Is it possible to have economic growth at the same time as a country is transitioning to a new climate economy?
There’s a debate about whether growth can drive, or even coexist with, climate stabilization. On the other side of the coin, it’s also a discussion of whether climate stabilisation can drive growth. The debates on growth and resources are complex, fractious and centuries old, and while they won’t be resolved in the immediate future, recent developments show that global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions stayed flat in 2014 and 2015 while GDP continued to grow.
This emerging trend is supported by 21 countries that have managed to reduce GHG emissions while growing GDP over the period from 2000 to 2014.
A year after the Australian government implemented its carbon tax, there was no significant negative economic impact
The UK is an example of a country where economic growth and CO2 emissions have increasingly diverged. Between 2000 and 2014, the UK achieved six years of absolute decoupling where real GDP grew at the same time that carbon dioxide emissions declined. Over the 14-year period, emissions dropped from 591 to 470 million metric tons of energy-related CO2, while GDP grew from $2.1 to $2.7 trillion (constant 2005 U.S. dollars).
Repost » The Roads to Decoupling: 21 Countries Are Reducing Carbon Emissions While Growing GDP | World Resources Institute
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