Economists such as Kate Raworth and Jason Hickel have long argued that endless growth is ecologically damaging, proposing the idea of de-growth in response. But what if de-growth was baked into the capitalist model? We often assume that poor countries will bear the brunt of climate change, pandemics, and other exogenous shocks, but this book argues the opposite: western societies have more wealth and capital to lose, and are less inherently resilient. Icarus Economics shows how rich countries can help poor countries to decarbonise as they develop and, in the process, repair their own stagnating economies - as well as the planet.

John Rapley is a Senior Fellow at the Johannesburg Institute of Advanced Studies. His books include Twilight of the Money Gods and Why Empires Fall (co-authored with Peter Heather).