Degrowth

Degrowth is an academic and social movement. The degrowth movement aims to decrease the production and use of goods. The movement believes this reduction will solve social and ecological crises. The degrowth movement wants to reduce the environmental impact of human activities. It also aims to change the distribution of wealth around the world. Degrowth theory combines critiques of capitalism and colonialism. The degrowth movement also includes theories of more caring, just, and democratic societies.

Many governments and international organizations calculate countries' gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is usually a measure of how much a country produces in a year. They use these GDP calculations to measure human and economic development. Degrowth is critical of this practice. The degrowth movement argues that GDP growth is unnecessary to improve the conditions of people’s lives. GDP growth also causes environmental damage. Degrowth would slow down or reverse GDP growth. The movement argues that this reduction could improve living conditions. Degrowth could improve living conditions if it happens alongside global wealth redistribution. The movement also argues that degrowth would promote environmental protections.

Degrowth is closely associated with the movements for eco-socialism and eco-anarchism. Some alternatives to degrowth are green growth and agrowth. The green growth movement argues that economic growth and sustainability are compatible. Agrowth focuses on reducing environmental harm. Agrowth is not concerned with economic growth or shrinking.

History

Many degrowth concepts originated in the environmentalist movements of the 1960s and 1970s. These movements were inspired by the works of of various academics. In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring. This book documented the ways pesticides destroy environments and human health.

In 1972, Donella Meadows and her colleagues at MIT published The Limits to Growth. This paper established that exponential economic growth will exhaust raw materials. It also established that this growth will pollute the environment. Eventually, this resource exhaustion and pollution will lead to economic and environmental collapse. These two works demonstrated that economic growth and environmental sustainability are incompatible.

In the 1980s, the field of ecological economics emerged. This new academic field focused on the conflict between economic growth and the environment. Ecological economics grew out of certain foundational texts. Some of these texts were written by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen and Herman Daly.

In a 1972 debate, philosopher Andre Gorz coined the term “degrowth” in French. Gorz questioned whether capitalism was compatible with economic “décroissance” (degrowth). Gorz was part of the political ecology movement that was emerging at the time. This political ecology movement organized people against the capitalist growth imperative.

In the 1990s and 2000s, activists in Lyon created a weekly publication named Décroissance. These activists also organized direct actions to advocate for a car-free city. From the beginning, the degrowth movement in France was a mix of academics and activists.

In 2008, a group of activists and academics founded a collective. This collective was named “Research and Degrowth.” This collective organized international conferences on degrowth. These conferences brought the degrowth movement to English-speaking academics and activists.

Main Ideas

Challenging the idea of economic growth

Degrowth started from concerns over the impacts of economic growth. Degrowth says that a growth economy has harmful impacts on people and the planet. Growth is tied to increasing resource use which is not sustainable. Degrowth also critiques mass production and consumerism.

Living within nature's limits

A growth economy can reduce natural resources and harm environments. This is connected to global warming and pollution. Degrowth encourages protecting nature and not using it as a resource.

Fair sharing and global justice

Degrowth recognizes the North-South divide. It says that economic growth in richer countries continues colonialism. This is because the growth economy takes resources and labor from poorer countries. For poorer countries to be more independent there would need to be decolonization.

Focus on care and well-being

The degrowth movement builds on feminism. Growth doesn't recognize unpaid care and reproductive work that is done by women. Feminists say that a growth economy exploits women's work. Degrowth centers the economy around care and meeting people's needs. An economy focused on care and well-being can include less working hours and the equal care work. Some studies show that better social services increase well-being and lower resource use. This shows that continued economic growth is not necessary for general well-being.

Policies

Many policies have been proposed by people pushing for degrowth. Some of the main ones include:

Universal Basic Services

Making sure everyone has access to the services they need. This includes education, healthcare, public transport, housing, food, and other basic utilities. This means everyone can have a good quality of life.

Shorter working week and Job Guarantee

One idea is to make a government-funded jobs programme for anyone who wants a job. The jobs would be good for society and the environment. This is to make sure everyone has a meaningful job. It also means they can shorten the working week, so everyone has more free time.

Scaling down harmful industries

Shrinking the size of the industries that cause the most harm to the environment. These include fossil fuels, intensive animal farming, and fast fashion.

Fixing inequality

Creating a fairer tax and income system. This would mean introducing wealth taxes and minimum and maximum income limits.

Repaying poor countries

Ending the exploitation of poor countries by rich countries. Degrowthers argue that rich countries treat poor countries unfairly in trade and politics. They have become rich by taking their natural resources and forcing them into debt. This causes harm to their environments and economies. Degrowth supports canceling their debts and letting them build their own economies.

Criticisms

Many economists and politicians disagree with the idea of degrowth. The main criticisms include:

Hurting poor countries

Critics argue that economic growth has helped millions of people get out of poverty. About 10% of people still live in extreme poverty today. These critics say that poorer countries still need their economies to grow. They want to build modern infrastructure, and improve the lives of their people. Critics also argue that there is no evidence of a shrinking economy helping the poor.

Unrealistic

Some critics say it would be impossible to convince people to shrink the economy. They think degrowth has little social or political support.

Ineffective

Others argue that degrowth is an inefficient way to stop climate change. They say there are better methods, like carbon taxes and improved technology.

Related pages

• Anti-capitalism
• Ecological economics
• Eco-socialism
• Feminism
• Marxism
• Political economy
• Socialism