Controversial views claiming the drive for continuous economic growth is threatening society are to be laid before an Edinburgh business audience this month (January).

 

In a bid to stimulate debate on the nature and sustainability of our economy, Scottish Business in the Community has invited Professor Tim Jackson, Economics Commissioner of the Sustainable Development Commissioner and a UK Government sustainable development adviser, to speak at an event organised in conjunction with the Sustainable Development Commission and Edinburgh Napier University’s Business School.

 

Professor Jackson’s report, “Prosperity Without Growth,” argued that the relentless pursuit of economic growth is a root cause of the current financial crisis, as well as contributing to the world’s growing environmental crisis.

 

He maintains that the current recession should provide an opportunity to forge a new type of economic system that is equipped to avoid the shocks and negative impacts associated with a reliance on growth.

 

Jane Wood, Chief Executive of Scottish Business in the Community, said: “At a time when we are seeking to recover from a recession it may seem an inopportune moment to question economic growth. But at Scottish Business in the Community we believe this is absolutely the time when we should be questioning everything, looking to see if there are better and more sustainable ways of doing business.

 

“When you add in the enormous desire of people to see the threat of climate change tackled, then there has never been a better time for this kind of debate and we are delighted to be able to take a lead role in stimulating discussion in Scotland.”

 

 

Professor Jackson said: “Too many in politics and business are not ready to accept that the economic crisis is a symptom of a fundamental problem with our growth based economy. Using the economic crisis for some fresh thinking and restructuring is not just window dressing, but central to ensuring we are better prepared for problems in the future.

 

He also maintains the drive for continuous growth has created an unequal distribution of wealth around the globe, and has had disastrous environmental consequences. “In the last quarter of a century, while the global economy has doubled, the increase in resource consumption has degraded an estimated 60% of the world’s ecosystems and led to the threat of catastrophic climate change.”

 

He will be speaking at an event at Edinburgh Napier University Business School on January 25th, which will be followed by a panel debate. The panel includes Julian Taylor, Senior Director Policy & Research at Scottish Enterprise, Stephen Boyle, Group Head of Economics at Royal Bank of Scotland and Professor Mark Deakin of Edinburgh Napier’s School of the Built Environment. The event is to be chaired by Professor Alice Brown CBE, former Scottish Public Services Ombudsman and a leading expert on Scottish politics and the economy.

 

Press coverage of the event can be found on the following links: