A team including COUPLED researchers Jonas Østergaard Nielsen, Helmut Haberl and Beatriz Rodríguez‐Labajos analyses the relationship between economic growth and biodiversity conservation. The authors show that by increasing resource use and emissions, economic growth contributes to biodiversity loss. The paper also shows that most international policies on biodiversity and sustainability advocate economic growth. To solve this contradiction, the authors presents alternative policy proposals that could ensure prosperity beyond economic growth, thus contributing to halt biodiversity loss. The study further recommends that IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) includes a trajectory beyond economic growth. To do this, different indicators (economic, social and ecological) should be used.
Read the full article: I. Otero, Iago, K.N. Farrell, S. Pueyo, G. Kallis, L. Kehoe, H. Haberl, C. Plutzar, P. Hobson, J. García-Márquez, B. Rodríguez-Labajos, J.-L. Martin, K.-H. Erb, S. Schindler, J. Nielsen, T. Skorin, J. Settele, F. Essl, E. Gómez-Baggethun, L. Brotons, W. Rabitsch, F. Schneider, G. Pe’er (2020). Biodiversity policy beyond economic growth. Conservation Letters e12713 https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12713