Degrowth is a relatively new academic idea that the mainstream is beginning to grasp – and like. Here’s a 3-min tongue-in-cheek video explaining a bit more about the ‘European’ school of degrowth. It introduces the book Degrowth: A vocabulary for a new era (2014) by Giacomo D’Alisa, Federico Demaria and Giorgios Kallis of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. They call for the abolishment of economic growth as a social objective (not for a reduction in GDP, although that may result) and the reorganisation of society around the growing movement to use fewer natural resources and improve wellbeing for everyone.
You don’t have to look too far into the business sector to see that this is already having an impact. Consider calls to de-grow fast fashion and the reactions of major fashion corporates, now offering repairs and upcycled products. They wouldn’t if they didn’t have to. There’s a growing array of innovative, degrowth-aligned, smaller companies demonstrating the way forward. Small beginnings, but degrowth is definitely a rising force for change.
Featured image by Zac Ong on Unsplash
Heliocene 