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Per la critica della crescita illimitata e della crescita verde

  • Nicolò Bellanca
  • Luca Pardi

We focus on two great narratives: unlimited growth and green growth. The problem of the compatibility between the increase of human economic activities and the ecosystem seems to be solved by each of the two narratives. After recalling the thermodynamic unfoundedness of the first paradigm, we ask ourselves why it remains central in orienting political choices. Our answer explores the nature of "public religion" that economics has been taking on: by shaping our mental models and our actions, today's dominant economic theory is capable of converting us, contributing to the affirmation of even indefensible beliefs. With regard to the green growth paradigm, it is based on the idea of an absolute decoupling between the trend of growth and the negative impact on the environment, as well as on the related idea that forms of full circularity of economic processes are practicable. Against this conception theoretical arguments and empirical evidence have been advanced, none of which is in itself negatively conclusive, but whose complex makes it highly implausible.

  • Keywords:
  • Unlimited growth,
  • green growth,
  • relative decoupling,
  • absolute decoupling,
  • Green New Deal,
  • great acceleration,
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Nicolò Bellanca

University of Florence, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-3809-3455

Luca Pardi

CNR-IPCF, Institute for Chemical-Physical Processes, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-6870-1490

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  • Publication Year: 2020
  • Pages: 95-112
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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  • Publication Year: 2020
  • Content License: CC BY 4.0
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Chapter Information

Chapter Title

Per la critica della crescita illimitata e della crescita verde

Authors

Nicolò Bellanca, Luca Pardi

Language

Italian

DOI

10.36253/978-88-5518-195-2.10

Peer Reviewed

Publication Year

2020

Copyright Information

© 2020 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Bibliographic Information

Book Title

O la capra o i cavoli

Book Subtitle

La biosfera, l’economia e il futuro da inventare

Authors

Nicolò Bellanca, Luca Pardi

Peer Reviewed

Number of Pages

210

Publication Year

2020

Copyright Information

© 2020 Author(s)

Content License

CC BY 4.0

Metadata License

CC0 1.0

Publisher Name

Firenze University Press

DOI

10.36253/978-88-5518-195-2

ISBN Print

978-88-5518-194-5

eISBN (pdf)

978-88-5518-195-2

Series Title

Studi e saggi

Series ISSN

2704-6478

Series E-ISSN

2704-5919

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