There is a simple challenge to the legitimacy of growth economics in the current context of escalating global ecological collapse. The case is fully expressed in the paragraph below:
It is 2023, to this date we have no stock markets which operate in way which is proven to be ecological sustainable. On the contrary, we know that the global economic model is ecologically damaging because it seeks to increase Gross Domestic Product. GDP is increased with all the key drivers of environmental damage. These key drivers are identified in environmental sciences as: population, affluence, and technology; this insight was gained in the 1970s through the peer reviewed I=PAT equation. Therefore, as long as our stock market traders are seeking to increase GDP, our stock markets will continue to exacerbate ecological overshoot and collapse. Many animal and human lives have already been shortened by ecological collapse. Our dominant economic model is increasingly threatening our survival. Therefore, stock markets operating within the dominant model of GDP growth, are in violation of a recent addition to our Human Rights Act. On 8 October 2021, the UN Human Rights Council adopted resolution 48/13 recognizing that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right. It follows that the act of investing money from pensions within any stock market dominated by the GDP growth objective will contravene the fiduciary obligations of the fund managers.
We have emailed the UK government on 12 October 2022, alerting them to our plans; and requesting that they provide the leadership necessary to commence the worldview shift from the growth mindset to IPAT Degrowth. The anti-growth alliance have also submitted a response the BEIS Net-zero public consultation which was launched in September 2022.
Einstein also commented on the power of persistence thus: ‘Persistence is the most powerful force on earth, it can move mountains.’ Our persistence with ecocidal growth economics has destabilised our global climate and ecosystems. It is time for a new worldview with new aspirations. The UN Charter for Ecological Justice is a global aspiration to release half of the biocapacity of our Earth from our exploitative grasp. It is a quantifiable objective, designed to inspire the mindset needed to deliver resolution 48/13. This Charter is a global aspiration to steer our behaviour in a direction that will achieve maximum mitigation in a peaceful fashion.