Environmentally Sustainable Growth

How do we move away from the current environmentally destructive economic system toward one that is more sustainable while still ensuring continued economic growth? This book offers a positive vision of an environmentally sustainable future and lays out the steps ahead as we make the transition.Steven Cohen explores the causes of environmental degradation and examines what sustainability looks like in practice. He outlines realistic paths toward a renewable resource–based economy, demonstrating that, in many respects, the shift to sustainability is already underway. Cohen describes a range of public policy and infrastructure initiatives that can encourage cleaner production in the private sector and consumption in everyday life. He argues that the politics, advocacy, and communication around environmental protection must change to emphasize successes, reduce scare tactics, and make sure that the lifestyles and careers associated with a more sustainable world sound attractive to a wide range of people. The book depicts an appealing and equitable future that assures quality of life while protecting the planet.Environmentally Sustainable Growth brings together insights from many disciplines, spanning the latest scholarship and practical experience. Useful for students and courses, this book will be informative for practitioners, managers, analysts, activists, and scholars whose work incorporates environmental sustainability.

As a preeminent scholar of environmental science and policy, Steven Cohen is uniquely qualified to assess the major question of this extraordinary book: ‘How do we realistically get from the current economic paradigm to one that permits economic growth while protecting the planet’s ecosystems?’ With rigor and nuance, he analyzes the challenges, assesses the competing ideological positions, and proposes pragmatic responses that can help us achieve a growing economy within the limits of environmental sustainability. His levelheaded and well-founded evaluations provide workable responses to the competing economic and environmental forces that face society. I salute his optimistic outlook and urge that stakeholders at all levels heed his carefully balanced recommendations., Environmentally Sustainable Growth offers a comprehensive yet digestible approach to building a sustainable future. Cohen’s deep expertise working in the field of environmental sustainability shines through in this book. He synthesizes several decades of knowledge while incorporating timely lessons and examples that illustrate his pragmatic approach. These lessons include strategic investments in infrastructure, technology, industrial processes, political processes, and organizational capacity, which are all necessary for overcoming the barriers we face in achieving a sustainable future. Anyone interested in understanding how to minimize the impacts of human consumption and production on environmental health without sacrificing the vibrancy of our economy should read Environmentally Sustainable Growth., Environmentally Sustainable Growth offers an ambitious framework and road map for how societies can transform themselves to become more sustainable. An original and significant contribution to the literature on sustainable development.

Steven Cohen is senior vice dean of the School of Professional Studies and professor of the practice of public affairs in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He is also the director of the Earth Institute’s Research Program on Sustainability Policy and Management as well as two other master’s programs in environmental sustainability at Columbia University. He is the author of Sustainability Management (2014), Understanding Environmental Policy (second edition, 2014), and The Sustainable City (second edition, 2021), all published by Columbia University Press, among other works.