Could 'degrowth' save the world? | BBC News
What this covers
BBC News examines the case for degrowth, a movement originating in France that has spread to Japan, the UK, Barcelona, and beyond, finding traction among academics, grassroots organizers, and students. The piece presents the core argument: infinite economic growth on a finite planet is physically impossible and ecologically destructive, so wealthy nations should deliberately scale down unnecessary production while reorganizing economies around human and ecological needs rather than GDP expansion. The investigation includes voices from advocates like economist Jason Hickel and the Barcelona School of Ecological Economics, along with pointed critiques from growth defenders, tracking the movement from academic margins toward mainstream institutions like the 2023 EU Parliament "Beyond Growth" Conference.
The film moves through several distinct territories. It examines how GDP counts market value while ignoring social and ecological costs, making it a poor compass for economic health. It explores the material reality underpinning the critique: roughly 90% of materials entering the economy become waste, rendering claims of circular green economies implausible at current scale. The piece then contrasts two visions of what scaling down means—degrowth advocates distinguish between shrinking destructive production (SUVs, fast fashion, military spending) and expanding necessary production (solar panels, transit, regenerative agriculture), while critics warn that contraction without extreme care risks mass impoverishment and that innovation and decoupling remain underestimated. A visit to a housing cooperative illustrates one practical application, though the segment also surfaces social frictions: how green urban projects can trigger gentrification, how younger generations increasingly link environmental and social justice concerns, and how fear of disruption remains a barrier to transformation.
Degrowth advocates argue that infinite economic growth on a finite planet is incompatible with ecological sustainability and social justice, requiring a systemic transition toward reduced material consumption, democratic resource management, and meeting human needs rather than maximizing GDP.
- Current GDP-based growth metrics ignore social and ecological costs of production while driving unnecessary consumption in wealthy nations
- Technological innovation and market-based solutions alone cannot decouple growth from environmental destruction at the scale and speed required
- Alternative economic models (cooperatives, commons-based housing, local production) demonstrate feasibility of meeting human needs with reduced material throughput
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The central problem is how to live well on this planet without destroying it, requiring solutions beyond simply replacing fossil fuels with green technology.
“So essentially it's how do we live well on this planet without destroying it. It's a simple question. We are saturated no of all this information and of talking of the problem. How can we have spaces to look towards the solution?”
Sustainability practice in the early 21st century suffers from a 'materials blindness': the green technologies that designers were encouraged to specify cannot be manufactured without fossil fuels, so green design was complicit in the system it claimed to fix.
“You realize there's a materials blindness in what we in what we ignore when we're studying sustainability, at least in the in the early 21st century, because none of these technologies that we as designers were being encouraged by their manufacturers to fit into our designs can be made without fossil fuels. I felt cheated.”
Urban greening often drives 'green gentrification': in a study of 28 cities, greening contributed to gentrification in 17 of them, displacing socially vulnerable residents through real estate speculation and competitive urbanism.
“Barca is part of a larger study that we conducted of 28 cities where we found that in 17 of those cities, greening is a contributor to gentrification that is to the displacement of socially vulnerable residents due to different processes of real estate speculation, competitive urbanism.”
Research of 28 cities found that in 17 of those cities, greening initiatives contribute to gentrification and displacement of socially vulnerable residents through real estate speculation and competitive urbanism.
“Barca is part of a larger study that we conducted of 28 cities where we found that in 17 of those cities, greening is a contributor to gentrification that is to the displacement of socially vulnerable residents due to different processes of real estate speculation, competitive urbanism.”
The idea that pricing externalities can 'close the economic circle' is imaginary; in reality only about 10% or less of materials are recycled and roughly 90% of what enters the economy becomes waste, so a circular green economy at the current scale is fantasy.
“What the economy call externalities and they say that we could put a price in the externalities and and close the economic circle. This is just imagination... only 10% of materials or less are recycled. 90% of what comes into the economy becomes waste.”
Degrowth means scaling down clearly unnecessary or destructive forms of production (SUVs, private jets, industrial beef, fast fashion, advertising, the military-industrial complex) that mostly exist to enrich elites, while having a democratic conversation about expanding necessary production like solar panels, public transit, and regenerative food.
