Degrowth in general
Degrowth Wikipedia article Social movement critical of the concept of growth in GDP as a measure of human and economic development.
- Modern capitalism’s unitary focus on growth causes widespread ecological damage and is unnecessary for the further increase of human living standards.
- An infinite expansion of the economy is fundamentally contradictory to the finiteness of material resources on Earth.
- Economic growth measured by GDP should be abandoned as a policy objective. Policy should instead focus on economic and social metrics, such as life expectancy, health, education, housing and ecologically sustainable work as indicators of both ecosystems and human well-being.
- Highly critical of free market capitalism.
- Highlights the importance of extensive public services, care work, self-organisation, commons, relational goods, community and work sharing.
- Degrowth scholars are skeptical of the feasibility of achieving an equitable economic slowdown within a capitalist framework.
- Degrowth advocates argue for a deliberate and democratically guided overhaul of the economic system.
- Growing evidence shows that continued economic growth cannot be made compatible with sustaining life and is not necessary for a good life for all.
The case for a transition to a steady-state economy with low throughput and low emissions, initally in the high-income economies and then in rapidly growing economies, needs more serious attention and international cooperation. - Mark Diesendorf, 2022
Degrowth-associated topics
Resource depletion
Reducing demand is the only permanent solution (according to Degrowth supporters) to bridging the demand gap. Both demand and production must be regulated to levels that avert depletion and ensure environmental sustainability. Transitioning to a society less reliant on oil is crucial for averting societal collapse as non-renewable resouces dwindle.
Constraints on resources will eventually lead to a forced reduction in consumption. A controlled reduction of consumption would reduce the trauma of this change.
Sustainable development
The concept of Sustainable Development was approprioated by capitalists to the point that it lost any sense os standing for system change. Degrowth views Sustainable Devopment as contradictory because any development reliant on growth within a finite and ecologically strained context is deemed intrinsically unsustainable.
Ecosystems
Degrowth recognises ecosystems as valuable entities beyond their utility as mere sources of resources.
Less/different work
Collective happiness not by consumption but by creating a future that allows not only more free time, and less conventional and more creative ways of using it, but also for more fulfilling ways of working and existing.
Some Degrowth suggestions
- Maximum wage. Wealth tax.
- Promoting open borders
- Challenging the assumption that high-resource consumption lifestyles are desirable.
- Good and free public transport
- Universal basic income
- Shorter working hours
- Prioritisation of essential labor over corporate profits
- System of social ownership
- Ban advertising in public spaces
- Build to last. Ban planned obsolescence.
- Stop buying garbage
- Make actual costs on environment visible for produced items.
- Proper carbon taxing, social cost of carbon
- “Sustainable prosperity”, “Natural Growth”, “Postgrowth”
Criticism
Do rich countries have to reduce their standard of living?
Multiple studies demonstrate the in many affluant countries per-capita energy consumption could be decreased substantially and quality of living standards still maintained.
Would a slowing of economic growth result in increased unemployment and poverty?
Most Degrowth proponents still advocate for economic growth in the South. Degrowth proponents don’t advocate for slowing economic growth (which would indeed lead to decreased unemployment), but instead the complete abandonment of the current (growth) economic model.
Degrowth seems appealing, but how do we get there?
According to many researcher, such as Adrien Plomteux, Degrowth is already everywhere around us. Sharing meals, dancing together, cooperating and acting for the good of others beyond (economic) reason, repairing instead of throwing away, growing food, supporting local farmers, defending a natural habitat.