Adaptation against environmental degradation has the potential to generate further environmental pressures. Does this aspect of adaptation affect the inequality–environment link? To answer this question, we develop a one-sector and one-input model which integrates threats to social and environmental sustainability posed by feedback effects of agents’ adaptation strategies. We distinguish between income inequality and welfare inequality with the latter depending on environmental quality, leisure time, income level and allocation of income to consumption or adaptation. Despite its parsimony, the model describes the conditions for the existence of different inequality–environment dynamic regimes. The model confirms the standard view that environmental degradation exacerbates welfare inequality, but it also produces non-trivial and surprising insights. It illustrates that income inequality affects the type of dynamic regime followed by the economy. High-income economies and economies with high-income inequality are most at risk of following a pattern of maladaptive growth with increasing welfare inequality and environmental pressure.

适应环境退化可能会产生进一步的环境压力。适应的这一方面会影响不平等与环境之间的联系吗？为了回答这个问题，我们开发了一种单部门一投入的模型，该模型整合了代理商适应策略的反馈效应对社会和环境可持续性的威胁。我们根据环境质量，休闲时间，收入水平和收入分配给消费或适应的不同，将收入不平等和福利不平等区分开。尽管具有简约性，该模型还是描述了存在不同不平等-环境动态机制的条件。该模型证实了标准的观点，即环境恶化加剧了福利不平等，但也产生了不平凡和令人惊讶的见解。它说明收入不平等会影响经济所遵循的动态制度的类型。高收入经济体和高收入不平等经济体最有可能随着福利不平等和环境压力的增加而出现适应不良的增长方式。