The global economic system must be radically transformed to survive, according to António Guterres, who is now openly calling for the world to move beyond Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the primary measure of economic success. In an interview following a UN-hosted summit of elite economists, Guterres warned that current accounting systems reward pollution, destruction, and inequality — pushing the planet toward what he described as disaster.
“We must place true value on the environment and go beyond GDP as a measure of human progress,” Guterres said. “When we destroy a forest, we are creating GDP. When we overfish, we are creating GDP.”
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The Push to Redefine ‘Progress’
For decades, GDP growth has been treated as the ultimate economic goal by governments and international institutions. But critics — now including the United Nations — argue that endless growth on a finite planet fuels climate instability, biodiversity collapse, and widening inequality.
Guterres claimed GDP “tells us the cost of everything and the value of nothing,” insisting the world is “not a gigantic corporation.” He argued that financial decisions must be based on more than profit-and-loss snapshots, calling instead for metrics centered on “human wellbeing, sustainability, and equity.”
In January, the UN convened a “Beyond GDP” conference in Geneva, attended by top economists including Joseph Stiglitz, Kaushik Basu, and Nora Lustig. The group has been tasked with designing a new global “dashboard” for measuring economic success — one that downplays growth and elevates environmental and social outcomes.
Health Research
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A ‘Triple Planetary Crisis’
A UN-backed report published last year framed the situation as a “triple planetary crisis” — climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution — compounded by economic shocks from the 2008 financial crash to the Covid-19 pandemic. Rapid technological change, the report warned, is also destabilizing labor markets and intensifying inequality.
Basu, who co-chairs the UN group, admitted that nations are trapped in a competitive GDP race that ignores the wellbeing of ordinary citizens. “If all new income accrues to a few individuals and GDP grows, all citizens are expected to cheer,” he said — a dynamic he warned fuels nationalism, polarization, and inequality.
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From ‘Green Growth’ to ‘Degrowth’
The UN initiative has emboldened more radical economic theories. Academics and activists are increasingly promoting “post-growth” or “degrowth” models — advocating a planned reduction of production and consumption, especially in wealthier nations.
Political economist Jason Hickel praised Guterres’s remarks but said abandoning GDP alone is insufficient. “We need to democratise control over production,” Hickel argued, calling for systemic changes that challenge capitalism itself. “The dominance of GDP is not an accident — it measures what is valuable to capital.”
A recent survey found that 73% of climate policy researchers now support post-growth economic positions — a striking signal of where elite academic thought is heading.
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Prophetic and Strategic Implications
What the UN frames as economic reform looks, to many observers, like a shift toward centralized global governance — redefining value, production, and even morality under the banner of sustainability. Scripture warns repeatedly against systems that promise security while eroding freedom and accountability to God.
As GDP gives way to new global metrics, the deeper question is not how success is measured — but who gets to decide what matters.
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