This article is rather theoretical and focuses on evaluating economists' views on the compatibility between economics growth and sustainable development.
Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a "Grenelle de l'environnement' in 2007, which was to mark a real turning point in the understanding of environmental concerns, which were an integral part of the pledges of the candidates in the French presidential election. Ecology then seemed to be a fashionable and unavoidable issue in contemporary political management, even if in France it did not really structure the political landscape as it does in Germany, for example.
Economic activity is based, among other things, on the creation of wealth. The increase of wealth is still a major obsession of economic policies today. GDP growth, which is currently close to zero, is causing many economic problems (massive unemployment, a drop in business investment, precautionary saving behaviour, etc.).
Is sustainable development, whose definition became a convention with the Brundtland report in 1987 and which represents the possibility offered to future generations to have the same natural resources as those of today (stock of raw materials, amenities, etc.), compatible with economic activity?...
I have deleted this article for now because I am working on a new version.
