when one nation increases production by damaging the environment it creates negative consequences that are felt by the entire planet in terms of lost ecosystem services the same principle can be applied to the level of a city company or even one s own home 
a grim prognosis for the future of global economic growth concerns about possible negative effects of growth on the environment and society have led environmentalists and climate activists to advocate lower levels of economic growth and fossil fuel use to limit the damage to the environment and climate ecological economists think the world has already passed the point when growth costs more than it is worth and that we need to focus on protecting natural habitats the united nations has adopted a progressive agenda to achieve sustained economic growth but even that does not go far enough for green economists who want to move beyond growth and find alternative global indicators to gross domestic product gdp which because it is a monetary valuation does not distinguish between market transactions that contribute positively to sustainable well being such as buying bicycles solar panels or fresh food and those that diminish it such as buying gas guzzlers guns or cigarettes the focus on gdp means that economic policies automatically have a pro growth bias and that there is no distinction between economies that are undermining critical ecosystems and those that are not 