In Economics class, the concept of eternal economic growth as a necessity is ingrained from the beginning: students being taught that without a certain percentage increase in GDP from year to year, disastrous recession lies on the horizon. And yes, if we were to immediately halt our economies across the globe, the effect would be detrimental. But if we continue on our current pathway, we will likely face a much larger catastrophe.
Growth is incredibly resource-intensive. If we are to decrease carbon emissions by 45% in the next 7 years to limit warming to 1.5℃ above pre-industrial levels, we need to significantly change the way we produce and consume resources. Degrowth is a proposition for an alternate economic system, one where the concentration of wealth and exploitation that defines capitalism is left in the past.
Climate justice cannot be achieved within the framework of our current social structures because they are inherently unjust. My native language, Gaeilge (Irish), was systematically stripped from Ireland largely because it was no longer deemed ‘useful’ in a capitalist system. The wealth of knowledge Gaeilge holds has been eroded —wealth that was thousands of years in the making.
Instead of growing our economies for the sole purpose of exponentially increasing GDP, we could restructure them entirely to achieve a sustainable and equitable future. We could reduce inequality and increase regulation on corporations to diminish the influence they hold over global governments. Most importantly, we could create communities that place our environment, collective wellbeing and intangible cultural heritage above the profit and power of a tiny percentage of the planet—where the ability to determine our own future lies in the hands of the people.
Passive house tucked in the Scottish countryside. The house is designed to use only what it needs, requires low energy use, and passive heating systems reducing the load from the grid. Scotland, UK, 2023.
Photography By Pamela EA
RESEARCH
Research by Estelle Ngoumtsa
Text by Sorah Park
Fact-checking by Hailey Basiouny
May 13, 2024
*text is up to date, although pending graphic adjustments
Our current economic system relies on constant growth and production every year, extracting and consuming resources at unsustainable rates, thus driving ecological breakdown. An alternative approach to this is degrowth, where the goal is to scale down destructive forms of production and restructure economies around human needs and well-being. Degrowth looks like improving public services, expanding green jobs, and reducing unnecessary production, enabling sustainable development. While degrowth may signify creating less, it is not to be mistaken for a negative gross domestic product (GDP) growth.
The normalisation of economic growth as inherently beneficial and profitable occurred during the conceptual creation of the “Third World” in the 1950s. In order to measure national income development, beginning with President Truman’s 1949 speech after WWII, formerly colonised countries were categorised as “underdeveloped” and were aided by “developed” nation states. GDP quickly became a statistical tool to measure a country’s growth, reflecting the value of goods and services produced in a year. These goods were positively defined as “good”, but also included social and environmental “bads” including prisons and oil spills. Furthermore, in the context of economic growth, GDP does not take into consideration vital unpaid labour such as housework and ecosystem services. These services are often overlooked and are not formally recognized by capitalist markets yet are valuable for social and environmental well-being.
Within an environmental lens, French philosopher Fabrice Flipo classifies the conceptual roots of décroissance (degrowth) as a major reduction of human influence and control over nature. Flipo points to the interconnected relationships between humans and nature. Green growth or degrowth advocates such as researcher Serge Latouche critique the ideology of growth-based development as a Western myth, which normalises growth as irreversible and necessary to continue expanding capitalist markets. The degrowth paradigm confronts the dominant growth model, and the historical understanding of how this was created exposes the limitations of this tool as a means to measure wealth.
Success may seem impossible without growth, but degrowth advocates challenge us to examine why growth is often synonymous with “better’’. Rather, degrowth is about incorporating new and innovative ways to sustain a cleaner, happier and communal economy. The pursuit of economic growth has increased financial and social inequities while degrowth movements have the power to advance climate justice by focusing on equity and sustainable livelihoods. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) have both suggested that degrowth strategies should be implemented in policies to address biodiversity loss and the climate crisis.
Degrowth was officially introduced on an international level at the first Degrowth conference held in Paris in 2008. From this conference, the degrowth movement garnered attention from grassroots groups and public intellectuals in some developing countries, but many people from these states argue that they might require growth to redistribute wealth and resources. Degrowth is an ongoing conversation that requires further research, funding and support from major economic and environmental organisations to explore how nations, especially wealthy, high carbon-emitting countries can leverage degrowth to mitigate their climate impact. What is crucial within the degrowth discourse is the equitable distribution of resources and decision-making authority for the collective good.
Hickel, Jason, Giorgos Kallis, Tim Jackson, Daniel W. O’Neill, Juliet B. Schor, Julia K. Steinberger, Peter A. Victor, and Diana Ürge-Vorsatz. 2022. “Degrowth Can Work — Here’s How Science Can Help.” Nature 612 (7940): 400–403
Kallis, Giorgos, Vasilis Kostakis, Steffen Lange, Barbara Muraca, Susan Paulson, and Matthias Schmelzer. 2018. “Research on Degrowth.” Annual Review of Environment and Resources 43 (1): 291–316
Muraca, Barbara. 2013. “Decroissance: A Project for a Radical Transformation of Society.” Environmental Values 22 (2): 147–69
Kallis, Giorgos, Federico Demaria, and Giacomo D’Alisa. 2015. “Degrowth.” International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 24–30.
Perkins, Patricia E. (Ellie). 2019. “Climate Justice, Commons, and Degrowth.” Ecological Economics 160 (June): 183–90
Chiengkul, Prapimphan. 2018. “The Degrowth Movement: Alternative Economic Practices and Relevance to Developing Countries.” Alternatives: Global, Local, Political 43 (2): 81–95
