Economic growth, decoupling & fashion industry

The latest IPCC report, AR6 – Sixth Assessment Report, is a survival guide for humanity to defuse the climate time bomb. Will it awake people’s conscience?

The report & the climate time bomb

“Scientists from the authoritative UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), urged for immediate action that can be taken now, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to human-caused climate change.”

The study – “Climate Change 2023: Synthesis Report” – calls for urgent climate action to secure a liveable future for all. 
Antonio Guterres declared that the climate-time bomb is ticking, but we have the knowledge and resources to tackle the climate crisis. Only drastic action can avert irrevocable damage to the world. If we act now, we can ensure a livable planet for the future. 

The solution proposed by the IPCC is “climate resilient development,” which involves integrating measures to adapt to climate change with actions to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions in ways that provide wider benefits.

In supporting sustainable development, the discussion is about the decoupling of production and emissions. 

Decoupling – what happens in the fashion industry?

Recently Kering Group launched a climate change adaptation strategy that uses a science-based framework. So, the group set the goal to cut emissions across their supply chain by 40% by 2035. In other words, Kering will keep growing while cutting climate impact.

But here is the point! Can developed countries achieve economic growth decoupled from environmental pressures?

The economist Timothée Parrique replies to that question by debunking this theory.
We quote the closing lines (but we suggest you read the full article here).

So, “the jury has reached a verdict,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the release of the report. For me, the AR6 is the last nail on the coffin of the green growth hypothesis, which I consider to be a broken promise, one of the “empty pledges that put us firmly on track towards an unliveable world,” as Guterres says. 
What if we could time travel to Galileo’s trial today? Which voice would we give credence to? I think the situation concerning decoupling is dramatically similar. Give a few years (hopefully less) for the smoke to disappear, and we’ll soon realise that, just like the Sun doesn’t revolve around the Earth, the continued pursuit of economic growth in rich nations is not compatible with a stable climate.”   

Timothée Parrique

The climate time bomb is ticking, but green growth is not the answer. Though a reduction of consumption may seem utopic, we are afraid it will be too late when we will realise that was our way out!