In its much-debated Human Development Report 2020, the United Nations Human Development Program attempted to present indicators of development which are planetary pressures-adjusted. In the present book by Arno Tausch, the author presents further reflections in this important and evolving field, vital for any informed debate about the Paris Climate Accord. Tausch adjusts the development achievements and setbacks of the countries of the world by ecological footprint per capita. With the hitherto existing globalized political economy in ruins in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing global economic depression, a new societal contract has to emerge which combines well-being with a minimum of energy inputs, thus reducing planetary pressures. Tausch attempts to answer vital questions, raised by the debates on the Paris climate accords, and the recent UNDP Human Development Index. Is a liberal economy, based on economic freedom, compatible with the attempt to “deliver” a maximum amount of democracy, economic growth, gender equality, human development, research and development, and social cohesion with a minimum of planetary pressure? Tausch looks at the cross-national drivers and bottlenecks of “smart development,” using standard comparative cross-national data. The book shows that those attempting to reduce planetary pressure and to work towards fulfilling the Paris Climate Accords have to start thinking about such issues as gender justice, economic freedom, globalization, population density, and migration, if they really want to bring about development with a minimum of planetary pressure.
