Environmental Sustainability and Economic Growth: Partners in the Future of the Planet

This essay is a discussion of the effects of environmental sustainability on economic growth. The question explored is how each can exist alongside the other. The position taken is of the opportunity for environmental responsibility and a capitalist, growth economy to partner in a sustainable future. The discussion explores how excessive consumerism contributes to the issue. It also includes information on where economists have explored for unaccounted costs, and how they view this topic, as well as what areas of governance could address the issues surrounding the sustainability debate. Research has been conducted for more than forty years but to date no significant sustainability programs have been enacted by capitalist stakeholders. Individual taxpayers absorb the cost, and most of the actions taken to mitigate catastrophes have been by individuals. Activism is being led by youth, whose very future is at stake. The paper concludes that capitalist companies can make significant gains from environmental initiatives, contrary to their current opinion. The future of capitalist profits, stakeholders and organizations may depend on it.