 The struggle for equality and sustainabilityRichard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett Chapter 11 in Sustainable Wellbeing Futures, 2020, pp 179-187 from Edward Elgar Publishing Abstract: This chapter argues that the campaign for sustainability is inseparable from the campaign for greater equality. We start by showing that inequality has led both to political opposition to policies to reduce carbon emissions and to the rise of populism which has spread climate science denial. But because the carbon footprint of the rich is greater than that of the poor and the poor are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, sustainability and social justice should be natural allies. They are also natural allies because inequality plays a major role in intensifying the status competition which substantially increases the burden of consumerism on the planet. Lastly, we show that greater equality strengthens community life and increases people’s willingness to act for the common good: hence more equal societies recycle more waste and business leaders are more likely to support environmental policies. In conclusion, we argue that the environmental campaigning should be linked closely to the radical movement for social justice. Keywords: Economics and Finance; Environment (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:18954_11 Ordering information: This item can be ordered from Access Statistics for this chapter More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing |
Is your work missing from RePEc? Here is how to contribute.
Questions or problems? Check the EconPapers FAQ or send mail to .
EconPapers is hosted by the
School of Business at Örebro University.