57. Degrowth

Twenty years have elapsed since the idea of degrowth explicitly entered the public debate, challenging the ideal of sustainable development and articulating an urgent appeal to growth-driven societies to abandon the ceaseless quest for growth and devise more sustainable, just and democratic ways of living together. Three basic principles inform the degrowth program: produce less; share more; decide together. In practical terms, this involves relocalizing the majority of our economic activities, opting for low technology, striving for self-production based on the commons, and radically democratizing our societies. This radical political proposition offers a clear and coherent framework for people who seek to ‘change the world’ through social innovation.