Decoupling: Environmental Impacts and Economic Transition

This lecture explores the concept of decoupling environmental impacts from rising affluence, focusing on the exponential growth in emissions from aviation worldwide. It delves into the Kaya decomposition and the challenges of achieving sustainable decoupling, emphasizing the need to address shifting polluting activities, handle environmental impacts of green alternatives, and avoid the rebound effect. The instructor discusses the limitations of IPAT decomposition and the lessons learned, highlighting the difficulty of offsetting economic and population growth to reduce environmental impacts. The lecture also covers the environmental Kuznets curve and the conditions for sustainable decoupling, emphasizing the importance of real substitution, acknowledging physical limits, and ensuring technical progress improves the situation.