“we have to uh scale down less necessary forms of production... say things like solar panels and public transit uh you know regenerative food supply etc... and then what and what forms of production are clearly destructive and actually not necessary for our society, right? So SUV production, private jet production, uh industrial beef, you know, fast fashion, advertising, the military-industrial complex.”
Mainstream economic theory is flawed because it is based only on prices and markets, not on the real substance of the economy, which is material flows and energy flows.
“Economic theory was based just on prices and markets and not on the real substance of the economy which is the material flows and the energy flows.”
Economic theory was traditionally based on prices and markets rather than on the material flows and energy flows that constitute the real substance of the economy.
“Economic theory was based just on prices and markets and not on the real substance of the economy which is the material flows and the energy flows.”
Solving climate change requires more than green technology; it demands a profound systemic change because infinite economic growth on a finite planet is itself a dangerous and unworkable solution.
“What if solving the issues of climate change demands a more profound systemic change? A group of activists and academics argue that infinite economic growth on our finite planet is a dangerous solution.”
Cities have been historically divided by class, race, and ethnicity; contemporary greening initiatives are accompanied by 'green gentrification' that continues displacement of vulnerable residents.
“Historically, cities have been divided by class, by race, by ethnicity. But what we see now is that this move towards building resilient cities, green cities is accompanied by these, let's say, pervasive green divide that continues because of dynamics of what we call green gentrification.”
Solving climate change requires more profound systemic change than simply adopting green technology, challenging the assumption that technological innovation alone can address environmental crises.
“What if solving the issues of climate change demands a more profound systemic change?”
Infinite economic growth on a finite planet is a dangerous solution, and activists and academics argue for degrowth as an alternative.
“A group of activists and academics argue that infinite economic growth on our finite planet is a dangerous solution. Their bold solution, degrowth.”
Cooperatives in Catalonia demonstrate an alternative economic model based on meeting needs rather than profit accumulation, showing that alternatives to growth-driven capitalism are practically feasible.
“So, Catalonia, it's a place where there's a story of the existence of cooperatives, which are economic enterprises that are not based uh on profit making for the accumulation of benefit, but actually that try to do their activity with the goal of uh satisfying need.”
Using non-profit cooperative construction companies that charge only material and labor costs without industrial profit margins represents an alternative to profit-driven development.
“the way that this works is that you are basically only paying for the material price and the salary price. There is no industrial benefit on that because it's for nonprofit.”
Common property resource libraries enable residents to share infrequently-used items rather than each household purchasing individual units, reducing redundant consumption.
“That's what we call the library of things. So we have many kinds of different things that we use from time to time. Uh so we share them here. We have them here. We need them. and we take them and we put them back.”
There is no necessary contradiction between social and ecological objectives, but achieving both requires a radical transformation of how we think about and structure the economy.
“There's no necessary contradiction between social and ecological objectives, but it does require a pretty radical transformation of the way we think about the economy and structure it.”
Degrowth underestimates the power of innovation, the need for investment in new technology and solutions, and the social feasibility of what it proposes; because growth has lifted large numbers of people out of poverty over decades, obstructing economic growth is dangerous.
“I think degrowth uh underestimates the power of innovation. Degrowth underestimates the need for investment that we need in new technology and in new uh solutions and degrowth underestimates the social sort of uh feasibility of what they propose. So growth has very successfully over many decades lifted large numbers of people out of poverty.”
Rich countries in the global north consume more resources and export their resulting waste and problems to poorer countries, so apparent progress in rich nations is partly an illusion produced by displacing harm onto others.
“Advocates of degrowth believe that rich countries use more resources which hurts the environment. The waste from these resources usually ends up in poorer countries. So even though it seems that rich countries are doing better in reality they are just passing the problems to others.”
Degrowth is not a call to destroy the economy or for permanent recession, but a call to stop the pursuit of endless compound geometric growth for growth's sake and to reorganize production so that human and ecosystem needs come first.
“degrowth is a is a radical proposal to let's say pull the emergency brake on a train that it's going to the precipice... It's not a call for permanent recession. It's a call for doing things differently and in a way that human needs come first. Human and ecosystem needs.”
