Thanks for the comment Lazaros. Yes, it will take a cultural shift to get to a post-growth world, and I know I'm rolling a boulder uphill to some extent. But we should try to design that future as much as possible and not wait for disaster. That's why I do this.
Hello from someone co-engineering the marketing campaign for the cultural shift 👋
All it takes is a coordinated marketing effort to reach 3.5% in the cultural consciousness to take root. And Simon Squibb has 11 million followers. That’s only a handful more influencers
I think disaster is inevitable and thus it makes more sense to use one's time only to enjoy life and adjust accordingly; or, at least, if one wants to engage more than just voting and not contributing to the disaster oneself, support other green initiatives than degrowth (regardless if they are not as green or as effective).
To me, it does not seem like rolling a boulder uphill ‘to some extent’. It seems entirely like that.
The next big thing is lots of little things. I think the move to a commons based economy would be much more fruitful, in all sorts of areas, electricity, internet, food. We also need to resist the enclosure of the commons which is happening all around and even in us. Wild places are being populated with wind farms, children's minds are being colonised by mindless TV, community traditions such as Irish pubs are being commodified. Enough......
The entire planet is a living organism. That's something that most humans can't understand. Each lifeform is dependent upon many other lifeforms for survival and the continuation of life for all. Something very similar to cells in the human body. The earth by comparison is now in stage 4 cancer. The cancer is the human species and it is spreading exponentially by population growth and the need for more extraction of raw materials to sustain the growth of population. A viscous circle leading to ever worse conditions.
The vast majority of people cannot conceive the planet is a living organism but it is a fact being ignored. Like it or not, humans are about to bring about their own extinction as well as millions of other lifeforms on the planet. Over 99.9% of species have gone extinct through the ages for various reasons, this one brought about by one species, humans. A first. Life is an experiment brought about by random events. The struggle for survival is key to the existence and rise of life, but also ensures it's demise. The human experiment is about to fail, but life will likely return. There's still a billion years before life gets exterminated by the sun.
It's a bit tragic, but Homo sapiens had our chance in the experiment and failed. The odds were definitely against our species. We should feel privileged to have been part of the great experiment and to see it's results. We had no choice. Denial, hope, fear of death, the overwhelming urge to reproduce and the want for more are key parts of our genetic makeup. Intelligence (whatever that is) is the key to the fall. Intelligence seems to be measured by the ability to destroy things.
By adopting the the attitude of lemmings we could solve the problem. Not much chance of that though. I'm not about to jump off a cliff. Anyone game? Didn't think so.
Degrowth is guaranteed to occur but it won't be in an orderly controlled form. Foresight is no longer part of most human beings thought process. Particularly our leaders. Refer to my first sentence.
Hi Matt, I’ve been working on Degrowth for about two years and stopped after discovering that degrowth is actually impossible and thus it would make more sense to focus on other things (which are also very unlikely and not particularly effective, but still). I share this piece of mine with you, just for the intellectual discussion, in case you haven’t read it yet. I’m not sure if I make my case very clear on my essay, but reading it carefully all the ingredients to make my point are there. I’m curious what your thoughts may be about it and, in case it will you convince you and perhaps get disillusioned, my apologies in advance — happy new year!
Great piece, Matt. Really appreciate your work. You start with the strange looks you'll get if you bring up reorganizing to avoid collapse. It's so true. We are blissfully unaware that we're in an ecological overshoot emergency. So why consider making changes? Especially radical ones. I think the time for soft-pedaling the bad news, biting our tongue and settling for half-steps is behind us. 50 years of careful, get-along, middling advocacy has gotten us where we are today - closer than ever to terminating the human experiment. It's time we tell the full truth, and then shine a light on the best possible path forward. Thank you for doing both.
As part of my GrowthBusters project we projected a "guerilla billboard" on the side of a downtown building on New Year's Eve. It shared the bad news: "We're in ecological overshoot. Google it." And it provided some optimistic advice: "New Year's Resolution: Live more lightly on the planet!" (photos on our GrowthBusting Instagram account) It's a start.
Hi Matt, I haven't yet read your piece properly but would like to comment on something ironic and degrowth-related in the illustration you chose for it. A lovely spot in the south of Aotearoa New Zealand called Roy's Peak. Well, at times it is. It's also been called the "Most Instagrammed" location in the country and instead of the solitary group of, in this case, 3 people near the summit, there is frequently a long line awaiting to take the "obligatory" fictional photograph of a pristine mountain landscape that doesn't exist as such. The zombie tourism quest to find the last "paradise", and then destroy it, goes on.
