Degrowth is an economic philosophy which refers to avoiding high levels of production and consumption as an effort to conserve natural resources and mitigate further environmental damage.
As a whole, degrowth is more prevalent in wealthy nations, such as the United States, which have the resources to transition to a clean energy economy and ensure that industrialization doesn't take a deep toll on the environment.
Degrowth can help to:
As opposed to traditional models that measure success through GDP growth, degrowth challenges the idea that infinite economic expansion is only possible whilst depleting through the planet’s natural resources. In regions such as the U.S., where “bigger is better” – this would require questioning the sustainability and fairness of an economy that encourages overconsumption and rewards companies that associate “more” with “better”.
It is important to note that degrowth is not synonymous with economic collapse or recession, but rather refers to a deliberate and intentional shift away from the belief that economic growth can only occur at the expense of protecting the environment. For instance, degrowth recognizes that many sectors of the U.S. economy, such as fossil fuels, fast fashion, and industrial agriculture, disproportionately contribute to ecological destruction and social harm – and could be amended to mitigate such an impact.
In an American context, degrowth would require scaling back on harmful industries and investing in new technologies and mechanisms to reduce the environmental impact of current operations. This could include shorter work weeks, improved green infrastructure, or eradicating planned obsolescence in consumer goods to ensure that products are used to their full potential.
Ultimately, degrowth is not about “giving up” or “going backwards” – but about choosing what to invest energy into and ceasing to invest energy, time, and money into areas that are potentially hindering the environment. As a whole, degrowth seeks to reimagine the realm of prosperity beyond profit, and build a post-growth future that serves people and the planet over profit and power.
No, degrowth and recession are not one and the same – as recessions are more incendiary and involuntary, causing more harm, whereas degrowth is a more intentional practice with concrete goals such as to improve well-being and equity.
Yes, the U.S. could even succeed in growth with the help of its abundant access to global resources – as degrowth focuses on reducing excess where it's most extreme.
No, degrowth does not mean mass unemployment – it simply means shifting out of jobs our industries causing harm and into providing jobs in sectors that can support life long-term. This could include ceasing work at coal factories and creating new jobs at a solar farm. Remember, degrowth theory implies that globally, GDP drops and that there will be less revenue to share, but that this sharing will be optimized and used for more important needs – such as to help avoid overconsumption. As a whole, this could mean spending less time at work without compromising on efficiency.
While green growth still relies on endless economic expansion, degrowth doesn’t require this – and actually seeks ways to build better lives of economics, education, health, and social aspects.
Giving up your current lifestyle under the ideals of degrowth would be contingent on your current lifestyle and what you value most. This is because degrowth calls on the wealthiest to scale back overconsumption, but it also seeks to make life more affordable, healthy, and meaningful for everyone. In other words, if you live in the 1% percentile, you could feel the effects of degrowth more profoundly than the average person.