GDP is a poor measure of an economy because it counts the market value of everything produced but does not count the social and ecological costs of production.
“GDP is interesting. It's um it's a really bad measure of of an economy. It counts the market value of everything that we produce, but it does not count the social and ecological costs of production.”
Chasing ever-increasing GDP growth in the hope that it will solve social and ecological crises never works; the economy is like an airplane that must keep accelerating just to stay in the air, which is extremely dangerous.
“let's just chase GDP growth everinccreasing levels of production and hope that this magically solves our social and ecological crisis which it never does... It's like being on an airplane that simply in order to stay in the air has to continue to accelerate.”
Economists' externalities concept—putting a price on environmental costs to 'close the economic circle'—is imaginary and doesn't reflect physical reality, with only 10% or less of materials being recycled while 90% becomes waste.
“What the economy call externalities and they say that we could put a price in the externalities and and close the economic circle. This is just imagination. It's not like this physically and the calculations that we have is that only 10% of materials or less are recycled. 90% of what comes into the economy becomes waste.”
Scaling back and reducing energy use while meeting needs with decentralized, planned, and careful renewable energy use might be physically possible, but scaling the current system 10 times larger with renewables enters the realm of fantasy.
“It is time I think to think about scaling back and reducing our energy use and satisfying that with renewable energies in a decentralized in a planned in a careful way. This maybe could be possible. But thinking of the current gigantic system 10 times bigger and serviced by renewables starts getting in the sphere of fantastic.”
Martinez-Alier's book was the first to use the title 'ecological economics,' establishing the field as a distinct intellectual and academic framework.
“Then in 2008 they had the idea of having in France a meeting in English about degrowth. The degrowth movement which began in France as dequasans and was inspired by thinkers like Serge Luch is now”
In 1972, The Limits to Growth researchers concluded that if present growth trends in world population, industrialization, pollution, food production, and resource depletion continued unchanged, planetary limits would be reached within 100 years.
“In 1972, a group of researchers published a book titled The Limits to Growth. Their first conclusion was the following. If the present growth trends in world population, industrialization, pollution, food production, and resource depletion continue unchanged, the limits to growth on this planet will be reached sometime within the next 100 years.”
The Limits to Growth sparked a heated debate and inspired a generation of scholars who began questioning the benefits of an ever-expanding economy.
“The book sparked a heated debate at the time, but also inspired a generation of scholars who started questioning the benefits of an everexpanding economy.”
The political class is currently unable to resolve the contradictions of the economic system, creating a void into which competing ideas rush, making it urgent to prioritize a just and ecological transition rather than a deeply inequitable and destructive one.
“It's very clear that our political class is unable right now to resolve the contradictions of our economic system and all sorts of competing ideas are rushing in to fill the void. It's urgent that we prioritize a sort of transition that is going to be just and ecological, not one that is going to be deeply inequitable and deeply destructive.”
GDP is a fundamentally flawed economic measure because it counts the market value of all production but does not account for the social and ecological costs of that production.
“Yeah, GDP is interesting. It's um it's a really bad measure of of an economy. It counts the market value of everything that we produce, but it does not count the social and ecological costs of production.”
Housing cooperatives protect against real estate speculation by ensuring residents cannot sell apartments for profit, preventing the capitalization of housing as an investment commodity.
“you have the right to use it for 75 years. And the good thing is that it's kind of protected. So in the sense that since I am not the owner, I won't be able to sell my apartment like in a couple of years so that we cannot speculate um with housing.”
Housing cooperatives growing in Catalonia demonstrate that alternatives to market-driven real estate speculation are possible and expanding.
“A clear example is the housing sector. Here for example, it's quite a new tendency and it's growing a lot. Definitely showing also that alternatives are possible.”
Young people in their 20s are increasingly aware of tight linkages between environmental degradation, climate change, and social inequalities and injustices at global and local levels.
“I teach people in the masters at IKA and the degrowth masters and I see that young people of you know 20s um are much more aware of the tight linkages between what's happening in terms of environmental um degradation in terms of climate change and social inequalities and injustices at global and local levels.”
