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Page added on October 19, 2012
Degrowth offers alternative to global consumer culture
If everyone lived like the average American, according to the Global Footprint Network, the Earth could sustain only 1.7 billion people — a quarter of today’s population — without undermining the planet’s physical and biological systems. Over-consumption in industrialized societies and among developing world elites causes lasting environmental and human impacts. In his chapter, “The Path to Degrowth in Overdeveloped Countries,” Worldwatch Senior Fellow and State of the World 2012 Project Co-director Erik Assadourian describes the benefits and opportunities of proactive “economic degrowth” — defined as the intentional contraction of overdeveloped economies and more broadly, the redirection of economies away from the perpetual pursuit of growth.
Fixation with economic growth and increasing levels of consumption contributes to debt burdens, long working hours, increased rates of obesity, dependence on pharmaceuticals, social isolation, and other societal ills, Assadourian writes. Meanwhile, the window to prevent runaway climate change is closing, and mitigating global warming will be all but impossible without dramatic reductions in consumption and fossil fuel use. High levels of warming will result in large population shifts due to natural disasters, such as coastal flooding, prolonged drought, and the introduction of disease to new regions — a future scenario not only incompatible with perpetual economic growth but likely to lead to economic and societal decline.
In response to the destructive impacts of the growth-centered global economy, degrowth has begun to gain traction as an economic strategy in recent years. In Italy and France, there are now degrowth political parties, and worldwide, the third bi-annual International Degrowth Conference recently concluded in Venice with over 700 registered participants. More broadly, there is growing recognition that an end to or reversal of growth will be an essential rite of passage for global civilization as humanity comes to understand that climate change and natural resource scarcity are rooted in the impossibility of perpetual human growth in a finite biophysical environment.
Efforts to facilitate degrowth are in the early stages worldwide and range from shifting taxes and moving from private to public goods, to building Transition Towns and promoting healthier, more sustainable consumption habits, such as “Meatless Mondays” that are helping to reduce levels of meat consumption.
“Moving toward degrowth will involve redefining prosperity altogether — resurrecting traditional understandings of what this word means with regard to health, social connectedness, and the freedom to work less while still earning a livable wage,” said Assadourian. “Degrowth offers a new vision of prosperity focused on living well with less, instead of maximizing growth and consumption. It strives to establish a stable economic system that no longer transcends Earth’s limits.”
Advocates of degrowth also voice the need for equitable distribution of societal benefits. Industrialized countries will need to curb their overconsumption, while the poorest third of humanity undoubtedly will need to increase resource consumption at least modestly to improve their quality of life through improved sanitation and safe water, nutrition, shelter, and transportation. “By realigning economic priorities, policymakers can improve individual well-being, strengthen community resilience, and start to restore the Earth’s ecological systems,” said Assadourian.
In Chapter 2 of State of the World 2012: Moving Toward Sustainable Prosperity, Assadourian details three reforms that would augment the global movement toward degrowth in industrialized societies:
Transform the consumer culture: Shifting societal norms regarding food, housing, and transportation can affect great change. To promote degrowth, governments can help normalize living in smaller homes, leading walkable lifestyles, and eating less food as well as food that is less processed and lower on the food chain. Communities can also facilitate degrowth and increase their resilience by cultivating opportunities for localized formal and informal economic activities, such as small-scale farming, child and elder care, midwifery, and helping to develop essential skills like repair and carpentry.
Distribute tax burdens more equitably: Taxes on the wealthiest sectors of societies, on polluting resources, on advertising, and on financial transactions could discourage excessive economic growth and overconsumption. This new revenue could further fund degrowth initiatives, such as goods-sharing services, or improve existing essential infrastructure (like water and sanitation services and public transit) and help build important sustainability infrastructure like green roofs, renewable energy, and bicycle paths.
Share working hours: If the real average per-capita work week were calculated, counting the unemployed, the underemployed, and people working excessive hours, it would be much shorter. Indeed, in the United Kingdom, this real average work week was 21 hours in 2010, according to the New Economics Foundation. Restructuring the work week to better distribute work hours would help reduce unemployment and poverty, while also significantly improving the quality of life of employees.
These reforms are just a few of the many initiatives that societies can implement in order to catalyze a movement toward global degrowth. Degrowth, Assadourian argues, offers a new perspective and an array of solutions to the social and environmental problems that afflict the global community today.
About State of the World 2012
Worldwatch’s State of the World 2012, released in April 2012, focuses on the themes of inclusive sustainable development discussed at Rio+20, the 20-year follow-up to the historic Earth Summit of 1992, also held in Rio de Janeiro. The report presents a selection of innovative ideas and practices to achieve global environmental sustainability while meeting human needs and providing jobs and ensuring dignity for all.
