It is no secret that the world has issues. Issues which need to be recognized, issues which need to be accounted for and issues which need to be resolved. It is easy to close our eyes and hope for the best but in recognizing the human brains inherent preference for remaining in an energy conserving state, a proactive attitude and approach needs to be adopted and there has never been a better, or more necessary time than now. I am looking to explore whether voluntary downshifting could offer the solutions needed for socio-ecological transformation to an environmentally and socially sustainable economy. With focus on communities and grassroot bottom-up initiatives, I believe that change on smaller scales will over time fundamentally change the landscapes of society. The culture needs to experience a shift, determining a new perspective on what constitutes high status and wellbeing, whereafter behavior and attitudes will follow suite. Economics has stagnated over centuries and there is a call for such a drastic transition due to the fact that economic growth as a universal aim no longer serves its intended purpose and the multi-dimensional problems of the 21st century require multi-dimensional solutions which never needed to be sought in the past. Besides being ecologically and socially devastating,economic growth and its measurement of wellbeing using GDP has shown a decoupling from life satisfaction and wellbeing in wealthier nations, formally known as the welfare paradox. In the face of climate catastrophe, if economic growth neither fuels social wellbeing, nor environmental wellbeing, then we need to find a post growth perspective which does as the costs of growth begins to outweigh the benefits.

 

The stability of the Holocene no more

For centuries humanity lived within a safe and stable operating space. Transgressing no planetary boundaries, the earth's system was resilient, and humans operated within the Earth's carrying capacity. There were few temperature fluctuations during the geological epoch known as the Holocene, providing humans with the ideal conditions needed to develop and thrive. Societies were able to settle and grow in areas where land was plentiful, soil fertile and water available, allowing for a new era of agricultural husbandry and self-sustaining societies to be built. In these first economies, humans invested in their natural environment, realizing the importance of sustaining, and preserving the natural surroundings to sustain themselves. Such practices of environmental protection and connection between man and nature ensured their long-term continuance and allowed for the earth's system to go undisturbed for thousands of years despite the growth and development of human populations. The conditions of the Holocene can be understood looking through the lens of ecofeminism. The relationship between human and nature is to be fostered as they remain interdependent. Supported by ecofeminist perspectives on preserving the environment, nature is vital to the sustenance of life and for that reason, balance needs to be maintained and care needs to be taken in order for the environment to continue to thrive.

 

Entering the first human induced geological epoch, the Anthropocene

In pursuit of growth and development, there have been multiple costs incurred which have been neglected by capitalism, most notably since the industrial revolution. The exponential growth of human activities has managed to push earth into a new geological epoch, known as the Anthropocene, where humans have been the driving force behind the earth’s geology and ecosystems. Managing to alter the planets climate and the functioning of its ecosystems, profound changes are seen in the essential life sustaining functions of the Earth.

 

Earth's system has limits

The economy is a subsystem within the non-growing capacity of the planet.Once earth’s carrying capacity has reached its limit, it can no longer provide the natural resources needed for human use and consumption, causing for humanities continuance to be greatly threatened. At current the earth's carrying capacity is being exceeded on three of its nine planetary boundaries. Furthermore, earth’s natural carbon sinks play a vital role in metabolizing our by-products of economic growth,  having a limited carrying capacity, earth's carbon sinks are being overwhelmed by the system in which we currently operate. The functioning of the earth’s system should therefore not come second to what is considered the ‘productive’ economy in the eyes of capitalism. Despite earth being vital to human continuance, recent decades have been environmentally devastating as human activities managed to destabilize the Earth's system,altering its ecosystems, and affecting the climate.

