ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by exploring the reasons for our rampant consumption, which include evolutionary hard-wiring in our brains, social pressure from our consumer society and the economic model that dominates so much of the world, that of capitalism and, in particular, our obsession with economic growth. It goes on to explain the role of capitalism in driving economic growth, but then challenges the sustainability of this approach, given that growth is based on consuming more and more of the Earth’s natural resources, which are alarmingly finite. The concepts of economic de-growth, planetary boundaries and Doughnut Economics are introduced and summarised. The chapter ends with a call to shift our economic focus from unrelenting growth to one that allows people to flourish, within the finite boundaries of our planet. How this is to be achieved is beyond the scope of this book.
