DATE / TIME:

2016•05•24    13:15 - 14:30

Location:

New York

You are invited to a debate stimulated by the recently published book Green Growth: Ideology, Political Economy and the Alternatives edited by Gareth Dale, Manu V. Mathai and Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira (Zed Books, 2016).

The discourse of “green growth” has recently gained ground in environmental governance deliberations and policy proposals. It is presented as a fresh and innovative agenda centered on the deployment of engineering sophistication, managerial acumen, and market mechanisms to redress the environmental and social derelictions of the existing development model. The book outlines three main lines of critique. First, it traces the development of the green growth discourse qua ideology. It asks: what explains modern society’s investment in it, why has it emerged as a master concept in the contemporary conjuncture, and what social forces does it serve? Second, it analyzes a series of prominent green growth projects. Finally, it weighs up the merits and demerits of alternative strategies and policies, asking the vital question: If not green growth, then what? The debate will discuss how we assess the green growth project against criteria of social justice and the achievement of sustainable economic life upon a materially finite planet and the health and well-being of its inhabitants.

Click here for more info.

Discussion panels present are:

• Chantal Line Carpentier, Chief, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), New York Office
• Michael Herrmann, Senior Adviser on Economics and Demography, UN Population Fund (UNFPA)
• Jose A. Puppim de Oliveira (co-editor of the book), MIT-UTM Visiting Scholar, Professor Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV/EAESP and FGV/EBAPE) and Visiting Researcher (UNU-IIGH)

This debate is organized by UNCTAD & IIGH and supported by: