There are many questionable assumptions in the discussion of economic growth. One of them is the idea that governments are able to achieve sustained high growth. Another one is the belief that the solution to pressing financial and social problems centres on higher growth. It is also questionable, however, to say that giving up on economic growth as a paradigm is the necessary condition to tackle the environmental crisis. In actuality, solving such problems is about radical growth in environmental and resource-saving technologies. It is also about radical ‘‘de-growth’’ in products and processes that undermine long-term living and production conditions. This paper describes some best practice cases of ‘‘green growth’’ and the conceptual generalisations given by the OECD and other established institutions in Europe and Asia. It traces the transformation of the concept of ‘‘green growth’’ and evaluates the strategy that accompanies it.
Policies that promote green growth need to be founded on a good understanding of the determinants of green growth and of related trade-offs or synergies. They also need to be supported with appropriate information to monitor progress and gauge results.
Three different sets of approaches to understanding behaviour with respect to sustainable tourism mobility and consumption are identified in this paper: the utilitarian, social/psychological and the systems of provision/institutional approach.
A green growth agenda requires policy makers, from local to supranational levels, to examine and influence behavior that impacts economic, social, and environmental outcomes on multiple scales.
This paper is primarily a critical analysis of the social sustainability assumptions of green growth.