The May 2023 EU Parliament Beyond Growth Conference was viewed as a sign of mainstream support for degrowth ideas, moving the movement from periphery toward institutional centers.
“In May 2023, the EU Parliament hosted the Beyond Growth Conference in Brussels, emphasizing the need to change the current economic system. This event was viewed by many as a sign of mainstream support for some of the ideas of degrowth, shifting the movement from the periphery towards the center.”
The degrowth movement began in France as 'décroissance' inspired by thinkers like Serge Latouche and is now spreading worldwide to countries like Japan, the UK, and Spain.
“The degrowth movement which began in France as dequasans and was inspired by thinkers like Serge Luch is now spreading worldwide becoming popular in countries like Japan, the UK and Spain.”
Scaling back energy use and meeting it with decentralized, planned renewable energy could be possible, but servicing the current gigantic system, ten times larger, with renewables enters the realm of the fantastic.
“scaling back and reducing our energy use and satisfying that with renewable energies in a decentralized in a planned in a careful way. This maybe could be possible. But thinking of the current gigantic system 10 times bigger and serviced by renewables starts getting in the sphere of fantastic.”
The UK has achieved significant decoupling: since 1990 it gets three times the economic prosperity per ton of CO2, and although the speed of decoupling has been insufficient, technological change is in the accelerating part of an S-curve so it can speed up.
“In the UK since 1990, we get three times amount the economic prosperity out of a ton of CO2 than we did in 1990. So that's a big decoupling. Uh the speed at which that has happened hasn't been sufficient. Um but we sort of are in the scurve in the accelerating part of those technological changes so things can speed up.”
Policies that result in a smaller economy, unless staggeringly carefully implemented, would result in the immiseration of large numbers of people, making degrowth a very risky experiment.
“policies which would result in a smaller economy unless staggeringly carefully implemented would result in imiseration of large numbers um of people... that will be a very very risky experiment indeed in my view.”
If present growth trends in world population, industrialization, pollution, food production, and resource depletion continue unchanged, the limits to growth on the planet will be reached sometime within the next 100 years.
“If the present growth trends in world population, industrialization, pollution, food production, and resource depletion continue unchanged, the limits to growth on this planet will be reached sometime within the next 100 years.”
Historically, whenever the economy shrinks for a period of time, the result has been a big increase in poverty.
“All of our experience uh historically has been that if the economy shrinks for a period of time that results in a big increases in poverty.”
Large portions of the productive system are mobilized around goods and services that are unnecessary for society and exist primarily to enrich elites, including luxury goods, advertising, and military spending.
“there's huge portions of our productive system that are mobilized around goods and services that are actually not necessary for society and mostly exist to enrich elites, right?”
Degrowth underestimates the need for investment in new technology and solutions required for environmental transition.
“Degrowth underestimates the need for investment that we need in new technology and in new uh solutions”
Policies resulting in a smaller economy, unless implemented with staggering care, would cause immiseration of large numbers of people and require dramatic social support systems.
“policies which would result in a smaller economy unless staggeringly carefully implemented would result in imiseration of large numbers um of people. So uh you certainly need to accompany it with a you know a dramatic experiment.”
Advocates of degrowth argue that rich countries use disproportionate resources, with waste ending up in poorer countries, so wealthy nations benefit while passing environmental problems to others.
“Advocates of degrowth believe that rich countries use more resources which hurts the environment. The waste from these resources usually ends up in poorer countries. So even though it seems that rich countries are doing better in reality they are just passing the problems to others.”
Current economic policy effectively chases ever-increasing GDP growth while ignoring that this approach never solves social and ecological crises, suggesting the need for a more rational approach to economic management.
“Because right now the idea is effectively let's just chase GDP growth everinccreasing levels of production and hope that this magically solves our social and ecological crisis which it never does. We need a more rational approach to how we manage the economy.”
Professor Joan Martinez Alier is considered one of the godfathers of degrowth and founder of the Barcelona School of Ecological Economics, having begun writing about links between economy and environment in the 1980s.
“Professor John Martinez Cier is considered one of the godfathers of degrowth and the founder of the Barcelona School of Ecological Economics. He began writing about the links between the economy and the environment in the 80s.”