Go back to national economies and local trade blocs and de-globalize
Force the corporation to pay their share in tariffs and taxes to have access to our consumers and not to have any control of our economy.
Drive the economy with controls on imports and ensure exports benefit citizens.
Use the power of the short supply chains to install a circular economy tp minimize waste.
Dispel the myth of a climate emergency.
Ensure self-sufficiency of affordable and reliable clean energy to drive the economy
Create an ongoing balance of national sustainability of economics social and environment.
Train consumers with both a stick and a carrot to not want more than they need and to reduce waste in everything they do.
Train the corporations with both a stick and a carrot to not sell products that use a throw-away strategy.
Tax corporate waste in all forms and reward reasonable profit to encourage investment by the whole nation.
Change the learning systems to focus on preparing a population to add value to the nation and not become a burden through non-productivity or crime etc..
Make all governments fully accountable to the citizens.
Excellent piece. I fell into the degrowth network about 6 months ago and its opened my eyes so much, connected everything together. I'm posting some degrowth stuff, so far just quotes from what I'm reading, and whatever other degrowth ideas have seeped into my long posts. Planning on writing more on it soon, exploring concepts I come across within the movement.
Thanks for raising this issue. I find that there is a lot of confusing rhetoric in the topic that tends to hide the basic premise of global capitalism that demands cancerous growth. What about more ways to implement re-distribution - such as those you mention - universal basic income, etc. - and restitution to the global south for climate change? This topic will be the topic of a zoom conversation for subscribers hosted by "Crisis and Transition" substack on January 18th at 10:00 am Pacific (7:00 pm CET)
Thanks for the comment Lazaros. Yes, it will take a cultural shift to get to a post-growth world, and I know I'm rolling a boulder uphill to some extent. But we should try to design that future as much as possible and not wait for disaster. That's why I do this.
Hello from someone co-engineering the marketing campaign for the cultural shift 👋
All it takes is a coordinated marketing effort to reach 3.5% in the cultural consciousness to take root. And Simon Squibb has 11 million followers. That’s only a handful more influencers
Gimme a shout if that interests you!
Consider this a shout. Can move over to chat if you wish.
I think disaster is inevitable and thus it makes more sense to use one's time only to enjoy life and adjust accordingly; or, at least, if one wants to engage more than just voting and not contributing to the disaster oneself, support other green initiatives than degrowth (regardless if they are not as green or as effective).
To me, it does not seem like rolling a boulder uphill ‘to some extent’. It seems entirely like that.
The next big thing is lots of little things. I think the move to a commons based economy would be much more fruitful, in all sorts of areas, electricity, internet, food. We also need to resist the enclosure of the commons which is happening all around and even in us. Wild places are being populated with wind farms, children's minds are being colonised by mindless TV, community traditions such as Irish pubs are being commodified. Enough......
The entire planet is a living organism. That's something that most humans can't understand. Each lifeform is dependent upon many other lifeforms for survival and the continuation of life for all. Something very similar to cells in the human body. The earth by comparison is now in stage 4 cancer. The cancer is the human species and it is spreading exponentially by population growth and the need for more extraction of raw materials to sustain the growth of population. A viscous circle leading to ever worse conditions.
The vast majority of people cannot conceive the planet is a living organism but it is a fact being ignored. Like it or not, humans are about to bring about their own extinction as well as millions of other lifeforms on the planet. Over 99.9% of species have gone extinct through the ages for various reasons, this one brought about by one species, humans. A first. Life is an experiment brought about by random events. The struggle for survival is key to the existence and rise of life, but also ensures it's demise. The human experiment is about to fail, but life will likely return. There's still a billion years before life gets exterminated by the sun.
It's a bit tragic, but Homo sapiens had our chance in the experiment and failed. The odds were definitely against our species. We should feel privileged to have been part of the great experiment and to see it's results. We had no choice. Denial, hope, fear of death, the overwhelming urge to reproduce and the want for more are key parts of our genetic makeup. Intelligence (whatever that is) is the key to the fall. Intelligence seems to be measured by the ability to destroy things.
By adopting the the attitude of lemmings we could solve the problem. Not much chance of that though. I'm not about to jump off a cliff. Anyone game? Didn't think so.
Degrowth is guaranteed to occur but it won't be in an orderly controlled form. Foresight is no longer part of most human beings thought process. Particularly our leaders. Refer to my first sentence.
