I shared these 'Introduction to Degrowth' slides a little while ago, but they needed an update. These slides have a more 'Internationalist' approach to #degrowth than the last set (see slides, 21, 22 & 31), which I believe to be crucial to any successful movement.
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I've provided sources where possible. Please reach out if you have any questions, and if you find this a valuable resource I'd be grateful if you could buy me a coffee:
@timparrique received a standing ovation at the end of this presentation because it was AWESOME! You really have to watch it to see how good it was (beyond-growth-2023.eu/lecture/plenar…, starting at 9:40:50), but in the meantime, I’ll share my favourite lines below:
“The best way to green growth is to take growth away.”
“Whatever technology we have, it is easier and faster to reduce ecological footprint in a situation where levels of production and consumption decrease.”
“It feels irresponsibly foolish to bet the survival of humanity on a highly improbable miracle predicted by the obscure models of a handful of economists.”
“[degrowth] is a macroeconomic diet for biophysically obese economies.”
Some of my favourite threads and articles from the last week-ish, roughly in order of (1) problem -> (2) way forward -> (3) momentum:
(1) Problem: our growth-based economies are at the heart of our ecological crises
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"The fact is that we cannot keep growing the same cancerous way ‘except solar’. It’s like saying I’m going to switch lung cancer for eye cancer. I mean, still cancer…. we’re getting a brutal lesson this century whether we want it or not."
“…we must rapidly reduce consumption/destruction of natural resources and associated fossil fuel use. This is only achievable by reversing economic ‘growth’ …. This is not unrealistic or anti-capitalist — it’s counting.”
When it comes to choosing between achieving sustainability goals or pursuing growth, 99% (maybe more?) of the time companies will choose growth and expansion.
In this example Crocs can't achieve its initial sustainability goals because it acquired a brand and because of its "ongoing global expansion", even though they admit that their initial net-zero by 2030 goal was "neither vast nor fast enough".
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To be clear, Crocs Inc had committed to a net-zero target and has a global head of sustainability, which is a "a newly created position at Crocs to help hit the ambitious goal of being net zero".