Library

The Degrowth Spectrum: Convergence and Divergence within a Diverse and Conflictual Alliance

By: Dennis Eversberg, Matthias Schmelzer

The call for ‘sustainable degrowth’ has recently turned into a focal point of critical social and ecological debate, as well as a framework for diverse strands of activism. So far, little is known about the motives, attitudes and practices of grassroots activists within the degrowth spectrum. This article presents results of a survey conducted at the 2014 International Degrowth Conference,...

Misc • 2017

Artivism: Injecting Imagination into Degrowth

By: John Jordan

From our project “Degrowth in Movement(s)“ Artivism is not really a movement. It’s more an attitude, a practice which exists on the fertile edges between art and activism. It comes into being when creativity and resistance collapse into each other. It’s what happens when our political actions become as beautiful as poems and as effective as a perfectly designed tool. Artivism is the Clown Army...

Scientific paper • 2017

South Korean Green Growth and the Jevons Paradox: An Assessment with Democratic and Degrowth Policy Recommendations

By: Ryan Gunderson, Sun-Jin Yun

Keywords: Low-carbon green growth; rebound effect; energy efficiency; eco-efficiency; degrowth; public participation

Misc • 2017

De-[Constructing] Growth: Decoupling Profits from Unsustainable Production*

By: Nicholas A. Ashford

Degrowth has been described as a “movement” rather than an ideology1, and as such it presents several variations. For some of its proponents, degrowth is a proxy for sustainable consumption, and to a lesser extent production2. A second group of degrowth advocates are those for whom an emerging discussion of “sufficiency” as a societal norm is taking shape, as a result of activism3. Finally, a...

Scientific paper • 2017

The degrowth spectrum: Convergence and divergence within a diverse and conflictual alliance

By: Dennis Eversberg, Matthias Schmelzer

Keywords: Degrowth; social and environmental movements; transformation; economic growth; activism

Misc • 2017

When degrowth enters the parliament

By: Federico Demaria

From the text: . . . In conclusion, let me outline our hypothesis. If growth has been a central pillar of stability in wealthy countries throughout the 20th century, then it is reasonable to argue that its lack in growth-oriented societies might create instability. I propose to read under this light too, but of course not only, the recent emerging political conjuncture, from Trump to Brexit,...

Misc • 2017

Let’s Degrow Up and Grow Down!

By: François Schneider

Francois Schneider defends the use of the term "degrowth". From the text: . . . If degrowth was the name of a multinational of toothpaste, Drews and Antal would be right: degrowth is not the right word to gain (market) competition. However degrowth is not just about raising attention, being interesting, provocative, easy to remember. It actually has a meaning! When I was doing a tour of...

Misc • 2017

Prosperity without Growth 2nd Edition

By: Tim Jackson

Subtitle: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow 2nd Edition of Tim Jacksons "Prosperity without Growth - Economics for a Finite Planet" The publisher: What can prosperity possibly mean in a world of environmental and social limits? The publication of Prosperity without Growth was a landmark in the sustainability debate. Tim Jackson’s piercing challenge to conventional economics openly...

Misc • 2017

Artivism: Degrowth mit Fantasie beleben

By: John Jordan

Aus unserem Projekt Degrowth in Bewegung(en) Artivism ist keine Bewegung im eigentlichen Sinne. Es ist eher eine Haltung, eine Praxis in den fruchtbaren Grenzbereichen zwischen Kunst und Aktivismus. Artivism entsteht, wenn Kreativität und Widerstand ineinander fallen. Es ist das, was passiert, wenn unsere politischen Aktionen genauso schön werden wie Gedichte und genauso effektiv wie ein...

Misc • 2017

The Destructive Dream of Progress

By: Niko Paech

Middle-Europe's prosperity as well as our high levels of mobility and consumption are based on three industrial revolutions whose technical progress has constantly been increasing labour productivity. The consequences are paradoxical: On one hand it is possible to produce ever more goods with the same amount of work. On the other hand these productivity increases are being used to make human...

Misc • 2017

Der zerstörerische Traum vom Fortschritt

By: Niko Paech

Der Wohlstand Mitteleuropas, unser hohes Mobilitäts- und Konsumniveau, gründet auf drei industriellen Revolutionen, deren technischer Fortschritt die Arbeitsproduktivität ständig erhöht hat. Die Folgen sind paradox: Einerseits können mit dem gleichen Arbeitsaufwand immer mehr Güter produziert werden, und die breite Masse der Bürger kann sich dank Lohnerhöhungen immer mehr leisten. Andererseits...

