Is growth bad for the environment? It is certainly fashionable in some quarters to argue that trade and capitalism are choking the planet to death. Yet it is also nonsense. As our survey of the environment this week explains, there is little evi- dence to back up such alarmism. On the contrary, there is reason to believe not only that growth can be compatible with greenery, but that it often bolsters it. This is not, however, to say that there are no environmental problems to worry about. In particular, the needlessly dirty, unhealthy and inefficient way in which we use energy is the biggest source of environmental fouling. That is why it makes sense to start a slow shift away from today's filthy use of fossil fuels towards a cleaner, low-carbon future. There are three reasons for calling for such an energy revolution. First, a switch to cleaner energy would make tackling other green concerns a lot easier. That is because dealing with many of these-treating chemical waste, recycling aluminium or incinerating municipal rubbish, for instance-is in itself an energy-intensive task. The second reason is climate change. The most sensible way for governments to tackle this genuine (but long-term) problem is to send a powerful signal that the world must move towards a low-carbon future. That will spur all sorts of innovations in clean energy.
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