Late notice of a catch-up on Club of Rome. Valuable for the network to have a report from anyone able to participate.
Peter

———- Forwarded message ———
From: APPG on Limits to Growth <newsletter@limits2growth.org.uk>
Date: Tue, 1 Mar 2022 at 11:55
Subject: APPG on Limits to Growth | Newsletter, March 2022
To: <peterchallen@gmail.com>

View this email in your browser Welcome to the March 2022 edition of the APPG on Limits to Growth Newsletter. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the ‘Limits to Growth’ report published by the Club of Rome. As part of this, the Club of Rome is hosting a global online event on 2nd March 2022 and the APPG on Limits to Growth will be hosting the UK launch event for the ‘Transformative Economics Commission’ to be held before summer recess. In this edition of the newsletter, we report on the APPG’s recent activities on finanical practices in the adult social care sector, an EAC oral evidence session on aligning the UK’s economic goals with environmental sustainability, the latest on the Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill and a review briefing of the Government’s outcome delivery plans. We also highlight the latest developments in postgrowth thinking and policymaking, in the UK and internationally including the call to cut demand for critical raw materials, Oxfam’s report calling for economic strategies centred around equality, and Germany’s ‘social-ecological’ economic model focus. For feedback and comments, please email us at appg@limits2growth.org.uk. Parliamentarians and their staff are welcome to get in touch for support with written questions, motions, and the like.  Regards,  APPG on Limits to Growth secretariat – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Recent APPG activities: – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Tackling predatory financial practices in the adult social care sector. Amendments to the Health and Care Bill attract cross-party support: The House of Lords debated three amendments designed to tackle the harmful impacts of financialisation in the care home sector at committee stage of the Health and Care Bill on 4th February. (Hansard transcript here and recording here.) The amendments were tabled by Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, who argued: ‘Predatory and rent seeking finanical practices by investment firms and hedge funds, which are often based in tax havens and have extremely complex ownership structures, have placed unmanageable financial and human costs o the UK care sector.’ They received support from several Peers including members of the APPG and Baroness Altmann, former Conservative minister, who explained: ‘The regulatory oversight of this system, which is responsible for the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our country, has no control of the financial models that are used to back the operators of those homes.’ The APPG on Limits to Growth produced a briefing on all three amendments available here. Versions of the amendments will return during report stage. Labour Peer Lord Sikka raised similar issues in an oral question setting out why ‘private equity is a disaster for the care home sector’ and calling for an independent inquiry. You can read the transcript here and watch the disucssion here. In the Commons, EDM 767 ‘Predatory financial practices and the adult social care sector’, tabled by APPG vice-chair Clive Lewis MP, has support from almost 20 MPs. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – EAC oral evidence session: Aligning the UK’s economic goals with environmental sustainbility The Commons Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) held the first of two oral evidence sessions on redesigning measures of economic success to incorporate environmental sustainability. CUSP Director Professor Tim Jackson addressed questions around measuring progress and prosperity, the growth dependency of the economy, and the limitations of the ‘inclusive wealth’ concept. Other witnesses included: Dr Matthew Agarwala, University of Cambridge; Signe Norberg, Aldersgate Group; Jeremy Peat OBE, The Royal Society of Edinburgh; and Nick Spencer, Institute and Faculty of Acturaries. • Watch a recording of the session on Parliament TV or read the transcript here. • See EAC highlights on Twitter here. • Written evidence is available here. • The second oral evidence session will be held on Wednesday 2nd March. Witnesses include Professor Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics. Details here. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill heads to the Commons The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill has passed its third and final reading in the House of Lords. The private members bill, developed by Big Issue founder Lord John Bird, would put a legal obligation on the Government to put long-term thinking at the centre of policy decisions. It has drawn cross-part support and already has the backing of MPs ahead of its scheduled second reading in the Commons on 18th March, including several Members of the APPG on Limits to Growth and Conservative MP Simon Fell who will be the Bill’s lead sponsor. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Targeting Sustainability – A review of the Government’s outcome delivery plans Briefing Paper A new APPG briefing by CUSP research fellow Richard McNeill Douglas, assesses the Government’s new system of outcome delivery plans (ODPs) which were introduced in July 2021 to improve the delivery of key national priorities. The briefing finds that the pursuit of economic growth is embedded at the heart of the ODP regime, without any acknowledgement that this may be unsustainable or conflict with environmental or wellbeing objectives. Recommendations include a Treasury consultation on a measure of sustainable wellbeing to replace GDP growth; and the need for ODPs to calculate the net effects of conflicting policies. Briefing available here. The issue of ODPs prioritising economic growth at the expense of people and planet was raised by APPG chair Caroline Lucas MP in a Westminster Hall debate on the wellbeing economy and climate goals in November. Richard McNeill Douglas has also authored a Green Alliance blog ‘Whitehall’s new delivery plans aren’t strong enough on the environment’ available here. