SLIM Lifestyles: Narratives for Climate Models

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

Narratives properly explaining the various approaches to sustainable lifestyles have been missing from climate modelling. Now, European researchers have developed the SLIM (Sustainable Living in Models) scenarios, offering four lifestyle narratives for long-term climate mitigation, designed to be easily incorporated into Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs). Previously, IAMs have used simplified assumptions (e.g. 100% vegan diets) … Continue reading SLIM Lifestyles: Narratives for Climate Models

The Heterogeneity of Affluence

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

There's a tendency in post-growth thinking to assume the global affluent are somewhat homogeneous. A study on global values reveals strong divergence, even in a modernising and globalising world, with the greatest divergence around emancipatory values. This has implications for advocating sustainability to affluent people around the world. Researchers Joshua Conrad Jackson and Danila Medvedev … Continue reading The Heterogeneity of Affluence

Feedback on the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

The New Zealand Minister of Climate Change asked the Centre for Sustainable Finance Toitū Tahua to prepare a set of recommendations for a sustainable finance taxonomy. Draft recommendations were developed by an Independent Technical Advisory Group and released for feedback by 5 May 2024. Heliocene founder, Jennifer Wilkins, submitted feedback on 1 May 2024, copied … Continue reading Feedback on the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy

Submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

The New Zealand government wants to put in place a fast-track decision-making process for infrastructure and development projects, proposing the Fast-track Approvals Bill, which would give three ministers wide new powers over major projects and the environment. Heliocene founder, Jennifer Wilkins, submitted to the select committee on 16 April 2024, copied below. My name is … Continue reading Submission on the Fast-track Approvals Bill

Growth is No Longer an Answer

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

In her recent address to the Auckland Business Chamber titled "Growth is the Answer", New Zealand Finance Minister Nicola Willis acknowledges low-growth projections, imploring businesspeople to lean in on the government’s growth agenda. However, this fails to grasp the essence of entrepreneurship, which is rooted in autonomy. Entrepreneurs are never in business to work for … Continue reading Growth is No Longer an Answer

Corporate-degrowth Intrapreneurship

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

This chapter, written for the book Radical Business Perspectives for Sustainability Transitions, explores the contested notion of corporate degrowth, suggesting degrowth intrapreneurship as a way forward. First, the chapter questions the efficacy of corporate sustainability, assessing whether intensifying ESG practices would be a sufficient corporate response to the global poly-crisis, and proffers degrowth as a … Continue reading Corporate-degrowth Intrapreneurship

A Survey of Perceptions of Degrowth in the European Parliament

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

A survey of MEPs by degrowth scholars Giorgos Kallis, Riccardo Mastini and Chritstos Zografos has uncovered some interesting data on opinions, shedding light on the growth dependency within institutions, such as the European Parliament, that makes them resistant to change, despite preferences for change within. Their paper in Nature describes how they looked at four … Continue reading A Survey of Perceptions of Degrowth in the European Parliament

Who is afraid of Degrowth? A brilliant graphic book by Céline Keller

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

There is so much to love in this graphic book by Céline Keller smashing the myths about degrowth, filled with quotes from the who's who of both growth and degrowth worlds, juxtaposing their views and really exposing the absurdity of many of the ideas that are taken for granted and lauded as truths in the … Continue reading Who is afraid of Degrowth? A brilliant graphic book by Céline Keller

Setting Limits to Growth: a handbook for post-growth start-ups

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

"Setting Limits to Growth" is a new handbook for aligning start-ups and SMEs with post-growth thinking, based on a self-case study of its writers' own business, Post Growth Guide, a post-growth-aligned start-up educating about post-growth business. How's that for meta! Post Growth Guide (PGG) dovetails with founders' other business, an impact-led communications agency, enabling them … Continue reading Setting Limits to Growth: a handbook for post-growth start-ups

Who’s Publishing Business Degrowth Research?

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

The nascent trans-disciplinary topic of business degrowth must find a home where it can cross-pollinate to form new strands of management scholarship. Much of the literature in the field of degrowth lands in the Journal of Cleaner Production. But degrowth business management literature needs to land where business scholars can find it and engage with … Continue reading Who’s Publishing Business Degrowth Research?

De Gruyter Handbook of Degrowth

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

A rich, new tome on degrowth has just been published. Congrats to the eds and authors, some of whom I truly admire. But I have a big concern. Searching the book for the words 'business' and 'enterprise' to see how the authors tackle these, it appears that the degrowth community's strategy continues to involve criticising … Continue reading De Gruyter Handbook of Degrowth

Post-Growth Infrastructure: Let The People Decide

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

Infrastructure decision making needs to flow from community decision makers to financiers, not the other way round. Direct democracy models must ensure that communities have access to a diverse array of experts, including futurists in touch with realistic scenarios around sufficiently meeting the basic needs of future generations and the resources that would be fairly … Continue reading Post-Growth Infrastructure: Let The People Decide

Shifting Economics and the Role of Engineering

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

The professions - architecture, engineering, law and accountancy - are crucial to applying degrowth to business, so it was fantastic to be invited to speak to Engineering New Zealand Te Ao Rangahau. This presentation draws on Apollo 13 problem solving, the laws of thermodynamics and the Matrix of Convivial Technologies. Thanks to Bryony Lane at … Continue reading Shifting Economics and the Role of Engineering

Larger Enterprises in a Post Growth World

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

Global experts in post growth economics Katherine Trebeck and Donnie Maclurcan join Heliocene founder, Jennifer Wilkins, to explore the challenging question of how existing larger businesses, especially multinational enterprises and corporations, can begin to prepare for a post growth future. Dr Katherine Trebeck is a political economist and advocate for economic system change. Her roles … Continue reading Larger Enterprises in a Post Growth World

Ancestors of a Post Growth Economy

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

At the Auckland Climate Festival in September 2023, New Zealand business experts Rob Campbell (AUT), Sarah Bogle (KPMG) and Mike Worth (Grant Thornton) participated in a panel conversation about building post growth-readiness into existing large businesses, hosted by Heliocene's Jennifer Wilkins. Watch a summary slideshow, with video clips, or watch the whole panel session—both are … Continue reading Ancestors of a Post Growth Economy

Rethinking the Global Sustainability Agenda

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

Let's think about the sustainability agenda and goals such as eradicating hunger and poverty. Are they the right goals? By focusing on the effects, are we ignoring the causes and therefore the alternatives that we could be building? An article in Nature (4 July 2023) has pulled together some of the evidence pointing to the … Continue reading Rethinking the Global Sustainability Agenda

Breaking the Ice on Degrowth in Aotearoa

Posted on by Jennifer Wilkins

To mark Global Degrowth Day on 3 June 2023, I asked well-known New Zealanders who hadn’t necessarily engaged with degrowth before if they would contribute a short essay on their interpretation of it and its value (or not) to our country and others. In the resulting collection, leaders from a range of fields pioneer this … Continue reading Breaking the Ice on Degrowth in Aotearoa