7 Comments on "Degrowth offers alternative to global consumer culture"
DC on Fri, 19th Oct 2012 11:08 am
While I would never argue with the ideals stated above, the thing we shouldnt lose focus on, is degrowth is not exactly a choice at this point. Were going to get degrowth political parties and economic de-growth whether we want it or not. Everyone will be joining the de-growth party and it wont be optional. Its all-ready happening. Of course, the problem is, the elites are pushing in the opposite direction, like they always do, and that is where the tension and friction is going to arise.
Well need a degrowth economy to replace the infinite growth one that public and corporate policy is pushing very hard to maintain. Problem is, of course, the de-growth economy does not exist, except in a very limited way at present, and is being actively suppressed by the current system. So what to do…
BillT on Fri, 19th Oct 2012 1:55 pm
“De-growth”, better known as contraction or recession or maybe depression of the economy is not optional anymore. As DC said. it is the foreseeable future for the Western countries and probably the entire world economy eventually. However, here in the Philippines, the economy is still growing at 6%+ per year. The balancing of the world’s workers is moving forward as is the plan to level the field so that wages in the Us are the same as wages in China, etc. That is, if we last that long.
DaveS on Fri, 19th Oct 2012 2:32 pm
An interesting and fairly accurate article. However, as pointed out above, de-growth is inevitable. It will just happen as a result of resources running out. Greed will delay it as long as possible as everyone feels entitled to growth but it will come. Unfortunately the only thing that can support de-growth effectively (and here is the sticking point) is de-populate. Sell that one. The planet already operates at an unsustainable rate (between 1970 and 2000, 30% of the worlds resources were consumed with a significantly lower population then we have now). Thsi cannot be reversed. People will not allow it without force (and that will happen when food runs out). We have to control birthrates. Children should not be a right any longer. If families can susteain there elders then so be it but society in general should not prop the elderly up. Nature should be allowed to take its own course without medical intervention. Natural population control. Either this or global war.
Laci on Fri, 19th Oct 2012 6:44 pm
Degrowth advocates always make a good point in relation to the fact that the current path is unsustainable. The problem is that voluntary degrowth can only lead to disaster. Ask yourselves this important question: What happens to the countries which would voluntarily adopt degrowth, in relation to those who will not? The answer is simple; they will be outcompeted and destroyed. It is a waste of any potential goodwill thus it is sad to see these sort of movements gain so much traction, consuming the energy of those who want what is best, with the only result of discrediting the concept of sustainability. I recomend people take a look at Zoltan Ban’s book “Sustainable Trade” It adresses the unviable nature of the current sustainability movements, and also offers a common-sense alternative, based on standardizing trade tariffs. It is time to dump the idealism, because it doesn’t work. We need logic based solutions.
Mike in Calif. on Fri, 19th Oct 2012 8:36 pm
Wow. I think we need a new word to describe these bozos. Perhaps, “New Age Marxists.” They have managed combined the worst aspects of untenable Marxism will the worst features of New Age voodoo.
As the other posters correctly see, the problem is population and production efficiency. Efficiencies in production and agriculture leave no work for millions. There are too many people to gainfully employ. As it is, we have largely invented a huge “service sector” economy that effectively leeches off the productive economy. You would think this would thrill the Marxist, but, no, they want more.
Now they want to ‘redistribute’ the work hours (wealth). They still believe in infinite educability and are eager to retrain us away from our biological impulses. They will redirect funds to their Utopian programs (which is just another from of consumption, of course).
In the end, we have from these dangerous people a romantic vision of primitivism combined with the draconian determination of militant ideologue.
It has not worked in the past and will not work in the future.
“Degrowth” is coming. On its own terms, not ours.
Human Folly on Sat, 20th Oct 2012 11:41 am
All of the above comments and the article make very sensible points.
Unfortunately, we are incapable, as a species, of adapting our present economic system and our material lifestyle to one that recognizes the limits that nature imposes on us.
A new future could be quite pleasant if we could start now. I see nothing but the four horseman of the apocalypse in our future. War for natural resources (why else do we need this outsized military?). Famine caused by energy depletion and soil erosion, et al. Disease stemming from the failure of a pharmacological approach to human health and climate change moving tropical diseases towards the poles.
Those that have been following the plot know that energy, economy and climate will determine the rules whether we like it or not.
I really really hope our newly-married son will not have children.
Kenz300 on Sat, 20th Oct 2012 4:01 pm
Too many people meets too few resources with bad results for many. If you can not provide for yourself you can not provide for a child. Endless population growth is not sustainable.