Cooperative housing architecturally creates more common community spaces than conventional apartments, which have narrow corridors and separate units, promoting natural social interaction.
“So basically we have assemblies, we do um birthday parties, we do dinners. Normally in conventional apartments um in Barcelona what you get, you know, is kind of a a narrow corridors while here, you know, that's where you have like the um entrance doors to all the different apartments. So, it's really a place where kind of um life in community happens a lot.”
The political class is currently unable to resolve contradictions of the economic system, creating a vacuum where competing ideas rush in to fill the void.
“It's very clear that our political class is unable right now to resolve the contradictions of our economic system and all sorts of competing ideas are rushing in to fill the void.”
Degrowth proposals involve scaling down unnecessary and destructive forms of production (SUVs, private jets, fast fashion, military-industrial complex) while scaling up necessary and beneficial production (solar panels, public transit, regenerative agriculture).
“The main thing is we have to uh scale down less necessary forms of production, right? So let's have an open democratic conversation about what kinds of production we really do need uh to increase, right? Say things like solar panels and public transit uh you know regenerative food supply etc. I mean we need these things and then what and what forms of production are clearly destructive and actually not necessary for our society, right? So SUV production, private jet production, uh industrial beef, you know, fast fashion, advertising, the military-industrial complex.”
It is urgent to prioritize a transition that is both just and ecological rather than one that is inequitable and destructive.
“It's urgent that we prioritize a sort of transition that is going to be just and ecological, not one that is going to be deeply inequitable and deeply destructive.”
The UK achieved 3 times the economic prosperity per ton of CO2 in 2020 compared to 1990, representing significant decoupling of growth from emissions.
“In the UK since 1990, we get three times amount the economic prosperity out of a ton of CO2 than we did in 1990. So that's a big decoupling.”
Housing cooperatives that remove industrial profit and prohibit resale-for-speculation reduce material and energy impact while building community, strengthening autonomy, and making residents less dependent on the market system.
“since I am not the owner, I won't be able to sell my apartment like in a couple of years so that we cannot speculate um with housing... Apart from reducing the impact of energy and material wise, we are also bonding community strengths, we are basically being more autonomous and working for getting that autonomy which allow us to be less in the market system.”
Critics argue that degrowth underestimates the power of innovation to decouple growth from environmental impact.
“I think degrowth uh underestimates the power of innovation.”
Degrowth underestimates the social feasibility of what it proposes, implying its recommendations are unrealistic given human nature and existing institutions.
“degrowth underestimates the social sort of uh feasibility of what they propose.”
Economic growth has successfully lifted large numbers of people out of poverty over many decades, making it perilous to oppose growth without careful consideration.
“growth has very successfully over many decades lifted large numbers of people out of poverty. That in and of itself is one of the reasons why you get into the way of economic growth at your peril.”
The solution to climate and social problems lies in dramatically reducing material and energy consumption in the global north while maintaining or improving human wellbeing and focusing on meeting people's needs.
“The solution lies, the growthers say, in dramatically reducing material and energy consumption in the global north while still focusing on people's well-being.”
Green growth promoters argue that economic growth is compatible with reduced environmental impact, but degrowth advocates fight against this claim as fundamentally impossible.
“We are fighting against the the idea that green growth is possible. We are trying to highlight that a bigger change than perhaps most people are comfortable with immediately uh is what's required.”
Equitable greening requires involving vulnerable residents in decisions about what and where to implement green initiatives, grounded in participatory democracy and power-sharing in planning.
“Doing more equitable greening would be also involving people in the decisions taken about where to implement what. So being also very much about participatory democracy and um decision making involving the most vulnerable people and so on.”
When people learn that only 9% of recycling is actually recycled, degrowth advocates help them understand that small individual actions can cause behavioral contagion while also considering more radical systemic changes.
“We do get a fair number of people who come here and go look I know that only 9% of my recycling gets recycled. So what can I do? It's helping those people see that small actions can cause behavioral contagion, but also possibly helping them be a little bit more radical in their choices and helping them feel like they're not trapped in the system as much as they might think they are.”
