Degrowth: the ‘enough can be enough’ lifestyle that makes you happier and healthier

Degrowth is an aspirational way of life where economic expansion is no longer a priority and the result is that people form stronger social bonds among each other and within communities. There is greater economic equality and far less environmental damage.

People in favour of degrowth decry the current economic/social paradigm of “faster, higher, further” as harmful to nature, given its relentless race to extract and monetize natural resources. They also abhor its competitiveness, stress and exclusion at the expense of the care, solidarity and cooperation necessary to help ourselves out of our humanitarian and ecological crises.

The term “degrowth” first came into common usage among proponents following the first international conference devoted to the topic in Paris in 2008. It has since entered the wider social lexicon through the media and academic writing – and as a battle cry for many environmental advocates working to dial down our carbon emissions to combat climate change.

Degrowth also means extending democratic decision-making and political participation to all corners of society, acknowledging the ability of local populations to make their own decisions about how to retain self-sufficiency and sustainability in the face of socially and ecologically turbulent times. Also, degrowth advocates say we should be relying on cooperation, planning and a conservation ethic to solve our environmental problems instead of waiting for technological fixes that may or may not even work.