Jan 18, 2017
My guest on the podcast today is Professor Tim Jackson, author of Prosperity without Growth.
Tim is Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Surrey. He's also a Director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP). His 2010 TED Talk, An economic reality check, has been watched more than a million times.
Tim has been at the forefront of international debates about sustainable development for over two decades. He's worked closely with the UK Government, the United Nations, and numerous private companies and NGOs to bring social science research into sustainability. His research interests focus on the economic and social aspects of the relationship between people’s lifestyles and the environment.
Tim's landmark work is the book Prosperity without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow, first published in 2009. Tim's piercing challenge to conventional economics openly questioned the most highly-prized goal of politicians and economists alike: the continued pursuit of exponential economic growth. His findings provoked controversy, inspired debate and led to a new wave of research building on its arguments and conclusions.
A new edition of Prosperity without Growth was published last month, at a launch to coincide with Professor Jackson's appointment as a 2016 Hillary Laureate.
In today's episode of Informed Choice Radio, I speak to Tim about what sparked his interest in sustainability, why our current model of economic success is so flawed, the dilemma of growth (to trash the planet or crash the system), whether technology is the solution to all of our problems, how humanity can flourish with sustainability, the right measure of success, and much more.
Welcome to Prosperity without Growth with Tim Jackson, in episode 163 of Informed Choice Radio.
Some questions I ask:
-What first sparked your interest in sustainability?
-Why is our current model of economic success so flawed?
-Is there a compromise in the battle between economic and ecology?
-What choice is offered by the dilemma of growth; trash the planet or crash the system?
-Will technology ever catch up and offer solutions to finite resources?
-How can humanity flourish?
-Is the way in which we measure economic success part of the problem?
-Can a solution can from evolution, or is a revolution required?
-Does change need government backing or will a grassroots movement be enough?
Useful links mentioned in this episode:
-Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity
-Prosperity without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow by Professor Tim Jackson
Thank you for listening!
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