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Professor Daniel O'Neill

Professor Daniel O'Neill

Profile

I am a sustainability scientist and ecological economist. The long-term aim of my research is to identify how societies can reduce resource use to sustainable levels while improving human wellbeing.

I am currently a Beatriz Galindo Distinguished Professor at the University of Barcelona, a Visiting Professor at the University of Leeds, and the Coordinator and Principal Investigator of the Horizon Europe MAPS Project (short for Models, Assessment, and Policies for Sustainability).

My research focuses on three interrelated areas: (1) measuring the environmental and social sustainability of societies, (2) modelling policies to achieve a sustainable economy, (3) and assessing the impacts of artificial intelligence development.

  1. Sustainability assessment: My work on the social and environmental performance of nations shows that no country is meeting the basic needs of its citizens at a sustainable level of resource use, and that environmental conditions are declining faster than social outcomes are improving.
  2. Ecological macroeconomic modelling: With my team at the University of Barcelona, I developed COMPASS, the first national-scale simulation model capable of assessing how alternative policies affect social outcomes linked to meeting basic needs, and resource use relative to planetary boundaries.
  3. Impacts of artificial intelligence: My work examines the impacts of AI on the environment and human wellbeing, shows that many AI risks arise from the economic incentives driving its development, and proposes new governance models to respond to these challenges.

One of the ideas I have explored in depth is the concept of a “post-growth” economy. Post-growth envisions redesigning the economy so that its development is guided by the three goals of human wellbeing, social equity, and environmental sustainability, rather than GDP growth. Some of the changes that may be required are discussed in my book Enough Is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources (co-authored with Rob Dietz), which has also been made into a short documentary film by UK film-maker Tom Bliss.

You can explore the results of my latest research on the MAPS website, and the findings of my sustainability assessment work on the interactive Good Life website.

In the video below, Giorgos Kallis interviews me about the findings of my study “A good life for all within planetary boundaries”:

Responsibilities

  • Coordinator and Principal Investigator, The MAPS Project

Research interests

Books

Journal Articles

  • Creutzig, F., Denton, F., Hine, E., Joshi, S., Ke, G., Kyrychenko, Y., Messner, D., O’Neill, D.W. (2026). Governing artificial intelligence for planetary health. The Lancet Planetary Health 101408. doi:10.1016/j.lanplh.2025.101408 New!
  • Van Eynde, R., Dillman, K.J., Vogel, J., O’Neill, D.W. (2026). What is required for a post-growth model? Ecological Economics 243, 108928. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2026.108928 New!
  • Costanza, R., Eastoe, J., Hoekstra, R., Kubiszewski, I., O’Neill, D.W. (2025). Beyond growth — why we need to agree on an alternative to GDP now. Nature 647, 589-591. doi:10.1038/d41586-025-03721-1 New!
  • McElroy, C., O’Neill, D.W. (2025). The labour and resource use requirements of a good life for all. Global Environmental Change 92, 103008. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2025.103008 New!
  • Kallis, G., Hickel, J., O’Neill, D.W., Jackson, T., Victor, P.A., Raworth, K., Schor, J.B., Steinberger, J.K. Ürge-Vorsatz, D. (2025). Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries. The Lancet Planetary Health 9 (1), e62-e78. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00310-3
  • Van Eynde, R., Horen Greenford, D., O'Neill, D.W., Demaria, F. (2024). Modelling what matters: How do current models handle environmental limits and social outcomes? Journal of Cleaner Production 476, 143777. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2024.143777
  • Slameršak, A., Kallis, G., O’Neill, D.W., Hickel, J. (2024). Post-growth: A viable path to limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. One Earth 7 (1), 44-58. doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2023.11.004
  • Vogel, J., Guerin, G., O'Neill, D.W., Steinberger, J.K. (2024). Safeguarding livelihoods against reductions in economic output. Ecological Economics 215, 107977. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2023.107977
  • O’Neill, D.W. (2022). Herman E. Daly (1938–2022). Nature Sustainability 6 (2), 118-119. doi:10.1038/s41893-022-01041-0
  • Hickel, J., Kallis, G., Jackson, T., O’Neill, D.W., Schor, J.B., Steinberger, J.K., Victor, P.A, Ürge-Vorsatz, D. (2022). Degrowth can work — here’s how science can help. Nature 612, 400-403. doi:10.1038/d41586-022-04412-x
  • Slameršak, A., Kallis, G., O’Neill, D.W. (2022). Energy requirements and carbon emissions for a low-carbon energy transition. Nature Communications 13 (1), 6932. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-33976-5
  • Hickel, J., O’Neill, D.W., Fanning, A.L., and Zoomkawala, H. (2022). National responsibility for ecological breakdown: a fair-shares assessment of resource use, 1970-2017. The Lancet Planetary Health 6 (4), e342-e349. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00044-4
  • Brand-Correa, L., Brook, A., Büchs, M., Meier, P., Naik, Y., and O’Neill, D.W. (2022). Economics for people and planet—moving beyond the neoclassical paradigm. The Lancet Planetary Health 6 (4), e371-e379. doi:10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00063-8
  • Apostel, A., and O’Neill, D.W. (2022). A one-off wealth tax for Belgium: Revenue potential, distributional impact, and environmental effects. Ecological Economics 196, 107385. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2022.107385
  • Fanning, A.L., O’Neill, D.W., Hickel, J., and Roux, N. (2022). The social shortfall and ecological overshoot of nations. Nature Sustainability 5, 26-36. doi:10.1038/s41893-021-00799-z
  • Vogel, J., Steinberger, J.K., O'Neill, D.W., Lamb, W.F., Krishnakumar, J. (2021). Socio-economic conditions for satisfying human needs at low energy use: An international analysis of social provisioning. Global Environmental Change 69, 102287. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102287
  • O’Neill, D.W. (2020). Beyond green growth. Nature Sustainability 3, 260-261. doi:10.1038/s41893-020-0499-4
  • Fanning, A.L., O'Neill, D.W., Büchs, M. (2020). Provisioning systems for a good life within planetary boundaries. Global Environmental Change 64, 102135. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102135
  • Fanning, A.L., O'Neill, D.W., (2019). The Wellbeing–Consumption paradox: Happiness, health, income, and carbon emissions in growing versus non-growing economies. Journal of Cleaner Production 212, 810-821. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.223
  • O'Neill, D.W., Fanning, A.L., Lamb, W.F., and Steinberger, J.K. (2018). A good life for all within planetary boundaries. Nature Sustainability 1, 88-95. doi:10.1038/s41893-018-0021-4
  • Marshall, A.P., and O'Neill, D.W. (2018). The Bristol Pound: A tool for localisation? Ecological Economics 146, 273-281. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.11.002
  • O'Neill, D.W., Fanning, A.L. (2017). New beans to count. Alternatives Journal 43 (1), 42-44.
  • Hardt, L., and O'Neill, D.W. (2017). Ecological macroeconomic models: Assessing current developments. Ecological Economics 134, 198-211. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2016.12.027
  • Cosme, I., Santos, R., and O'Neill, D.W. (2017). Assessing the degrowth discourse: A review and analysis of academic degrowth policy proposals. Journal of Cleaner Production 149, 321-334. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.02.016
  • Fanning, A.L., and O'Neill, D.W. (2016). Tracking resource use relative to planetary boundaries in a steady-state framework: A case study of Canada and Spain. Ecological Indicators 69, 836-849. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2016.04.034
  • O'Neill, D.W. (2015). The proximity of nations to a socially sustainable steady-state economy. Journal of Cleaner Production 108, 1213-1231. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.116
  • O'Neill, D.W. (2015). What should be held steady in a steady-state economy? Interpreting Daly's definition at the national level. Journal of Industrial Ecology 19 (4), 552-563. doi:10.1111/jiec.12224
  • O'Neill, D.W. (2012). Measuring progress in the degrowth transition to a steady state economy. Ecological Economics 84, 221-231. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.05.020
  • O'Neill, D.W. (2010). Economic growth: enough is enough. Nature 468 (7326), 897. doi:10.1038/468897b
  • O'Neill, D.W., and Abson, D.J. (2009). To settle of protect? A global analysis of net primary production in parks and urban areas. Ecological Economics 69, 319-327. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2009.08.028
  • O'Neill, D.W., Tyedmers, P.H., and Beazley, K.F. (2007). Human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) in Nova Scotia, Canada. Regional Environmental Change 7, 1-14. doi:10.1007/s10113-006-0021-1

