How the Concept of “Regenerative Good Growth” Could Help Increase Public and Policy Engagement and Speed Transitions to Net Zero and Nature Recovery

Jules Pretty (), Dennis Garrity, Hemant Kumar Badola, Mike Barrett, Cornelia Butler Flora, Catherine Cameron, Natasha Grist, Leanne Hepburn, Heather Hilburn, Amy Isham, Erik Jacobi, Rattan Lal, Simon Lyster, Andri Snaer Magnason, Jacquie McGlade, Jan Middendorf, E. J. Milner-Gulland, David Orr, Lloyd Peck, Chris Reij, Johan Rockström, Yarema Ronesh, Osamu Saito, Jo Smith, Pete Smith, Peter Thorne, Atsushi Watabe, Steve Waters and Geoff Wells
Additional contact information
Jules Pretty: School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
Dennis Garrity: Global Evergreening Alliance, 12/24 Lakeside Dr, Burwood East, VIC 3151, Australia
Hemant Kumar Badola: Independent Biodiversity Expert, Aditya Doonshire Apartments, Sailok Phase 2, Dehradun 248001, Uttarakhand, India
Mike Barrett: WWF-UK, The Living Planet Centre, Brewery Road, Woking GU21 4LL, UK
Cornelia Butler Flora: Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Catherine Cameron: Essex Climate Action Commission, Essex County Council, Chelmsford CM1 1QH, UK
Natasha Grist: Norwich Institute for Sustainable Development, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
Leanne Hepburn: School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
Heather Hilburn: Essex Climate Action Commission, Essex County Council, Chelmsford CM1 1QH, UK
Amy Isham: School of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PQ, UK
Erik Jacobi: Essex Business School, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
Rattan Lal: CFAES/SENR Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
Simon Lyster: Essex Climate Action Commission, Essex County Council, Chelmsford CM1 1QH, UK
Andri Snaer Magnason: Independent Researcher, Reykjavík, Iceland
Jacquie McGlade: Essex Climate Action Commission, Essex County Council, Chelmsford CM1 1QH, UK
Jan Middendorf: Climate-Resilient Sustainable Intensification Innovation Lab, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
E. J. Milner-Gulland: Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, University of Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3UL, UK
David Orr: Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA
Lloyd Peck: British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
Chris Reij: Global Evergreening Alliance, 12/24 Lakeside Dr, Burwood East, VIC 3151, Australia
Johan Rockström: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Yarema Ronesh: Essex Climate Action Commission, Essex County Council, Chelmsford CM1 1QH, UK
Osamu Saito: Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Hayama 240-0115, Japan
Jo Smith: School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
Pete Smith: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UU, UK
Peter Thorne: International Livestock Research Institute, Addis Ababa 5689, Ethiopia
Atsushi Watabe: Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Hayama 240-0115, Japan
Steve Waters: School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK
Geoff Wells: Rural Communities Australia Ltd., 209 Douglas Dawson Trk, Robe, SA 5276, Australia

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-29

Abstract: Just and fair transitions to low-carbon and nature-positive ways of living need to occur fast enough to limit and reverse the climate and nature crises, but not so fast that the public is left behind. We propose the concept of “Regenerative Good Growth” (RGG) to replace the language and practice of extractive, bad GDP growth. RGG centres on the services provided by five renewable capitals: natural, social, human, cultural, and sustainable physical. The term “growth” tends to divide rather than unite, and so here we seek language and storylines that appeal to a newly emergent climate-concerned majority. Creative forms of public engagement that lead to response diversity will be essential to fostering action: when people feel coerced into adopting single options at pace, there is a danger of backlash or climate authoritarianism. Policy centred around storytelling can help create diverse public responses and institutional frameworks. The practises underpinning RGG have already created business opportunities, while delivering sharp falls in unit costs. Fast transitions and social tipping points are emerging in the agricultural, energy, and city sectors. Though further risks will emerge related to rebound effects and lack of decoupling of material consumption from GDP, RGG will help cut the externalities of economies.

Keywords: Regenerative Good Growth; bad GDP growth; climate crisis; nature crisis; renewable assets; public engagement; story and hope; social tipping points; backlash; green authoritarianism; net zero (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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