XRPDX is exploring how a well-being or degrowth economy is vital to a more rapid transition away from the material and fossil fuel extraction, production and consumption that is destroying our planet as well as a path forward towards more equitable and thriving communities.
While the term “degrowth” can sound negative and sow confusion, it has become a more widely accepted concept in many countries and was referred to frequently in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published in 2022 IPCC. Two of the IPCC working groups – – those focused on climate change impacts and mitigation – use the economic term to discuss policies that are key to reducing the impacts of climate change. The reports’ authors challenge the widely accepted story that endless economic growth — an increase in the quantity of goods and services — is essential to reducing poverty and improving the quality of life around the world.
One Definition of Degrowth:
Degrowth is a vision of and path to system-wide economic, social, and ecological change that will allow all life forms in our natural world to flourish. The earth and our economy cannot support unlimited growth that destroys life, fuels the climate crisis, and ranks private profit over the public good and economic equity. Our communities can thrive within our ecological means with open, localized economies, and resources shared to meet the needs of all through truly democratic decision-making. This is a path to better health, ways of caring for and cooperating with each other, and enjoyment of the earth and its natural abundance.
In the coming months, XRPDX will be presenting a series of articles and thought pieces that shape our thinking on how to create and support more sustainable, equitable and resilient communities. Ready to dig? The following article provides a good overview on degrowth.
Degrowth: No, Let’s Not Call it Something Else, by Resilience
https://www.resilience.org/stories/2022-08-30/degrowth-no-lets-not-call-it-something-else/