A degrowth scenario in the global north would require dramatic changes to current lifestyles, acknowledging that wealthy nations use disproportionate resources whose waste ends up in poorer countries.
“We try to advocate for what would be a deg scenario but also being aware that we live in the global north and a deg scenario would mean that we would have to change a lot of our lifestyle.”
Individual material consumption reduction, avoiding food waste, and similar actions are necessary but insufficient without systemic and political change to address environmental crises.
“reducing your own material consumption, not throwing uh good food away. And these kind of things are very much ingrained in for everyone kind of but but that that this might need systemic change that needs to be politically activated or that needs stronger political participation that was not so so often in people's minds.”
A major barrier to social transformation is fear—fear of change and of destabilizing one's life—so asking people whether they feel secure opens up the conversation about what truly creates security or insecurity.
“one thing that's hindering social transformations is a lot that people are afraid of many things. Afraid of change, afraid of destabilizing their lives and we always asked them one question is do you feel secure? And that always ended up opening a conversation about what causes a form of security or insecurity.”
Mike transitioned from 20 years working as an urban designer for real estate systems despite considering himself a sustainability consultant, realizing that green building technologies cannot be manufactured without fossil fuels.
“I worked for almost 20 years um as an urban designer. I wasn't blind to the fact that I was blatantly working within the real estate system even though I was you know a sustainability consultant. Yeah. You realize there's a materials blindness in what we in what we ignore when we're studying sustainability, at least in the in the early 21st century, because none of these technologies that we as designers were being encouraged by their manufacturers to fit into our designs can be made without fossil fuels.”
Degrowth is a radical proposal to pull the emergency brake on a train going to the precipice, calling to stop endless compound geometric growth for growth's sake rather than to destroy the economy or call for permanent recession.
“degrowth is a is a radical proposal to let's say pull the emergency brake on a train that it's going to the precipice. So it's a it's a call to stop this pursuit of endless compound geometric growth for growth's sake. What isn't it isn't like a call to destroy the economy. It's not a call for permanent recession. It's a call for doing things differently and in a way that human needs come first.”
An abundant life does not necessarily require consumerism or loads of material possessions, and degrowth advocates demonstrate that lifestyle change toward simpler living can be feasible and non-harmful.
“We like to convey the idea that an abundant life doesn't necessarily have to be one that's full of consumerism and and and loads of stuff. So it does demand a lifestyle change, but it in theory shouldn't be one that bothers many people.”
Technological progress in carbon efficiency has been occurring at an accelerating rate (S-curve), suggesting future improvements could accelerate faster than past gains.
“the speed at which that has happened hasn't been sufficient. Um but we sort of are in the scurve in the accelerating part of those technological changes so things can speed up.”
Time is running out and urgent changes are needed if humanity wants to safeguard its future, establishing urgency for implementing alternative economic models.
“What is clear is time is running out and urgent changes are needed if we want to safeguard the future of humanity.”
Implementing degrowth would constitute a very risky experiment even with careful accompanying social policies.
“Now there may be ways of doing that but that will be a very very risky experiment indeed in my view.”
Many people support degrowth ideas in principle but do not grasp how much change it would actually entail, nor do they know what tools they personally have to change anything.
“many people were also very very in in support of degrowth and these ideas. But I also found that maybe many people don't really grasp how much of a change that would entail and and also what their own tools are of of like uh changing something.”
Degrowth is not a deterministic ideology forcing society in one direction but rather an invitation to democratic conversation about how to build alternative futures.
“The growth is not an idea of how things should be and pushing everyone like a like a flock of birds or sheep into the same direction. No, but it's just building conversations upon how can we make an alternative future happen.”
Many groups don't explicitly identify as degrowth but operate according to degrowth principles and frameworks in their practice and overall approach.
“Many groups don't necessarily tag themselves as degrowth, but you would see that their agenda, their way of being and their kind of overall framework of reference is very much the one of the growth.”
Many people support degrowth ideas but don't fully grasp how much systemic change would be required or what individual tools they have for creating change.
“I found that that many people were also very very in in support of degrowth and these ideas. But I also found that maybe many people don't really grasp how much of a change that would entail and and also what their own tools are of of like uh changing something.”
