- Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability

Catalog description

Economic growth is traditionally perceived as the solution to the socioeconomic ills of poverty, unemployment, and more generally underdevelopment. However, economic growth is also accompanied by increased pressure on and, over time, deterioration of the natural environment. The objective of this course is to explore the relationship between economic growth and the natural environment. While economic growth occupies a central place in economic policy-making, we will discuss whether economic growth is compatible with the sustainable development worldview adopted by the UN and many other global and local economic actors. Sustainable development emphasizes the need to embark upon a development path that considers the environmental, social, and economic needs of the present generation and those of future generations.