Ecosystem destabilization can be witnessed in two of earth's very reliable and long standing carbon sinks, amongst other. In 2021, it was recorded that the Amazon rainforest is being deforested at a rate which now emits more CO2 than what it absorbs in certain parts. Overall,the amazon rainforest has been found to be losing its ability to absorb CO2, declining its overall performance as a sink which provides cause for concern. Another example is one of the largest carbon sinks, being the ocean, which is responsible for absorbing 93% of atmospheric heat from greenhouse gas emissions. The ocean has largely shielded humans from rapid environmental changes and temperature increases from climate change.In consequence of human CO2 emissions however the oceans are heating at a rate which is negatively impacting marine ecosystems and species while implicating the oceans’ ability to act as a sink, bringing forward and threatening extreme weather event.

 

Man dominates nature and man

Besides the environmental damage caused, the colonial period was the start to a great global divide into what is now classed ‘developed’ and ‘developing’ countries. It is hard to imagine a world where all societies were equal in wealth, this however was once the case.Native communities were self-sustaining, had their own unique cultures, social structures and symbiotic relationships with their environment surrounding and one another. The period of colonization inflicted great changes on such communities as now classed ‘developing countries’ in the ‘Global South’ were exploited for their natural resources and free labor to finance the industrial revolution of the Global North. Besides the Global South being exploited for their natural resources and labor capital, they have been made dependent on the Global North for commodities and foreign aid in a market which was created to acquire capital surpluses for the Global North. The Global South is being kept in a state of dependency which fosters violence due to unfair trade conditions, unpayable debts to the Global North and their natural resources being monopolized. Capitalism looks for circumstances where profits are maximized through cheap natural resources and labor, which is seen through the relationship between developed and developing countries.The economic system has given developed countries the power to continue accumulating wealth through social and environmental exploitation. This has led to income inequality increasing grossly as half the world’s income now lies in the hands of 1% of the population. Similarly, as the Global South are being exploited, inequality and exploitation is experienced on a societal level too. Capitalism is built on structural violence and patriarchal relations which brings forward a division between the productive workforces which are labeled important and worthy of recognition dueto economic importance in growth while the reproductive workforce which is essential to the economy and sustenance of life is disregarded and given littlepower.  

 

Money being the center of all things

Despite the risks of catastrophe and disaster as the climate changes, or the great disparities in access to even the most basic of resources over the global landscape, the predominant social paradigm remains built on economic development in pursuit of growth and despite warnings and science, there has been failure to find lasting solutions as anything other than growth is difficult to comprehend.

It is easy to understand why there have been no lasting solutions to climate change and why despite production and consumption being key contributors ecological ruin, the aim of growth for consumption has not been abandoned. This system is difficult to break due to the extent of how deeply rooted it is, making it impossible to imagine the world without growth. Humans have become calculating and transactional beings asmoney being at the center of all things, homogenizes everything. However, certain fundamentals can simply not be quantified, such as the state of environment,human connection, and inner peace. No price can be paid to acquire such things,yet our capacity is limited in understanding anything which is not valued to a price. People have become disconnected from one another and disconnected from the earth, contrary to that which is stated to be important by ecofeminist perspectives. An Attitude of replaceability has been obtained and natural resources have been valued as a ‘free gift’ resulting in the over exploitation thereof. People are described as having become emotionally and physically detached from the outside world and their environments, operating in their own bed interest, and valuing only that which is quantifiable. Supported by the tragedy of the commons, in pursuit of capital gains, human nature will act with a short-term benefit mindset, dissolving the planets non-renewable resources, and competing for growth until continuance is no longer a possibility.  Our addiction to growth looks to fix what we have damaged with more growth, looking to buy solutions to prevent catastrophe.

 

Humanity is addicted to growth.

