The Meanings of Economic Degrowth

The meanings of economic growth What is degrowth?
Processes and Experiences Proposals
Degrowth
Theory, processes and experiences
Gualter Barbas Baptista1,2
1 Research & Degrowth

2 CENSE - Centre for Environmental and Sustainability Research
New University of Lisbon
gualter@gaia.org.pt
Conference “Escaping the Growth Trap”

Evangelische Akademie Bad Boll
April 1st, 2011
The meanings of economic growth What is degrowth? Processes and Experiences Proposals
Outline
1 The meanings of economic growth
2 What is degrowth?
3 Processes and Experiences
4 Proposals
The magic washing machine
Hans Rosling shows us the magic that pops up when economic

growth and increased energy use turn a boring wash day into
an intellectual day of reading.
The Fukushima nightmare
“as a person living in Tokyo enjoying electricity, there is no time

to waste by simply crying” E-mail reply from a worker at Tepco Tokyo
HQ to a Tepco worker at Fukushima
Economic growth and resource use
We cannot infinitely increase the natural resources and people

of the planet.
No absolute decoupling!
Economic growth is intimately linked with an increased
resource use (e.g. energy and material flows)
It always comes from somewhere!
Uranium in Mali
Oil in Niger Delta or Middle East dictatorships
Eucalyptus in Latin America and Indonesia
Soil (nutrients) and soya in Brazil
...
The sad meaninglessness of economic growth
“By taking Japan’s mature economy down a notch, Mother Nature

has accomplished what fiscal policy and the central bank could not.
Now there are more bridges to somewhere to be built than one can
count. Entire cities and regions need to be reconstructed in toto, from
housing and commercial buildings to roads, rail lines, information
networks, the energy grid (...) The result of all the new wealth
creation will be money in the pockets of Japanese to buy global
goods and services.”
Nathan Gardels, “The Silver Lining of Japan’s earthquake”
The sad meaninglessness of economic growth
“By taking Japan’s mature economy down a notch, Mother Nature

has accomplished what fiscal policy and the central bank could not.
Now there are more bridges to somewhere to be built than one can
count. Entire cities and regions need to be reconstructed in toto, from
housing and commercial buildings to roads, rail lines, information
networks, the energy grid (...) The result of all the new wealth
creation will be money in the pockets of Japanese to buy global
goods and services.”
Nathan Gardels, “The Silver Lining of Japan’s earthquake”
GDP
GDP measures all the monetary flows
Degrowth is...
A slogan
A missile word
A new social and intellectual movement in the North
Degrowth is...
A slogan
A missile word
Sustainable
development
Brundtland Report (1987):
economic growth could be
ecologically sustainable.
Efficiency gains and
creativity can decouple
economic growth from
resource use.
Degrowth is...
A slogan
A missile word
Sustainable But in fact...

development Efficiency gains are not enough
Brundtland Report (1987):
Efficiency sometimes means
economic growth could be
increased consumption (Jevons
ecologically sustainable.
paradox)
Efficiency gains and
creativity can decouple Economic growth increases
economic growth from injustices
resource use.
The world has limits!
Degrowth is about...
Bioeconomy (Smith-Bleek, Georgescu-Roegen, ...)

Ecology (Odum, ...)
Cultural Diversity (Latouche, ...)
Meaning of life (Thoreau, Gandhi, ...)
Democracy (Illich, ...)
Equality (Kempf, Sachs, ...)
Degrowth is about...
Bioeconomy (Smith-Bleek, Georgescu-Roegen, ...)

