Is growth good?

In this week’s episode of Who Cares Wins, Lily explores how global economic development has both contributed to the climate crisis and, others argue, is helping solve it.

Lily speaks to the thought leaders in sustainability who question relentless economic growth: fashion consultant Aja Barber, director of Greenpeace UK John Sauven, and writer George Monbiot.

Lily also explores the other side of the debate; looking at Lisa Jackson’s work at Apple as a case study of corporate environmental ambition; and speaking with the principal research scientist at MIT Andrew Mcafee, who argues that it is possible to decouple economic growth from environmental impact, and that intense competition and technology (through growth) is already helping us to get “more from less.”

Finally, biologist and author Merlin Sheldrake helps listeners understand the role of growth, cooperation and competition in evolution.

You can learn more from George Monbiot, Lisa Jackson and other advocates of conscious consumerism or de-growth in Lily’s book, Who Cares Wins, which is out now in hardback, ebook and audiobook.

Waterstones: https://bit.ly/30OsUtr

Audible: https://bit.ly/3jwS8UH

Apple: https://apple.co/2XT7TvM

Please find a reading list from our featured guests, or their references:

Merlin Sheldrake - Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/1115381/entangled-life/9781847925190.html
George Monbiot - Feral: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/180586/feral/9780141975580.html
George Monbiot - Out of the Wreckage: https://www.versobooks.com/books/2732-out-of-the-wreckage
Andrew McAfee - More from Less: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/More-from-Less/Andrew-McAfee/9781982103583
Jason Hickels - Less is More: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1119823/less-is-more/9781785152498.html
David Pilings - The Growth Delusion: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-growth-delusion-9781408893722/

Music featured in the episode by Cosmo Sheldrake: Wriggle and Wake Up Calls, featuring recordings of endangered birds in Britain.

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On Growth: George Monbiot, Andrew McAfee, Aja Barber, John Sauven, Lisa Jackson and Merlin Sheldrake

Who Cares Wins with Lily Cole