Natural capital as a factor in sustainable economic growth: analysis of world dynamics

The article assesses regional trends in the perception of natural capital as a leading determinant of economic development and the prospects for the implementation of national models of transition to a sustainable economy as a system that ensures long-term growth of global competitiveness, regardless of the dynamics of world market conjuncture. As a result of the application of the author's methodology for determining the sustainability of natural capital in the countries of the world (based on the establishment of ecological footprint and the rational use of natural potential) the lack of dependence of the sustainability of natural capital on the achieved level of well-being of modern states was revealed, which allowed to draw conclusions about the conceptual framework of reforming macroeconomic systems in terms of reorienting national economies towards sustainable development. In conclusion, the latter will only be possible if the social logic of consumerism is abandoned, as it destabilizes the state of the national economy.