{"id":3392,"date":"2026-02-20T12:54:39","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T12:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/?post_type=podcast&#038;p=3392"},"modified":"2026-05-08T11:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T11:16:20","slug":"christopher-jones-the-invention-of-infinite-growth","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/podcast\/christopher-jones-the-invention-of-infinite-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Christopher Jones &#8211; The Invention of Infinite Growth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Christopher Jones, associate professor of history at Arizona State University (USA), discussed his book&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/press.uchicago.edu\/ucp\/books\/book\/chicago\/I\/bo253356508.html\">The Invention of Infinite Growth: How Economists Came to Believe a Dangerous Delusion<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;(University of Chicago Press, 2025) in the Greenhouse environmental humanities book talk series on Monday, 2 February 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most economists believe that growth is the surest path to better lives. This has proven to be one of humanity\u2019s most powerful and dangerous ideas. It shapes policy across the globe, but it fatally undermines the natural ecosystems necessary to sustain human life. How did we get here? In&nbsp;<em>The Invention of Infinite Growth<\/em>, environmental historian Christopher F. Jones takes us through two hundred and fifty years of economic thinking to examine the ideal of growth, its powerful influence, and the crippling burdens many decisions made in its name have placed on us all. Jones argues that the pursuit of growth has never reflected its costs, because economists downplay environmental degradation. What\u2019s worse, skyrocketing inequality and diminishing improvements in most people\u2019s well-being mean growth too often delivers too little for too many. Jones urges economists to engage more broadly with other ways of thinking, as well as with citizens and governments to recognize and slow infinite growth\u2019s impact on the real world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both accessible and eye-opening,&nbsp;<em>The Invention of Infinite Growth<\/em>&nbsp;offers hope for the future. Humans have not always believed that economic growth could or should continue, and so it is possible for us to change course. We can still create new ideas about how to promote environmental sustainability, human welfare, and even responsible growth, without killing the planet and ourselves.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christopher Jones, associate professor of history at Arizona State University (USA), discussed his book&nbsp;The Invention of Infinite Growth: How Economists Came to Believe a Dangerous [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-02-Jones.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-02-02-Jones_pod-scaled.jpg","cover_image_id":"3457","duration":"00:56:05","filesize":"39.01M","filesize_raw":"40908008","date_recorded":"2026-02-02","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"3","itunes_title":"Christopher Jones - The Invention of Infinite Growth","itunes_season_number":"7","itunes_episode_type":"full"},"tags":[17,18],"series":[16],"class_list":["post-3392","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","hentry","tag-books","tag-environment","series-greenhouse-environmental-humanities-book-talks"],"episode_featured_image":false,"episode_player_image":"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2026-02-02-Jones_pod-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/podcast-download\/3392\/christopher-jones-the-invention-of-infinite-growth","player_link":"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/podcast-player\/3392\/christopher-jones-the-invention-of-infinite-growth","audio_player":"<a class=\"wp-embedded-audio\" href=\"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/podcast-player\/3392\/christopher-jones-the-invention-of-infinite-growth\">https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/podcast-player\/3392\/christopher-jones-the-invention-of-infinite-growth<\/a>","episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/greenhouse-environmental-humanities-book-talks\/id1664960759","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/feed\/podcast\/greenhouse-environmental-humanities-book-talks\/","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0TNTSCl3zRBues4Eqjkwwm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/feed\/podcast\/greenhouse-environmental-humanities-book-talks","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"C2oCEKLzKT\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/podcast\/christopher-jones-the-invention-of-infinite-growth\/\">Christopher Jones &#8211; The Invention of Infinite Growth<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/newnatures.org\/greenhouse\/podcast\/christopher-jones-the-invention-of-infinite-growth\/embed\/#?secret=C2oCEKLzKT\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Christopher Jones &#8211; The Invention of Infinite Growth&#8221; &#8212; The Greenhouse Book Talks\" data-secret=\"C2oCEKLzKT\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! 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