The notion of green growth has emerged as a dominant policy response to climate change and ecological breakdown. Green theory asserts that continued economic expansion is compatible with our planet's ecology, technological substitution will allow us absolutely decouple GDP from resource use carbon emissions. This claim now assumed in national international policy, including the Sustainable Development Goals. But empirical evidence on emissions does not support theory. Examining relevant...

Abstract There are two sides to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which appear at risk of contradiction. One calls for humanity achieve “harmony with nature” and protect planet from degradation, specific targets laid out in 6, 12, 13, 14, 15. The other continued global economic growth equivalent 3% per year, as outlined Goal 8, a method achieving human development objectives. SDGs assume that efficiency improvements will suffice reconcile tension between ecological sustainability....

Unequal exchange theory posits that economic growth in the “advanced economies” of global North relies on a large net appropriation resources and labour from South, extracted through price differentials international trade. Past attempts to estimate scale value this drain have faced number conceptual empirical limitations, been unable capture upstream embodied traded goods. Here we use environmental input-output data footprint analysis quantify physical South terms over period 1990 2015. We...

BackgroundThis analysis proposes a novel method for quantifying national responsibility damages related to climate change by looking at contributions cumulative CO2 emissions in excess of the planetary boundary 350 ppm atmospheric concentration. This approach is rooted principle equal per capita access commons.MethodsFor this analysis, fair shares safe global carbon budget consistent with were derived. These then subtracted from countries' actual historical (territorial 1850 1969, and...

Degrowth is a planned reduction of energy and resource use designed to bring the economy back into balance with living world in way that reduces inequality improves human well-being. Over past few years, idea has attracted significant attention among academics social movements, but for people new it raises number questions. Here I set out clarify three specific issues: (1) specify what degrowth means, argue framing an asset, not liability; (2) explain how differs fundamentally from...

The final report on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) concludes that project has been 'the most successful anti-poverty movement in history'. Two key claims underpin this narrative: global poverty cut half, and hunger nearly since 1990. This good-news narrative touted by United Nations widely repeated media. But closer inspection reveals UN's about are misleading, even intentionally inaccurate. MDGs have used targeted statistical manipulation to make it seem as though trends improving...

This paper quantifies drain from the global South through unequal exchange since 1960. According to our primary method, which relies on exchange-rate differentials, we find that in most recent year of data North ('advanced economies') appropriated commodities worth $2.2 trillion Northern prices — enough end extreme poverty 15 times over. Over whole period, totalled $62 (constant 2011 dollars), or $152 when accounting for lost growth. Appropriation represents up 7% GDP and 9% Southern GDP. We...

Human impacts on earth-system processes are overshooting several planetary boundaries, driving a crisis of ecological breakdown. This is being caused in large part by global resource extraction, which has increased dramatically over the past half century. We propose novel method for quantifying national responsibility breakdown assessing nations' cumulative material use excess equitable and sustainable boundaries.For this analysis, we derived fair shares corridor. These were then subtracted...

Research on carbon inequalities shows that some countries are overshooting their fair share of the remaining budget and hold disproportionate responsibility for climate breakdown. Scholars argue owe compensation or reparations to undershooting atmospheric appropriation climate-related damages. Here we develop a procedure quantify level owed in ‘net zero’ scenario where all decarbonize by 2050, using prices from IPCC scenarios limit global warming 1.5 °C tracking cumulative emissions 1960...

The safe and just space framework devised by Raworth calls for the world’s nations to achieve key minimum thresholds in social welfare while remaining within planetary boundaries. Using data on biophysical indicators provided O’Neill et al., this paper argues that it is theoretically possible a good life all boundaries poor building existing exemplary models adopting fairer distributive policies. However, additional pressure entails at global level requires rich dramatically reduce their...

AbstractThe 'girl effect' – the idea that investment in skills and labour of young women is key to stimulating economic growth reducing poverty global South has recently become a development strategy World Bank, imf, usaid dfid, partnership with corporations such as Nike Goldman Sachs. This paper examines logic this discourse its stance towards kinship South, situating it within broader rise 'gender equality' 'women's empowerment' objectives over past two decades. Empowerment discourse,...

This article explores the violent, anti-immigrant riots that swept through informal settlements in South Africa 2008, during which more than sixty foreigners were killed and one hundred thousand displaced. In first part of paper, I draw on research conducted around city Durban to argue many people’s perceptions are informed by ideas about witches witchcraft, articulate with widespread anxieties rising unemployment, housing shortages, a general crisis social reproduction. These provide...