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The 2015 UN Paris Agreement reinforced and declared compatible the two goals of avoiding dire climate change and maintaining global economic growth, and it specified that technological innovation is ‘critical’ to this joint achievement. Unfortunately, any confidence that near-term global economic growth is consistent with a stabilized climate is severely undermined by empirical evidence. Despite the rapid increase of alternative energies in recent decades, global GDP growth continues to require burning greater quantities of climate-destabilizing fossil fuels. The dim outlook for sufficiently reducing CO2while maintaining economic growth is underscored by global data and Germany specific data on the decoupling of GDP from CO2. This paper summarizes pertinent climate science, substantiates the dependence of economic growth on fossil fuels, and uses the Kaya identity to demonstrate the unfavorable prospects for reducing CO2while maintaining GDP growth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper acknowledges the political nature of environmental protection and climate change in the United States and the grassroots demand for environmental protection as a phase of economic development. It argues that grassroots support is more reliable than top-down authority in ensuring a clean environment as it reflects the desire for local control and the utilization of local human resources. Young people play a vital role in finding grassroots solutions in their respective communities. For instance, implementing a topdown policy of legally-binding carbon taxes worldwide might be desirable in theory, but in reality, leads to political stalemate. The more realistic and efficient solution is to substitute pollution-prone technology that is currently in use with renewable and sustainable technology. Technological change brings about economic change, in turn fostering social change in perceptions and values, strengthening political support at the local level for environmental protection. This is more durable than top-down authoritarian support for environmental protection that vests decision-making power in a single political leader or in-crowd of government officials. Without grassroots support, the transition to a renewable resource-based economy that has a sustainable relationship with the environment cannot take place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]