Degrowth is a concept proposing that instead of pursuing perpetual economic growth on a finite planet, we actually embrace a degree of controlled economic shrinkage to bring our consumption in line with our planetary boundaries. If we were to pursue this, resources would need to be reserved for the things that society needs most and not consumed on frivolous, unnecessary activities.
I think that some of the cultural resistance Glyn talks about comes from the idea that Degrowth means that everyone loses out, or that you can't aspire to a better quality of life in a shrinking economy.
The idea of degrowth should go hand in hand with more equitable distribution of time and resource. In a world where there are 2688 billionaires with a combined wealth of $12.7 trillion, I think there is plenty of scope for degrowth in parallel with transforming the lives of a huge proportion of the population. It doesn't have to mean a lack of innovation or aspiration. It just means an improved standard of living for everyone that needs it.
Yeah that's the big challenge, reducing consumption without lots of people losing out. More equitable wealth distribution is undoubtedly a good thing and may well help solve this problem, but it might not be as straight forward as it sounds since consumption and wealth don't directly correlate. A lot of extreme wealth is a store of value rather than physical consumption of resources. As billionaire Nick Hanauer once said, "There is a limit to how many pairs of trousers I can actually buy". So there's a real physical challenge in how we raise the material standard of living for huge numbers of people while consuming less of the Earth's physical resources. In a way, perhaps the distraction of degrowth as a concept is that it focusses on financial economic growth/shrinkage rather than on consumption of physical resources. Perhaps energy efficiency, clean energy and more circular material flows are more tangible solutions.
Thinking on this topic, one possible step we could make that really appeals to me is George Monbiot's suggestion of 'private sufficiency and public luxury' (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/31/private-wealth-labour-common-space) i.e. while cutting down on private ownership, we move to very high quality community owned facilities that are free for all to use, and that all can be proud of. This also takes care of a good chunk of the community aspect of our needs.
I can see there being so much resistance to this kind of transition though, in no small part because it goes against what so many of us are deriving status from now. I've been reading a great new book by WIll Storr called 'The Status Game' and it's become a lens I look at everything through now. In one section it goes into the ownership of things as symbols of status, with the whole booking being about how recognising, and seeking to attain status is hardwired in us. A simple, positive real world example of this is how, in a neighbourhood if one house gets solar panels, give it a few months and suddenly, in a domino effect, its gone from no renewables to multiple houses on the street, all because 1 person made a change that became a standard for everyone else on the street to compare themselves to.
I feel like I'm waffling, trying to summarize an excellent book in a single comment so I'll stop there. Needless to say, I'd highly recommend giving it, and another book, 'How Minds Change' a read!
Amazing food for thought Glynn. The concept of private sufficiency and public luxury is very interesting and makes a lot of sense in many ways, but I agree that there would be huge cultural resistance. Status is one thing but I think declining trust in the public sector would also add to the resistance.
I'll check out those books. Thanks for the recommendations. I wish it was true about the solar panels... We got them installed nearly a decade ago and none of our neighbours followed until this summer when energy prices started rocketing. But at that point we were the people to ask about them, so I guess its a question of when not if!
Love the idea of private sufficiency and public luxury. We see a little of this in our corner of France with our local swimming pool. During the summer it operates with an outdoor pool for lane swimming (and jumping in for bigger kids) a smaller, shallower pool for smaller kids, a water play area, 4 lane flume, inflatables, shady grass areas and a cheap and cheerful cafe.
It's pretty much full from the opening day to the last day in mid September and it costs about £10 to take a family of 4 for the day (less if you take a season pass).
When we took some UK based relatives this summer, they were amazed by the quality and cost of it.
I look across the channel with dismay as public areas and services are under financed, unloved and mis-managed. Sacrificed on the alter of competitiveness through tax cuts for high earners and businesses.
I think that some of the cultural resistance Glyn talks about comes from the idea that Degrowth means that everyone loses out, or that you can't aspire to a better quality of life in a shrinking economy.
The idea of degrowth should go hand in hand with more equitable distribution of time and resource. In a world where there are 2688 billionaires with a combined wealth of $12.7 trillion, I think there is plenty of scope for degrowth in parallel with transforming the lives of a huge proportion of the population. It doesn't have to mean a lack of innovation or aspiration. It just means an improved standard of living for everyone that needs it.
Yeah that's the big challenge, reducing consumption without lots of people losing out. More equitable wealth distribution is undoubtedly a good thing and may well help solve this problem, but it might not be as straight forward as it sounds since consumption and wealth don't directly correlate. A lot of extreme wealth is a store of value rather than physical consumption of resources. As billionaire Nick Hanauer once said, "There is a limit to how many pairs of trousers I can actually buy". So there's a real physical challenge in how we raise the material standard of living for huge numbers of people while consuming less of the Earth's physical resources. In a way, perhaps the distraction of degrowth as a concept is that it focusses on financial economic growth/shrinkage rather than on consumption of physical resources. Perhaps energy efficiency, clean energy and more circular material flows are more tangible solutions.
Thanks for another great article Tom!
Thinking on this topic, one possible step we could make that really appeals to me is George Monbiot's suggestion of 'private sufficiency and public luxury' (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/31/private-wealth-labour-common-space) i.e. while cutting down on private ownership, we move to very high quality community owned facilities that are free for all to use, and that all can be proud of. This also takes care of a good chunk of the community aspect of our needs.
I can see there being so much resistance to this kind of transition though, in no small part because it goes against what so many of us are deriving status from now. I've been reading a great new book by WIll Storr called 'The Status Game' and it's become a lens I look at everything through now. In one section it goes into the ownership of things as symbols of status, with the whole booking being about how recognising, and seeking to attain status is hardwired in us. A simple, positive real world example of this is how, in a neighbourhood if one house gets solar panels, give it a few months and suddenly, in a domino effect, its gone from no renewables to multiple houses on the street, all because 1 person made a change that became a standard for everyone else on the street to compare themselves to.
I feel like I'm waffling, trying to summarize an excellent book in a single comment so I'll stop there. Needless to say, I'd highly recommend giving it, and another book, 'How Minds Change' a read!
The Status Game - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/2395/9780008354671
How Minds Change - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/2395/9781786071644
Amazing food for thought Glynn. The concept of private sufficiency and public luxury is very interesting and makes a lot of sense in many ways, but I agree that there would be huge cultural resistance. Status is one thing but I think declining trust in the public sector would also add to the resistance.
I'll check out those books. Thanks for the recommendations. I wish it was true about the solar panels... We got them installed nearly a decade ago and none of our neighbours followed until this summer when energy prices started rocketing. But at that point we were the people to ask about them, so I guess its a question of when not if!
Love the idea of private sufficiency and public luxury. We see a little of this in our corner of France with our local swimming pool. During the summer it operates with an outdoor pool for lane swimming (and jumping in for bigger kids) a smaller, shallower pool for smaller kids, a water play area, 4 lane flume, inflatables, shady grass areas and a cheap and cheerful cafe.
It's pretty much full from the opening day to the last day in mid September and it costs about £10 to take a family of 4 for the day (less if you take a season pass).
When we took some UK based relatives this summer, they were amazed by the quality and cost of it.
I look across the channel with dismay as public areas and services are under financed, unloved and mis-managed. Sacrificed on the alter of competitiveness through tax cuts for high earners and businesses.
Yeah its a real shame. But great that pockets of it do exist and really enhance peoples lives as you've described Andy.