We can’t “avoid collapse”. That is mere hopium I’m afraid
I think it’s too late for degrowth, except as a lifestyle option. I think in reality the best we can hope for is a post-doom mindset now
Hi Matt, I’ve been working on Degrowth for about two years and stopped after discovering that degrowth is actually impossible and thus it would make more sense to focus on other things (which are also very unlikely and not particularly effective, but still). I share this piece of mine with you, just for the intellectual discussion, in case you haven’t read it yet. I’m not sure if I make my case very clear on my essay, but reading it carefully all the ingredients to make my point are there. I’m curious what your thoughts may be about it and, in case it will you convince you and perhaps get disillusioned, my apologies in advance — happy new year!
https://iamlazaros.substack.com/p/why-degrowth-will-not-happen
Great piece, Matt. Really appreciate your work. You start with the strange looks you'll get if you bring up reorganizing to avoid collapse. It's so true. We are blissfully unaware that we're in an ecological overshoot emergency. So why consider making changes? Especially radical ones. I think the time for soft-pedaling the bad news, biting our tongue and settling for half-steps is behind us. 50 years of careful, get-along, middling advocacy has gotten us where we are today - closer than ever to terminating the human experiment. It's time we tell the full truth, and then shine a light on the best possible path forward. Thank you for doing both.
As part of my GrowthBusters project we projected a "guerilla billboard" on the side of a downtown building on New Year's Eve. It shared the bad news: "We're in ecological overshoot. Google it." And it provided some optimistic advice: "New Year's Resolution: Live more lightly on the planet!" (photos on our GrowthBusting Instagram account) It's a start.
Matt
Interesting… I would like to participate in the discussion.
But I will want to reshape the priorities based on the definition in Wikipedia and based on some of your articles.
Degrowth - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degrowth
I also struggle with the name… “Degrowth” sounds a negative and a new name might make more sense.. just saying.
Its close to the real meaning of sustainability ….not the SDG version as anything to do with the UN is on my hate list.
It has to offer a new look at prosperity with more focus on slight citizen adaption and not massive mitigation of lifestyle.
I will look at the concept and spin back a priority list of what it means to me and I hope others… but it wont be hugging trees or living in a cave!
Hi Matt, I haven't yet read your piece properly but would like to comment on something ironic and degrowth-related in the illustration you chose for it. A lovely spot in the south of Aotearoa New Zealand called Roy's Peak. Well, at times it is. It's also been called the "Most Instagrammed" location in the country and instead of the solitary group of, in this case, 3 people near the summit, there is frequently a long line awaiting to take the "obligatory" fictional photograph of a pristine mountain landscape that doesn't exist as such. The zombie tourism quest to find the last "paradise", and then destroy it, goes on.
https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-46342915
Matt...My idea of a degrowth agenda…….
Go back to national economies and local trade blocs and de-globalize
Force the corporation to pay their share in tariffs and taxes to have access to our consumers and not to have any control of our economy.
Drive the economy with controls on imports and ensure exports benefit citizens.
Use the power of the short supply chains to install a circular economy tp minimize waste.
Dispel the myth of a climate emergency.
Ensure self-sufficiency of affordable and reliable clean energy to drive the economy
Create an ongoing balance of national sustainability of economics social and environment.
Train consumers with both a stick and a carrot to not want more than they need and to reduce waste in everything they do.
Train the corporations with both a stick and a carrot to not sell products that use a throw-away strategy.
Tax corporate waste in all forms and reward reasonable profit to encourage investment by the whole nation.
Change the learning systems to focus on preparing a population to add value to the nation and not become a burden through non-productivity or crime etc..
Make all governments fully accountable to the citizens.
.
Excellent piece. I fell into the degrowth network about 6 months ago and its opened my eyes so much, connected everything together. I'm posting some degrowth stuff, so far just quotes from what I'm reading, and whatever other degrowth ideas have seeped into my long posts. Planning on writing more on it soon, exploring concepts I come across within the movement.
Thanks for raising this issue. I find that there is a lot of confusing rhetoric in the topic that tends to hide the basic premise of global capitalism that demands cancerous growth. What about more ways to implement re-distribution - such as those you mention - universal basic income, etc. - and restitution to the global south for climate change? This topic will be the topic of a zoom conversation for subscribers hosted by "Crisis and Transition" substack on January 18th at 10:00 am Pacific (7:00 pm CET)
I, for one, am working to inspire that.