all life is based".
• "Efforts to expand our way to sustainability through deregulation and trade can only accelerate global decline".

And now.....................

• "Burdensome environmental regulations make themselves felt through lower wages and or higher unemployment"
• "The ideal situation is to be able to provide full employment at ever increasing real incomes, which can only be achieved by continuously expanding the capital structure".
• "The greens' idea of 'sustainable development' (which means no development) collapses once it is realised that from a human perspective resources are infinite."

These statements simply serve to highlight the debate that surrounds the concept of the green economy and sustainable development. Specifically that ecological and economic goals are locked in conflict, and each can only be satisfied at the expense of the other i.e. increased economic growth will lead to environmental collapse.