A technical critique of the Green New Deal

Ted Trainer

Ecological Economics, 2022, vol. 195, issue C

Abstract: In view of the attention Green New Deal proposals have received there has been very little concern to assess its technical feasibility. It involves two major technical claims, firstly that renewable energy can sustain present societies at a relatively low cost, and secondly that economy can be decoupled from resource consumption and environmental impact. The validity of these assumptions is often taken for granted. Robert Pollin is unusual in providing arguments for them. This article puts reasons for rejecting both claims and then considers the implications for the design of sustainable and just systems. It is concluded that GND goals cannot be achieved unless there is large scale degrowth to radically different economic, social and political systems. A novel perspective on the transition, contradicting GND thinking, is indicated.

Keywords: Green New Deal; Sustainability; 100% renewable energy; Decoupling; Degrowth; The Simpler Way (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:195:y:2022:i:c:s0921800922000404

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107378

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