Degrowth is not a dirty word

Continuing with capitalism, which by definition must constantly expand, on a finite planet, is like running full speed head first into a brick wall.

Photo by Isaac Quesada on Unsplash

The human population will naturally stop growing. This is not a problem. Education, emancipation and increasing wealth leads to a decline in the birth rate. Women need to be educated and empowered. The debts that developing nations owe to developed ones must be cleared immediately and extensive reparations paid to countries like Haiti.

Next we need a system that enables people to live and pay taxes without requiring economic growth to feed their families. Some suggest that useful things like working shouldn’t be taxed at all, but that unhelpful things like sugary drinks, plastic, animal products, frequent flying, big cars, space tourism, private jets and yachts should be taxed instead.

Capitalism requires that in order to make a living for many there has to be continued profit. This comes from the never ending expansion of markets and the relentless extraction of finite resources. Thus the rich end up with the way more than they need and the poor with way less. And the earth ends up exhausted and infertile.

Small scale, mostly self-sufficient and autonomous, urban communities could produced their own food, clothes, arts, books, entertainment, comedy shows, music, yoga classes, teachers and healers and provide care for their elderly and those unable to contribute. Perhaps there might be a small nuclear power plant? No capitalist expansion of markets, no exploitation of ‘women’s work’, migrants or developing country’s labour and resources, but rather eco-socialism, fairness and community.

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