Surviving the Polycrisis

Do we need to change, transform or replace our economic system?

It’s been 30 years since anthropogenic climate change was recognised by the UN and its 190+ national members as sufficiently important to meet annually to address. Yet greenhouse gas emissions and global temperatures continue to rise; and wildlife has reduced by 70% over the last 50 years, destroying lives and livelihoods of some, disrupting many, and threatening us all. We have seen record, accelerating levels of unmanaged pollution; and staggering levels of inequality, with the world’s richest 1% having more than twice as much wealth as 6.9 billion people.

Our economic system, with its relentless quest for growth, is clearly complicit if not a primary cause of this polycrises. Whilst the benefits of the system are unevenly distributed, the system does indeed deliver positive outcomes too. Can our growth-led, capitalist-shaped economic system help us out of our current predicament? Or do we need to replace it?

London Business School, the LBS Alumni and Business Declares hosted this event, in an evening of expert opinion, debate and interaction on these themes.

Here is a transcript of the event