Thread by @TheLastFarm

Does #degrowth mean austerity? No, it means communal luxury. Here’s why:

Let’s use the example of a tool library. Currently, 55% of Americans own 5-10 power tools, while only 23% own 10+

Meanwhile, @TheToolLibrary has 3,000 tools, all free to check-out like a library book

https://twitter.com/thelastfarm/status/1622226480037072897

If tools became more expensive— reflecting the negative externalities created by their production—it would reduce people’s ability to amass them

But paired w/ tool libraries, access to tools would dramatically increase, not decrease. This would make us richer, not poorer

Not only would it increase your personal access to tools, it would increase everyone’s. And since you share the world w/ others, you would benefit from that as well: your neighbors would make more repairs, complete more projects, & there’d be fewer negative externalities

Meanwhile, the total number of tools produced—and the associated net energy & resources used—would decrease. Less stuff would be manufactured overall, but access to stuff would increase

This is the basic concept behind degrowth & it can extended throughout the economy

So when you see people claiming that degrowth means poverty, please know that they are speaking from either ignorance or bad faith

Degrowth means communal luxury & personal sufficiency. Endless growth is a doomsday machine, but we can end it in a way that makes us all richer