GP essay question guide
Can economic growth and environmental protection coexist?
The issue is not whether growth has an environmental cost. Ask whether policy can change the type of growth, price harm, and protect people during transition.
Topics: Economics, Environment and Climate, Politics and Governance
Three argument directions
Change incentives
Carbon prices and standards can make cleaner investment more competitive.
Qualification: Poor design can raise household costs or move emissions abroad.
Protect shared resources
Trade and subsidy rules can reduce activities that destroy long-term natural wealth.
Qualification: Enforcement and support for affected workers and states remain necessary.
Redefine successful growth
Growth can support environmental protection when measures include health, resilience, and natural assets.
Qualification: New indicators do not replace hard choices about consumption and production.
Six examples to compare
Singapore Raises Its Carbon Tax
Singapore increased the price of industrial carbon emissions while using revenue to support decarbonisation and transition costs. Student link: heat, daily choices, climate costs, and responsibility for the future.
Possible essay use
Carbon pricing can make pollution costs visible and create an incentive to reduce emissions.
Limitation
The tax rate alone cannot prove a particular emissions outcome, and some costs may be passed on.
Case or source date: 2026-01-01
EU Carbon Border Adjustment Enters Its Definitive Phase
The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism moved into its definitive regime in 2026 for covered carbon-intensive imports. Student link: first jobs, wages, prices, opportunity, and who gains from growth.
Possible essay use
The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism moved into its definitive regime in 2026 for covered carbon-intensive imports.
Limitation
The mechanism may reduce carbon leakage but creates reporting costs and trade tensions, especially for developing exporters.
Case or source date: 2026-01-01
Source: European Commission
World Bank Links Poverty Reduction and Climate Resilience
The World Bank's 2024 report assessed poverty reduction, shared prosperity, and climate risks together rather than as separate goals. Student link: first jobs, wages, prices, opportunity, and who gains from growth.
Possible essay use
economic outcomes are shaped by policy and institutions, not markets alone, because rules can redistribute risk, costs, skills, and bargaining power
Limitation
Global modelling and aggregates cannot identify one policy mix that is affordable or effective in every country.
Case or source date: 2024-10-15
Source: World Bank
WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement Enters into Force
The WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement entered into force in September 2025 and prohibits specified subsidies linked to illegal fishing and overfished stocks. Student link: first jobs, wages, prices, opportunity, and who gains from growth.
Possible essay use
The WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement entered into force in September 2025 and prohibits specified subsidies linked to illegal fishing and overfished stocks.
Limitation
The agreement has exemptions and depends on implementation, transparency, and further negotiations on unresolved subsidy disciplines.
Case or source date: 2025-09-15
Source: World Trade Organization
EV Shift: Greener Roads, Global Ripples
The global move to electric vehicles (EVs) promises cleaner air but faces resource challenges and reshapes world economics and power dynamics.
Growth vs. Green: The Amazon's Economic Dilemma
The Amazon rainforest shows the hard choices between economic growth and environmental health, especially for developing nations facing global pressures.