24 January 2008 - Happiness does not derive from infinite economic growth and material wealth, but from contented families, strong communities and meaningful work, according to Green MEP Caroline Lucas in a new book published today.

The collection of essays entitled Do good lives have to cost the earth?, edited by Andrew Simms from nef:new economics foundation and Joe Smith of Open University, presents a collective vision of a happier, healthier and more sustainable future.

Dr Lucas’ contribution, which sits alongside that of David Cameron MP and Hilary Benn MP in a chapter entitled ‘The Politics of the Good Life’, explores the increasingly significant link between personal wellbeing and the health of the planet. She expresses the urgent need to move away from the neo-liberal obsession with free markets, privatisation and accumulation of material wealth to safeguard not just the environment, but also our physical, emotional and mental welfare.

Dr Lucas says: “Being Green is not about being ‘backward-looking’; it is about looking forward to a future which uses cleaner, safer and more efficient energy. We need progress which is environmentally, socially and politically sustainable. In fact, the policies we need for an improved quality of life are precisely the policies we need to tackle climate change.

“It’s time to challenge the political establishment to stop trying to inhabit two parallel worlds, and to accept that it simply isn’t possible to infinitely increase GDP and simultaneously reduce carbon emissions to safeguard the future of the planet. It is not through a lack of evidence on climate change that explains why world leaders have so far failed to act. Lack of global political will is the problem.

“We need to recognise that it serves both our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the planet to radically reform our deeply unsustainable economic system, based on the ever-increasing consumption of goods and the waste of natural resources.

“The real challenge for Green politicians and campaigners is to emphasise that the changes we need to make are positive ones, and that the outcomes are desirable in themselves. A zero carbon future doesn’t have to be a future of shivering around a candle in a cave – it can be a comfortable and more secure one.”

Essays from Phillip Pullman, A C Grayling, Oliver James, Anita Roddick and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, among others, cover a variety of topics including food, love, politics, design and money.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

Do Good Lives Have To Cost The Earth? is a collection of essays coordinated by new economics foundation and published by Constable. It is edited by Andrew Simms and Joe Smith, and is priced at £7.99 in paperback.