Ecological Sustainability and the Green Economy: on the implementation of the Green Economy

The concept of the Green Economy has inspired a great deal of discussion and has become highly politicized. Adversaries of the concept, such as the Belgium authors and ecological activists Anneleen Kenis and Matthias Lievens (The Myth of the Green Economy,2012), argue that the concept of a Green Economy is merely a myth created by profit seeking businesses and overly rational neoliberals: it is merely the result of wishful thinking. In this thesis it will be examined whether the concept of the Green Economy is truly just a myth. In order to examine this issue a general research question is formulated: “What are the possibilities and restrictions of ecological sustainability in a free market economy?” In order to finds answers the following subquestions will be adressed. The first question is: which subjects currently dominate the discourse on the concept of the Green Economy? The second question is: which green-economic solutions do prominent authors on the subject matter put...Show moreThe concept of the Green Economy has inspired a great deal of discussion and has become highly politicized. Adversaries of the concept, such as the Belgium authors and ecological activists Anneleen Kenis and Matthias Lievens (The Myth of the Green Economy,2012), argue that the concept of a Green Economy is merely a myth created by profit seeking businesses and overly rational neoliberals: it is merely the result of wishful thinking. In this thesis it will be examined whether the concept of the Green Economy is truly just a myth. In order to examine this issue a general research question is formulated: “What are the possibilities and restrictions of ecological sustainability in a free market economy?” In order to finds answers the following subquestions will be adressed. The first question is: which subjects currently dominate the discourse on the concept of the Green Economy? The second question is: which green-economic solutions do prominent authors on the subject matter put forward regarding the Green Economy and ecological sustainability? And the third and last sub-question is: to what extent are the proposed solutions maintainable regarding the current state of the economy? Having examined and evaluated these questions, and having adressed the possible themes, concepts, and regulations associated with the Green Economy, the general research question will be answered in the concluding section of this thesis with cautious optimism.It is important to note that, due to the limited space of this BA thesis the review of the discourse is not exhaustive. Similarly, the regarded proposals are not a complete enumeration of all possible solutions, but a selection of the most significant ones. Nevertheless, I have aimed to provide the reader with a detailed insight into the existing discourse of the Green Economy.Show less

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Ecological Sustainability and the Green Economy: on the implementation of the Green Economy