Fear of change and instability hinders social transformations, and many people's concerns about security and insecurity are central to their resistance to systemic change.
“We think that one thing that's hindering social transformations is a lot that people are afraid of many things. Afraid of change, afraid of destabilizing their lives and we always asked them one question is do you feel secure?”
Discussions about security and insecurity reveal what people prioritize and fear, opening conversations about the sources of security in contemporary society.
“And that always ended up opening a conversation about what causes a form of security or insecurity and always what they related that to.”
Current economic growth can be compared to being on an airplane that must continue accelerating to stay in the air—an extremely dangerous machine that no one should want to be on.
“It's like being on an airplane that simply in order to stay in the air has to continue to accelerate. Uh I mean you don't want to be on that machine. It's extremely dangerous.”
Growing awareness of environmental-social inequality linkages is driving increased prominence and student interest in degrowth and related fields.
“So I think that awareness has increased tremendously and that's why these fields now are becoming more prominent and people want to study and learn more.”
Degrowth advocates find the key to meaningful life in nourishing empathy and helping others rather than in material accumulation or growth-driven metrics.
“For me, when we talk about degrowth with people who are actually unacquainted, my starter is always how would you make your life a little bit more meaningful? And meaningfulness is very much obtained through our kind of nourishing empathy, helping others.”
Cooperative housing that shares common spaces and facilities reduces the social isolation and material redundancy of conventional housing while building community bonds.
“Apart from reducing the impact of energy and material wise, we are also bonding community strengths, we are basically being more autonomous and working for getting that autonomy which allow us to be less in the market system.”
Making public spaces truly public again and ensuring they benefit everyone in the city is closely connected to degrowth and the role of commons in people's lives.
“One of the conclusions of our study is the need to make public spaces really public again and being an amenity for everyone in the city. That is it actually very closely connected to degrowth and to the role of the commons in people's lives.”
Getting people out of the consumerism trap requires recognizing that the current system creates dependency on material consumption and that degrowth offers liberation from this trap.
“So it does demand a lifestyle change, but it in theory shouldn't be one that bothers many people. Um but it's getting people out of what is basically a trap.”
The 2023 EU Parliament 'Beyond Growth' Conference in Brussels signaled mainstream institutional support for some degrowth ideas, shifting the movement from the periphery toward the center.
“In May 2023, the EU Parliament hosted the Beyond Growth Conference in Brussels, emphasizing the need to change the current economic system. This event was viewed by many as a sign of mainstream support for some of the ideas of degrowth, shifting the movement from the periphery towards the center.”
An abundant life does not have to be one full of consumerism and material possessions; degrowth demands a lifestyle change that, in theory, should not bother many people.
“We like to convey the idea that an abundant life doesn't necessarily have to be one that's full of consumerism and and and loads of stuff. So it does demand a lifestyle change, but it in theory shouldn't be one that bothers many people.”
Younger generations increasingly recognize the tight linkages between environmental degradation/climate change and social inequalities and injustices at global and local levels, which is why degrowth and ecological economics are becoming more prominent fields of study.
“young people of you know 20s um are much more aware of the tight linkages between what's happening in terms of environmental um degradation in terms of climate change and social inequalities and injustices at global and local levels. So I think that awareness has increased tremendously and that's why these fields now are becoming more prominent.”
Small individual actions can cause behavioral contagion, so helping people make slightly more radical choices can make them feel less trapped in the system than they assume.
“It's helping those people see that small actions can cause behavioral contagion, but also possibly helping them be a little bit more radical in their choices and helping them feel like they're not trapped in the system as much as they might think they are.”
Meaningfulness in life is largely obtained through nourishing empathy and helping others, which is why a degrowth conversation can start by asking how someone would make their life more meaningful.
“my starter is always how would you make your life a little bit more meaningful? And meaningfulness is very much obtained through our kind of nourishing empathy, helping others.”
We are saturated with information about the problem and need spaces to look toward solutions; fundamentally the question is how to live well on this planet without destroying it.
“So essentially it's how do we live well on this planet without destroying it. It's a simple question. We are saturated no of all this information and of talking of the problem. How can we have spaces to look towards the solution?”