Misc • 2017

Technological progress alone won't stem resource use

By: Jennifer Chu

Subtitle: Researchers find no evidence of an overall reduction in the world's consumption of materials Summary: While some scientists believe that the world can achieve significant dematerialization through improvements in technology, a new study finds that technological advances alone will not bring about dematerialization and, ultimately, a sustainable world. The researchers found that no...

Misc • 2017

Degrowth In Movement(s) – A Dialogue Between Alternatives

By: Christiane Kliemann

Finally it is done: all texts from the project "Degrowth in Movement(s)" to be published in English are now available online. Representatives from different social movements share their perspective on degrowth and illustrate commonalities, differences and points of critique. In Germany, last year's publication of the respective German texts, videos and pod casts marked the kick-start for an...

Misc • 2017

Carework as Commons: Towards a Feminist Degrowth Agenda

By: Bengi Akbulut

The debates around post-growth transitions to just socio-ecological futures - while undoubtedly variegated - all emphasize that such a transition will involve a fundamental change in the way we organize economic relations and processes. At a first glance, this implies both a nominal and a structural, change with corresponding shifts in production, labor and consumption patterns. Whereas nominal...

Misc • 2017

Das gleiche in grün? Vom Recht auf eine grüne Stadt

By: Christiane Kliemann

Auf den stillgelegten Hafenanlagen entlang des Ufers des East River in New York entsteht der Brooklyn Bridge Park. Über 2 Kilometer erstreckt sich die Grünanlage mit Sport- und Freizeitangeboten und bester Aussicht auf die Skyline von Manhattan. Etwas weiter südlich im Herzen Brooklyns liegt der Prospect Park, ein beliebtes Ausflugsziel für Familien. Auch hier hat sich in den letzten dreißig...

Misc • 2017

Artivism: Degrowth mit Fantasie beleben

By: John Jordan

Aus unserem Projekt Degrowth in Bewegung(en) Artivism ist keine Bewegung im eigentlichen Sinne. Es ist eher eine Haltung, eine Praxis in den fruchtbaren Grenzbereichen zwischen Kunst und Aktivismus. Artivism entsteht, wenn Kreativität und Widerstand ineinander fallen. Es ist das, was passiert, wenn unsere politischen Aktionen genauso schön werden wie Gedichte und genauso effektiv wie ein

Misc • 2017

No Degrowth Without Climate Justice

By: Matthias Schmelzer

Since the 2014 Leipzig Degrowth Conference, the argument that climate justice cannot exist without degrowth has repeatedly been made. In a keynote at the Degrowth conference in Budapest, in September 2016, I developed this line of thinking further and argued that the opposite is equally important: There is not degrowth without climate justice. My argument,

Misc • 2017

Postwachstumspolitiken - Wege zur wachstumsunabhängigen Gesellschaft

By: Nina Treu, Frank Adloff, Matthias Schmelzer, Corinna Burkhart, Steffen Lange, Jana Gebauer, Ulrich Brand, Felix Ekardt, Helge Peukert, Oliver Richters, Ulrich Schachtschneider, Andreas Siemoneit, Dirk Posse, Harald Bender, Norbert Bernholt, Uta von Winterfeld, Robert Koepp, Christoph Köhler, Steffen Liebig, Frank Adler, Damian Ludewig, Jana Flemming, Fritz Reheis, Michael Kopatz, Christoph Sanders, Dagmar Comtesse, Maik Hosang, Eva Lang, Theresia Wintergerst, Hans-Peter Studer, Daniel Fuhrhop

Herausgeber_innen: Wie werden demokratische Übergänge zu einem Leben und Wirtschaften möglich, deren Qualität und Stabilität nicht vom permanenten ökonomischen Wachstum abhängen? Reicht dafür eine Bottom-up-Strategie? Reichen all die Non-profit-Unternehmen, Tauschläden und Kulturen des Selbermachens als Keime einer im Entstehen begriffenen Postwachstumsökonomie und -gesellschaft? Wir meinen:...

Misc • 2017

Digitalization, Efficiency and the Rebound Effect

By: Tilman Santarius

Scientific paper • 2017

Transitioning to a Post-Carbon Society

By: Ernest Garcia, Peadar Kirby, Samuel Alexander, Joaquim Sempere, Alain Gras, Mercedes Martinez-Iglesias, John Wiseman, Rebecca Bramall, Jorge Riechmann, Laurence Raineau, Climent Sanjuán, Ignasi Lerma Montero, Jesús Vicens

Subtitle: Degrowth, Austerity and Wellbeing Editors: Ernest Garcia, Mercedes Martinez-Iglesias, Peadar Kirby From the introduction: . . . This stark choice confronts humanity with what is perhaps the greatest dilemma it has ever faced in its history: can we try to mobilize our resources in the most unprecedented ways over a short time span of no more than half a century to avoid the worst of...