Book Chapters

Reports, Policy Briefs, and Conference Papers

  • da Silva Vieira, R., Domingos, T., Sousa, T., Teixeira, R., Felício, L., Morais, T., O’Neill, D.W., Ribeiro, T., Santos, J., Teixeira, C., Lopes Rodrigues, O., Líbano Monteiro, M., Almeida, M., and Canaveira, P. (2021). Environmental Boundaries: The Intergenerational Impacts of Biophysical Resource Use. Final report. Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Associação para o Desenvolvimento do Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon.
  • Stratford, B. and O’Neill, D.W. (2020). The Path to a Doughnut-Shaped Recovery. Policy Brief No. 5. Policy Leeds, Leeds, UK. doi:10.5518/100/59.
  • Stratford, B. and O’Neill, D.W. (2020). The UK’s Path to a Doughnut-Shaped Recovery. Full Report. University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
  • Büchs, M., Baltruszewicz, M., Bohnenberger, K., Busch, J., Dyke, J., Elf, P., Fanning, A., Fritz, M., Garvey, A., Hardt, L., Hofferberth, E., Ivanova, D., Janoo, A., O’Neill, D.W., Guillen-Royo, M., Sahakian, M., Steinberger, J.K., Trebeck, K., and Corlet-Walker, C. (2020). Wellbeing Economics for the COVID-19 Recovery: Ten Principles to Build Back Better. WEAll Briefing Paper. Wellbeing Economy Alliance, UK.
  • O'Neill, D.W. (2017). A Sustainable Economy. Policy Brief for the Progressive Economics Group.
  • O'Neill, D.W. (2013). How close are countries to a socially sustainable steady-state economy? Results from the Degrowth Accounts. 10th Biennal Conference of the European Society for Ecological Economics, Lille, France, June 18-21.
  • O'Neill, D.W., Dietz, R., and Jones, N. (Eds.), 2010. Enough Is Enough: Ideas for a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources. The Report of the Steady State Economy Conference. CASSE and Economic Justice for All, Leeds, UK.
  • O'Neill, D.W. (2010). Measuring progress: indicators for degrowth. Second Conference on Economic Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity. Barcelona, Spain, March 26-29.
  • Bowen, A., Forster, P.M., Gouldson, A., Hubacek, K., Martin, R., O'Neill, D.W., Rap, A., and Rydge, J. (2009). The Implications of the Economic Slowdown for Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Targets. Working Paper 11, Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy (CCCEP), University of Leeds, UK.
  • O'Neill, D.W. (2008). Steady state economies and recession: the same or different? Preliminary results of an empirical analysis. Pages 116-122 in Proceedings of the Green Economics Conference 2008. Green Economics Institute, Oxford, UK.

Popular Press

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>
Co-investigator (Co-I)

Professional memberships

  • Member of the International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE)
  • Member of the International Association for Safe & Ethical AI (IASEAI)

Research groups and institutes

  • Economics and Policy for Sustainability
  • Sustainability Research Institute
<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>We welcome enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>