An absurd claim to heresy

A thick, glossy magazine caught my eye in the newsagent. The winter 2008 Davos Edition of The New Economy has a polar bear on the front cover along with a main cover line proclaiming: “Standing on the edge: Why economic growth is bad for the planet. The cover section includes articles by Herman Daly (veteran ecological economist), Tim Jackson (adviser to the British government on sustainability), Gus Speth (a former adviser to American President Jimmy Carter) and Susan George (veteran political campaigner).

Perhaps the strangest aspect of the whole thing was the claim on the contents page that: “The tenet that economic growth is essential to global stability and prosperity has long remained unchallenged”. Such claims, although often made, are absurd. The benefits of growth are constantly being questioned. Indeed the authors of the cover story are among many who have long questioned the benefits of growth. I should probably start collecting examples of this claim to alleged heresy.