The Sustainable Development Commission released its report “Prosperity Without Growth” in March this year arguing that economic growth no long makes us prosperous in the developed world.  Tim Jackson, the lead author of the report, has used and expanded the work to produce a book of the same name which was launched last week.

The report and following book have been welcomed in sustainable development and climate change circles.  Support for the book has come from many individuals including such heavy weight economists as Anthony Giddens, Robert Costanza and Herman Daly.  Some seem to think this is one of the most important books to come out this year, with one individual stating that this could be as important to sustainable development as the Brundtland Report.

This begs the question as to why when I typed “Prosperity Without Growth” into the DEFRA, Number 10 and Treasury search boxes I didn’t manage to find it.  I found a single reference to on a search on the Conservative’s website, contained within a speech which then went on promote “green economic growth” which misses the main theme of the report.

It would appear that while the Sustainable Development Commission is an independent advisor to the government, the government can and does ignore much of what it produces.  Herman Daly is quoted as saying that Prosperity Without Growth “Provokes official thought on the unthinkable.”  I wish it did but I’m still waiting for the evidence.

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