Sustainable development, degrowth and expressions of moral responsibility

In 1972, the Club of Rome published The Limits to Growth report. In this chapter, I argue not that limits to growth are the root cause of many contemporary global issues, but that economic growtheconomicgrowth is. Staying within the limits entails that we need to degrow. I also argue that degrowthdegrowth is an authentic interpretation of sustainable developmentsustainable development, although this runs counter to how the UN, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission interpret sustainable developmentsustainable development. If economic growth economicgrowth is the root cause of negative environmental and related social problems as predicted by the Club of Rome and others, then economic growth economicgrowth has an existential dimension which calls for economic actors taking moral responsibility. Furthermore, I also will reflect on examples of expressions of moral responsibilities by economic actors in Global North globalnorthcountries regarding the transition towards a degrowth degrowth economy.