Ecology (Odum, ...)
Cultural Diversity (Latouche, ...)
Meaning of life (Thoreau, Gandhi, ...)
Democracy (Illich, ...)
Equality (Kempf, Sachs, ...)
Recovering the joye de vivre
Downsizing the economic system, acknowledging the

biophysical limits of our planet.
Sustainable degrowth
No unique definition
There are as many definitions as there are different
standpoints.
Sustainable degrowth
No unique definition
There are as many definitions as there are different
standpoints.
“Degrowth is a reduction of production and consumption in physical
terms through down-scaling (and not only through efficiency
improvements).”[1]
An “equitable downscaling of production and consumption that
increases human well-being and enhances ecological conditions at
the local and global level, in the short and long term”[2]
[1] Kallis, G., 2010. The Degrowth Propositions and Research Questions, Panel during the 2nd international
conference on economic degrowth for ecological sustainability and social equity, March 26-29, 2010, Barcelona,
Spain
[2] Journal of Cleaner Production 18 (2010) 511-

A washing machine for everyone?

Is it useful?
Hans Rosling’s grandmother said
so!
Is it useful? Is that possible?

Hans Rosling’s grandmother said Certainly not with the extremely
so! high consumption and resource
use of “developed” economies and
the middle class at the global level.

Is there an alternative?
Can we think of some other ways
to get the time to read while
minimizing resource and energy
use?

Is there an alternative?
Can we think of some other ways
to get the time to read while
minimizing resource and energy
use?
Strategies
Diversity of actions (collective and individual)

Convergence of actions
Strategies
Diversity of actions (collective and individual)

Convergence of actions
Conferences
Paris 2008
Declaration (excerpts)
If we do not respond to this situation by
bringing global economic activity into
line with the capacity of our
ecosystems, and redistributing wealth
and income globally so that they meet
our societal needs, the result will be a
process of involuntary and uncontrolled
economic decline or collapse, with
potentially serious social impacts,
especially for the most disadvantaged.
We therefore call for a paradigm shift
from the general and unlimited pursuit of
economic growth to a concept of
“right-sizing” the global and national
economies.
Conferences
Paris 2008
The paradigm shift involves degrowth in
wealthy parts of the world.
The objectives of degrowth are to meet
basic human needs and ensure a high
quality of life, while reducing the
ecological impact of the global
economy to a sustainable level,
equitably distributed between nations.
This will not be achieved by
involuntary economic contraction.
Conferences
Barcelona 2010
An international elite and a “global
middle class”, with its conspicuous
consumption are causing havoc to the
environment and appropriation of
human and natural resources. They lead
to further damage when imitated by the
rest of the people in a vicious circle of
status seeking through material
possession.
Conferences
Barcelona 2010
(...) this crisis has deeper structural
causes. The so-called anti-crisis
measures that seek to boost economic
growth will worsen inequalities and
environmental conditions in the
long-run.
The illusion of a “debt-fuelled growth”,
i.e. forcing the economy to grow in order
to pay the debts, will finish in social
disaster, displacing economic and
ecological debts to the future
generations and to the poor.
Conferences
Barcelona 2010
A process of degrowth of the world
economy is inevitable and will be
beneficial for the environment. The
challenge is how to manage it so that it
is conducted socially equitably both
within each country and globally. (...)
Collective action
Freizeit und Bürger Aktion Grenze der Ressourcen

“Schaffung integrierter Politiken der Verwendung
reduzierten Arbeitszeiten “Einführung von globalen
(ArbeitsFairteilung)” mineralgewinnenden Moratorien für
Gebiete mit hoher Biodiversität und
kulturellen Wert, und
Entschädigungen für das Verlassen
Ressourcen unter der Erde”
Collective action
Reduzierung der gesamten Verringerung der globalen

Infrastrukturkapazität monetären Kapazitäten
“Aufgabe von großen “Erleichterung der lokalen
Infrastrukturprojekten, wie Währungen, die schrittweise
Kernkraftwerke (...), Abschaffung von fiat Geld und
High-Speed-Transport, Umwandlung Reformen von Interesse”
von Auto-basierte Infrastruktur für
Wandern, Radfahren und offenen
gemeinsamen Räume”
Collective action
Gegen Deregulierung Teilung