The nature of neoclassical thinking is deeply embedded in the political, social, and economic spheres of modern-day economies. We have been preconditioned to grow in the aim of accumulating capital surplus, sparking a deeply competitive and grow-or-die nature as the market functions by increasing productivity and efficiency while neglecting all negative externalities incurred in the process. These negative externalities are largely incurred by the wealthy nations yet are felt universally and suffered most by those who are vulnerable and least deserving, contributing the least to global emissions. Economic growth served its purpose in rebuilding that which was left broken and reducing inequalities after WW2. However, the‘rebuilding’ never stopped and instead of the aim of economic growth being for the collective good and wellbeing of society, the motivation has become largely self-serving for a select few. Economic growth, measured in GDP, has historically correlated with a rise in the global material footprint and global CO2 emissions, therefore, to change the system, we need to change ourselves and growth being the cause of catastrophe, growth cannot possibly be the answer.

The economy needs a decoupling from growth

A major driver of negative global impacts is per-capita consumption. Consumption growth has overrun any efficiencies of new technologies over the last years, ultimately increasing the exploitation and extraction of resources rather than a reduction through efficient usage, only putting more pressure on the environment. Because Consumption determines environmental impacts and is a major driver of climate change, affluence needs to be addressed to reduce global consumption. Additionally, Neoclassical economies,in pursuit of infinite growth, are advocating for environmentally sustainable consumption without sacrificing growth through proposals such as green growth and circular economy. This however will not address the vast global inequality nor is there evidence to support the effectivity of economies adopting these solutions. Decoupling material usage and CO2 emissions lacks viability as research suggests that growth cannot be obtained without further damaging the Earth's ecosystem. Due to the second law of thermodynamics, energy dissipates,and entropy rises without constant stocks of energy input, therefor complete decoupling of growth from emissions is impossible. There will always be waste in growth,and energy inputs are needed to prevent such wastes which is also costing to the earth's system. Furthermore, according to the Jevons paradox, any efficiency gains will bring forward a reduction in costs, leading to further investment into growth, fuelingmore consumption.

To prevent the worst effects of climate change and irreversible damage to the planet’s ecosystem, the average rise in global temperature may exceed no more than 2°C in comparison to pre-industrial levels.  To achieve this, a global efforts to be made and Degrowth may offer the solutions needed to reverse the worst effects of environmental degradation and make preventative advances to an environmentally and socially sustainable future. Degrowth isdefined as “a voluntary transition towards a just, participatory, and ecologically sustainable society”. As Neoclassical Economics is socially constructed, there is hope that a new perspective can gain popularity and embed itself within the social structures and market paradigm, shifting the definition of what constitutes a good life, wealth, and fulfillment.

 

Wealth no longer measures life satisfaction

People’s perspectives on what constitutes wealth, success and a fulfilled life has changed. The idea of “living well” was an ideology by the Global South for finding new ways to operate the economy while respecting the earth system and abandoning its ecologically and socially destructive nature. Despite a growing welfare and economy, life satisfaction has diminished, especially in developed countries where overall wealth has increased yet the baseline of personal happiness remains comparable to countries with a lower GDP per capita. GDP served as a good indicator of wellbeing in correlation to wealth, however, there is a disconnect once economies reach a certain threshold of development. Once GDP and wellbeing decouple and before wellbeing starts to decline, countries may look to abandon the measurement of GDP. This would allow all economies the chance to develop equally before adopting a post-growth paradigm.  This may mean that wealthy nations need to experience a period of negative growth in order to reduce the economy to allow for equal share of resources across countries. Affluence has been found to be the driver of unsustainable trends, and the way in which the economy is built for growth is a driver of affluence.

 

The decoupling of GDP from well being could be due to societal inequality, immense competition bringing forward an increase in insecurity and vulnerability, a decline in social capital, a sense of losing personal identity and autonomy over one’s own life and a loss of trust in institutions. Despite the clear indications of the present economic structures failing and losing support, GDP remains the dominant measurement of progress and wellbeing.  

