The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted in 2015 as a collective action plan for UN Member States to ensure a more peaceful and prosperous world by 2030. Sustainable Development Goal 8 focuses on building sustainable economic growth, ensuring decent work for all, and addressing labour market inequality. However, in the context of a finite planet experiencing climate breakdown, some experts see inherent inconsistencies in this goal. A particular point of conflict is the idea that economic growth is necessary to address the imbalances that exist in access to the market. This panel, “Economics for a Burning Planet: Challenging the Logic of the Growth Economy,” will explore alternative approaches to sustainability that address the desired outcomes of SDG 8, including the ‘degrowth’ movement.
Dr. Leah Temper (Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University), Dr. Peter Victor (Author ‘Managing without Growth’), Dr. Deborah McGregor (Indigenous Environmental Justice, York U), and Indigenous Climate Action co-founder Eriel Deranger, will present four distinct perspectives on the notion of ‘sustainable and equitable growth’. These panelists bring extensive expertise and unique perspectives that inform potential solutions for both addressing the fundamental goals of the SDG, while also contesting the assumption that this can only be accomplished by further expanding the world’s economy.
Copies of Peter Victor’s second edition of his important work “Managing without Growth” will be available for sale at the event, along with other key works from ecological economics.
This event is presented as the public keynote of the Canadian Society for Ecological Economics (CANSEE) 12th Biennial Conference: “Engaging Economies of Change” in partnership with the Balsillie School of International Affairs, the Centre for International Governance Innovation and Power Shift WR.