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – 50th Anniversary of Limits to Growth 50th anniversary of ‘The Limits to Growth’ report to the Club of Rome 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the Club of Rome’s landmark report ‘The Limits to Growth’. The report – first published on 2 March 1972 – was the first to model our planet’s interconnected systems and make clear that if growth trends in industrialisation, resource use and pollution continued, we would overshoot the carrying capacity of the Earth at some point in the next hundred years. Unfortunately, policymakers hit the snooze button, and we are now reaching the limit – crossing tipping points – and overloading our planet. As part of the celebration of this anniversary, the Club of Rome is hosting a global online event on 2nd March 2022, with original author Dennis Meadows, leading economist Jayati Ghosh, climate activist Luisa Neubauer, and eminent scientist Johan Rockstrom. The APPG will be hosting the UK launch of the Club of Rome’s anniversary publication ‘Earth for All’ before the summer recess as part of a new initiative on Transformational Economics. This initiative will provide decision makers with insights and policy tools on how to protect the interests of people, the planet and prosperity, whilst preparing for future crises and building resilience to future shocks. • Register for the global online event here. • Share the event details on Twitter here. • Find out more about the 50th anniversary here. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Post-growth news & research The Climate Question – BBC World ServiceA recent episode of the BBC series asks: ‘Is our obsession with GDP killing the climate?’ with leading economists from around the world. Listen here. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Germany’s move to a ‘social-ecological’ economic model which focuses on climate and beyond GDP indicators Germany’s economy and climate ministry will attempt to move towards a ‘social-ecological’ market economy model. The ministry’s annual report on the economy emphasises the need for the economic recovery to go hand in hand with effective climate protection, and for new sustainability indicators that go beyond gross domestic product (GDP) to measure prosperity. Read more here and here. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Cutting demand for critical raw materials There are calls for the Government’s forthcoming Critical Minerals Strategy to place far greater emphasis on cutting overall demand and reducing the need for resource extraction in order to avoid severe harm to communities, workers and ecosystems around the world. One report, published by War on Want, explores supply and demand solutions for renewable energy minerals and concludes: ‘We need to transform our high-intensity, wasteful and growth-oriented economy, so that humanity can thrive within ecological limits.’ For further information see: • War on Want report: A Material Transition: Exploring supply and demand solutions for renewable energy materials • Green Alliance report: Critical Point: Securing the raw materials needed for the UKs green transition • Declaration from 141 organisations at COP26: Clean energy cannot be built on dirty mining • Financial Times, The Commodities Note: Rethinking the minerals boom – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Stories for Life: new animation Stories for Life is a project involving the Green Economy Coalition, the Wellbeing Economy Alliance and SpaceShip Earth. It aims to create new stories that contribute to the redesign of a healthier economy. Watch the new three minute animation exploring the shift from destructive to regenerative economic stories here. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Oxfam report calls for economic strategies centred around equality Oxfam’s ‘Inequality Kills’ report hit the global news headlines in January with statistics such as ‘One billionaire is created every 26 hours, as inequality contributes to the death of one person every four seconds’. The full report sets out how countries’ economic strategies can be designed to tackle inequality. It notes the systemic drivers of inequality including ‘an obsessive pursuit of GDP growth, irrespective of how carbon-intensive and highly unequal that growth is’and cites examples of countries prioritising indicators of wellbeing above GDP growth. Read more here. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – Is Michael Gove building on sand or stone? Professor Henrietta L. Moore, Founder and Director of the Institute for Global Prosperity at UCL, argues that acheiving the goals of the levelling-up White Paper require a transformation in political and economic thinking, not a re-tread of ‘inclusive growth’. Article available here. – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – For any enquiries regarding the APPG on Limits to Growth, please contact us or see www.limits2growth.org.uk – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Limits to Growth provides a platform for cross-party dialogue and collaboration on shared and lasting prosperity in a world of environmental, social and economic limits.  The group is chaired by Caroline Lucas MP (Green). Officers are Sir Peter Bottomley MP (Conservatives), Barry Gardiner (Labour), Lisa Cameron MP (SNP) and Baroness Claire Tyler (Liberal Democrats). Clive Lewis MP (Labour) acts as vice-chair. For enquiries, please email us at appg@limits2growth.org.uk. Copyright © 2022 APPG on Limits to Growth, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via the CUSP or the APPG websites Our mailing address is: APPG on Limits to Growth Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity University of Surrey Guildford, Surrey GU2 7XH United Kingdom Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences, subscribe or unsubscribe from this list.