Für Soziale, ökologische und “Verteidigung und den Ausbau lokaler
Qualitätsstandards Commons und die Festlegung neuer
“Förderung von kleinen, selbst Zuständigkeiten für globale
verwalteten Gemeinschaftsgüter”; “Entmutigung
not-for-Profit-Unternehmen” von übermäßigen Konsum von
nicht-dauerhafte Güter und von
unter-Verwendung von langlebigen
Güter wie Häuser, durch Regulierung,
Besteuerung oder
Bottom-up-Ansätze”
Collective action
Werbepause Degrowth der Ungleichheiten

“Besteuerung der Werbung und Verbot “Einführung eines Grundeinkommens;
im öffentlichen Räumen” Institutionalisierung einer
Einkommensgrenze auf
Maximum-Minimum-Verhältnis”
Individual action
Voluntary simplicity
Actors
Who supports degrowth?
Social movements Local projects Networks

and groups Permaculture projects “La décroissance”
(with 35 000 prints
ATTAC Deutschland Urban gardens and monthly) and other
guerrilla gardening publications
Environmental NGOs
(Ecologistas en Transition initiatives Degrowth
Acción, etc.) ... sites/networks
Anti-nuclear (decreixement.net,
movement decroissance.org,
Agroecological degrowthpedia.org,
movements (Reclaim decrescita.it, etc.)
the Fields, Via
Campesina)
Actors
Who supports degrowth?
Political parties Citizens

Not many actively support (fear of Voluntary simplicity
losing votes?) Gift economy, direct exchange
(Tauschrings), etc.
Die Grünen dominated by an
incoherent discourse (Green New
Deal style)
Some small parties stand for
degrowth (or even are created to
support degrowth)
Concluding Remarks
We cannot escape degrowth, but we can transform the

threat of recession into an opportunity for ecological
balance and social justice.
The degrowth movement - and initiatives which contribute
to degrowth - are multiplying like mushrooms, particularly
across Europe (economic crisis? conscience?)
Stuttgart 21 is stopped, 7 nuclear power plants have been
put out of operation in Germany!
Sources
degrowthpedia.org
decroissance.org
decroissance.info Thank you!
degrowth.eu Danke!
ladecroissance.net Gualter Barbas Baptista
simpleliving.org gualter@gaia.org.pt
transitionculture.org
wachstumsruecknahme.qsdf.org

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The meanings of economic growth What is degrowth?

Processes and Experiences Proposals

Gualter Barbas Baptista1,2

1 Research & Degrowth

Conference “Escaping the Growth Trap”

1 The meanings of economic growth

3 Processes and Experiences

The magic washing machine

Hans Rosling shows us the magic that pops up when economic

The Fukushima nightmare

“as a person living in Tokyo enjoying electricity, there is no time

Economic growth and resource use

We cannot infinitely increase the natural resources and people

It always comes from somewhere!

The sad meaninglessness of economic growth

“By taking Japan’s mature economy down a notch, Mother Nature

The sad meaninglessness of economic growth

“By taking Japan’s mature economy down a notch, Mother Nature

Sustainable But in fact...

Bioeconomy (Smith-Bleek, Georgescu-Roegen, ...)

Bioeconomy (Smith-Bleek, Georgescu-Roegen, ...)

Recovering the joye de vivre

Downsizing the economic system, acknowledging the

[2] Journal of Cleaner Production 18 (2010) 511-

A washing machine for everyone?

A washing machine for everyone?

A washing machine for everyone?

Is it useful? Is that possible?

A washing machine for everyone?

Is it useful? Is that possible?

A washing machine for everyone?

Is it useful? Is that possible?

Diversity of actions (collective and individual)

Diversity of actions (collective and individual)

Freizeit und Bürger Aktion Grenze der Ressourcen

Reduzierung der gesamten Verringerung der globalen

Gegen Deregulierung Teilung

Werbepause Degrowth der Ungleichheiten

Who supports degrowth?

Social movements Local projects Networks

Who supports degrowth?

Political parties Citizens

We cannot escape degrowth, but we can transform the

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