Can Profits Help the Planet? Summary of a panel discussion on green growth

This commentary summarizes a panel discussion entitled Green Growth: Can Profits Help the Planet? that was held as part of Sustainable Prosperity’s Big Ideas for Sustainable Prosperity: Policy Innovation for Greening Growth conference, held at the University of Ottawa April 28–29, 2014.

Participants included Nancy Olewiler, professor of Economics and director of the Public Policy School at Simon Fraser University; Avrim Lazar, former CEO of the Forest Products Association of Canada; Joshua Farley, professor of Economics, University of Vermont; and Stewart Elgie, professor of Law & Economics, director of the Environment Institute, University of Ottawa, and chair of Sustainable Prosperity. The panel discussion included the definition of green growth, the degree to which economic and environmental priorities present real trade-offs, using public policy to send price signals that consider environmental cost, public and private sector roles in pursuing green growth, and the question of whether respect for ecological limits is broadly compatible with a growing economy.