Sustainability and Prosperity - Antagonists or Symbiosis?

Are sustainability and growth compatible? Opinions differ on this. There are the optimists who, thanks to the development of new technologies, are confident that the economy can and must grow in a sustainable, environmentally and climate-friendly way. Others maintain that there can be no unlimited growth without destroying the natural foundations of life. With a view to protecting the earth, they therefore call for growth to be limited or even for economic output to be scaled back.

• So do ecological sustainability and material prosperity really stand in an inescapable conflict of goals?
• Does prosperity only come at the expense of the environment in the long term, do we have to make a choice, or is a symbiosis also conceivable?
• What is meant by sustainability and what by natural capital?
• Can we compensate for the loss of the earth's natural capital indefinitely through more knowledge and new technologies?
• What is the way forward and what can politics and each individual do?

Clemens Fuest, President of the Ifo Institute, addressed these questions, among others, in his lecture on "Sustainability and prosperity - antagonists or symbiosis?

Information on the Munich Economic Debate

The event was part of the series "Sustainability – Growth Inhibitor or Prosperity Guarantee for the Coming Decade?"

Whether in discussions about the sensible use of fossil fuels and avoiding emissions, or considering financial investments and public debt – the term sustainability has found its way into many areas of everyday life and business. It’s being made a leitmotif for a fundamental structural shift taking place in business and society, not only in Germany but throughout Europe. The general consensus is that climate change and the destruction of nature are incompatible with a sustainable foundation for life. But changing course calls for considerable capital expenditure and long-term investment to be made now. The global nature of the problem, disagreement about what sustainable business means, and uncertainty regarding political decision-making processes are making it harder to take suitable action and are undermining planning certainty.

• How much sustainability can and must we afford?
• Does sustainability require a change in conditions or in preferences?
• Are growth and sustainability mutually exclusive?
• What frameworks can policymakers create?
• Does sustainable business pose a threat to competitiveness?

Moderator: Judith Wittwer, Head of the Economics Editorial Office of Süddeutsche Zeitung

Presentation language: German