 

A new measurement for wellbeing

Downscaling of production and consumption sounds like a punishment, with the only beneficiaries being that which is non-human. However,a change in perspective allows us to see that our “sacrifice” would mean providing the earth with room to breathe by respecting planetary boundaries, ensuring a safe space for mankind to continue. However, instead of focussing on what we need to give up, such as material wealth, overconsumption, abandoning markets pushing growth and advertising, we could better move forward into a new and mindful society which sees what is to be gained. Would it not be liberating to conceptualize wellbeing, setting us free free from money and enslavement to the system. And while reaching for this new ideology of wealth; environmental and social injustices will naturally decline in correlation to a decrease in GDP.

 

Downshifting To an equitable and sustainable future

It is evident that the world cannot continue as it has been under expansionary capitalism, nor should it want it to as our moral compasses try ignoring the reality of the injustices present and the market externalities being ignored in production and consumption. Social and environmental exploitation for accumulating wealth to achieve the goal of human wellbeing is not delivering the expected outcome as well being declined in economies which are becoming increasingly wealthier, putting an end to the American dream and all it promised.

To promote the transition to sustainable and socially inclusive society I propose bottom up, grassroots initiatives in changing ways of living, voluntarily downshifting away from materialism and capitalism. Rejecting growth and all measurements thereof by embracing new post growth perspectives which abolish structural violence and hierarchy on any scale. Bringing forward social and behavioral change, everyone makes the choice themselves to live a life with different meaning and forming community with those striving for the same lifestyle and sharing the same perspectives.

This may seem far-fetched and unrealistic, but as humans with malleable brains, we are able to adjust and capitalism came to dominate, so to can an alternate lifestyle choice.

This will not be an easy transition due to the nature of capitalism being the natural state of things due to how deeply rooted into the economy it is, and the fact that society and culture is slow to change. However, in reliance with other Degrowth proposals,support and influence can be harnessed while building small scale societies and communities.

As the saying goes, “power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely”- Lord Acton. As power inherently becomes institutionalized within the presence of the state, policies will serve specific interests regardless of initially being well intentioned or not. As The state has this power to institutionalize its leaders; the collective wellbeing of society will not be served by the state. For this reason, in promoting the transition to simplistic and downshifted societies, local municipalities should be formed and given the responsibility to empower, support and encourage local communities, acting in the best interest of the collective in a way which is just and democratic.

Voluntary downshifting relies on individual choice to work fewer hours in order to have more time to do what they love for themselves, their families and their community. However, policies can have great power in transitioning to downshifted lifestyles if it is collectively voted for by society. This can be done through shortening the workweek, so fewer hours are worked by all, reducing the amount of money earned for all therefore reducing purchasing power, investing in communal land and sharedspaces to encourage social cohesion and community building rather than individualism.

Municipalities should have limited power in order to prevent its ability of becoming corrupted and the community should actively participate and have voting rights on municipal decisions. Focusing on community building, education,and value exchange between members of the community, transition can be embraced and supported while external factors recognized. Through educational attainment and development of welfare, value can be created within these communities and once all needs are met, resources could be shared with those outside of the community who are falling short of meeting their own needs. Such a system promotes sharing and distributing ‘wealth’ and prevents communities from falling back into a trap of having excess and consuming more than necessary or more than others. Besides such a downshift in lifestyle,there is power in giving, in sharing and in being kind. Living selfishly does not bring forward a fulfilled life according to the Dalai Lama who advocates generosity, peace and compassion while living a purposeful life with meaning being one where we live for others.

There is power in diversity,for that reason a separation of communities allows for development of different ways of living, new ways of care, self-sustenance, working in balance with nature, rewilding land through changed eating habits and pulling away from mass production practices. Seeing the outcomes of each community allows to build on the successes of those communities who are most successful in attaining fulfillment, and obtaining shared care, personal and community developments.  Within downshifted economies, and in line with the Gross National Happiness index implemented by Bhutan, societies could continue growing and developing on certain areas, prioritizing certain aspects such as healthcare, education and health while abandoning others such as materialism and money. GDP would resultantly start to fall, and developments in social justice and environmental conservation could be prioritized.

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