Read the summary and the most important questions on Readings Government of Global Sustainability

• 1 What does degrowth mean? J. Hickel

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• Is the crossing of planetary boundaries due to humans or to a system?

  A system that is predicated (gebaseerd) on perpetual (eeuwige) expansion, disproportionately to the benefit of a small minority of rich people.

• Can GDP be decoupled from ecological impacts to make growth 'green'?

  No, it can be decoupled by replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, but this can't be done quickly enough to respect the carbon budget of 1,5/2 degrees if the economy continues to grow at the usual rate.

• What is the link between renewable energy and growth?

  More growth = more energy demand, more energy demand = harder to cover it with renewables in the short time we have left.

• What is the only feasible way to remain within the safe carbon budget?

  For high income nations to actively slow down the pace of material production and consumption, this reduces the energy demand which makes it easier to accomplish a rapid transition to renewables + it removes pressure on other planetary boundaries.

• Is degrowth reducing GDP?

  Degrowth is reducing throughput, this is likely to lead to a reduction in GDP growth, or even a decline in GDP

• Is degrowth the opposite of growth?

  Growth means an increase in materials and energy, so degrowth is an opposite of material growth which you buy with GDP, so in this light it is the opposite of growth, because people spend GDP on material consumption.

• 6 reasons why degrowth is the opposite of a recession: planned

  Degrowth is a planned policy to reduce ecological impact, reduce inequality and improve well-being, recessions are not planned and don’t target any of these outcomes.

• 6 reasons why degrowth is the opposite of a recession: discriminating

  Degrowth is discriminating on economic activity: scale down ecologically destructive and socially less necessary production (beef, private transportation etc.) while expending socially important sectors like healthcare, education etc. Recessions don’t discriminate, they often destroy socially important sectors while empowering less necessary sectors.

• 6 reasons why degrowth is the opposite of a recession: (un)employment

  Degrowth introduces policies to prevent unemployment, and even to improve employment (shortening the work week, introducing a job guarantee with a living wage). It is focused on maintaining and improving people’s livelyhoods despite a reduction in aggregate economic activity, resessions result in mass unemployment and everydag people suffer loss of livelyhood. 

• 6 reasons why degrowth is the opposite of a recession: inequality

  Degrowth seeks to reduce inequality and share national and global income more fairly, recessions tend to make inequality worse. (fe Covid: made rich people richer and poor people poorer).