![]() We really are talking about laws of physics rather than social science data.īreakdown, degrowth will still be a reality we need to face. Highly polluting and inefficient in terms of the net energy it provides. Oil is running out and that unconventional oil and gas production is both This isīecause of the close correlation between fossil fuel use and economic growth. Graphic: FeastaĪbout degrowth – which The Irish Times piece failed to mention – is thatĭegrowth is going to happen, no matter what we do. So, exactly whose portion of the economy needs to contract the most? The answer seems pretty clear. These are the people with high discretionary income, in contrast to those on the lower end who may well be in a vulnerable financial state already. The population produce at least five times the emissions of the lowest For example, in both the US and UK, the top 10 per cent of Huge variation in the effects of degrowth on different segments of the The huge variation in responsibility for emissions in society, and the equally These measures include financial system reform, the introduction of a basic income and a shift in taxation away from labour toward any income that owes its existence to the use of a common good such as the use of the atmosphere as a carbon dump, land value and financial speculation. Moreover, we may well need to deal withĪ far deeper and more permanent economic contraction in the future than theĢ008 one, and so those risks will be amplified.įeasta research has shown that certain ‘upstream’ measures could significantly help to increase Irish society’s resilience during degrowth. (or progress) does not directly correlate, this is not to dismiss the risks The relationship between growth and wellbeing is a highly complex one. Inherent limitations – discussed in a recent Feasta podcast – it seems clear that The worst slump during the recession in 2013. Index (NWI) had a slump in 2004, at a time of economic boom that was as bad as To formulate a well-being index for Ireland.Īnd healthcare and education expenditure are among the positive factorsĬonsidered in the index, while negative ones include crime rates, inequality,Ĭommuting time and several forms of environmental degradation.Īs the chart below shows, this Well-Being Wellbeing’, in collaboration with the German research institute FEST, published a study in 2017 that used 20 different measures Other research paints a more nuanced picture. Times piece on the effects of recession is certainly a matter of concern, Identifying steps that could help lessen the challenge and stress of dealing Underway that investigates the exact relationship between growth and wellbeing, Combine it with his downplaying of the risks presented by climate disruption and his stance becomes downright dangerous. Inevitably be highly socially damaging, with no chance whatsoever of any silverĪnd his error is quite a troubling one, as it could contribute to misunderstandings and even panic, thus helping to bring about the very suffering that he’s worried about. But Paul is wrong to assume that an economic contraction will Yes, recessions have not been happy times, ![]() You prefer) can present significant threats to the current economic system. As with climateĭisruption, it’s clear that economic contraction (or degrowth, or recession, if People in the eye and tell them what it really means?”Ĭoncerns about degrowth’s potential negative effects. “on-message” politicians and “woke” young people who claim that degrowth couldīe a positive thing: “If you are going to champion degrowth, shouldn’t you look “poorer, sadder and less healthy.” This, the author states, “is incontrovertible There is absolute, rock-hard evidence that degrowth will always make people CatastrophicĬlimate change, as the article puts it, is “only a risk, not a certainty”. That green growth may not be necessary anyway, as environmental degradation mayĪctually turn out to be a less serious problem than feared. He described them as “fetishists” whose proposals would in fact cause severe suffering.Įxpanding the economy while avoiding environmental damage – is “a fallacy, theīiggest attempt to have cake and eat it in history”. In an oddly-phrased opinion piece in The Irish Times last Friday, business journalist Mark Paul criticised those who argue that economic contraction – degrowth – will bring about a happier society.
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