Capitalist growth triggered climate change; it must also be the solution

One argument that's gained ground in recent years is that growth itself is the problem

Can the world shrink its emissions footprint without immiserating its population?

We’re seeing a brutal real-world experiment on that front right now. The coronavirus pandemic has caused the the biggest drop in emissions in history. It has also resulted in more than a million deaths and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.

That’s just a foretaste of what’s to come, though. To remain within the carbon budgets needed to give a 50-50 chance of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world would need to repeat the 7% annual decline in emissions seen in 2020 every year