Degrowth Group Assembly Process

Politics of Sufficiency

About

Working group formed for the International Conference on Degrowth 2014.

Which policies support sustainable lifestyles and is this approach sufficient for degrowth?

Papers

C. Aall, “Investigating the potential of applying theories on rebound effects to the climate discourse: The case of climate change adaptation in winter tourism”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Degrowth2014_Aall_Rebound and climate.pdf (818.24 KB)PDF icon 3321.pdf (455.16 KB)
S. Abdallah, “BRAINPOoL: Lessons from the Beyond GDP world for degrowth”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon jeffrey_beyondGDPIndicatorsForADegrowthTransition_Brainpool.pdf (2.19 MB)PDF icon 3464.pdf (89.04 KB)
A. Acosta, “Beyond extractivism: Debates and Practices around Post-Extractivism  in Latin America”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3791.pdf (41.08 KB)
A. Acosta, “Post-Extracivism and De-Growth: Two Sides of the Same Perspective?”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3792.pdf (50.53 KB)
A. Acquarone and Prohias, J. Pàmias, “The Foundation Theory”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3497.pdf (307.73 KB)
J. - L. Aillon, Dal Santo, Pstudent in, and Dal Santo, Pstudent in, ““Health and Degrowth”, a new paradigm in the field of sustainability”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Degrowth2014_Aillon_Health_Health and Degrowth, a new paradigm in the field of sustainability short .pdf (11.94 MB)PDF icon 3503.pdf (2.8 MB)
J. - L. Aillon and Dal Santo, Pstudent in, “Degrowth, youth and utopia: understanding the roots of distress in order to take ownership of our future”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Degrowth2014_Aillon_Sources of resistance. land grabbing, mining and youth distress_Degrowth, youth and utopia understanding the roots of distress in order to take ownership of our future.pdf (8.65 MB)PDF icon 3498.pdf (119.53 KB)
J. - L. Aillon, Guindani, M., Dal Santo, E., Zummo, S., Montis, A., and Pallante, M., “How to built, organize and manage degrowth movements rooted in the territory?”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon Aill.pdf (253.23 KB)
R. Aitken, “Building a social and ecological economy through a social accounting model of banking”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3636.pdf (104.07 KB)
B. Akbulut, Adaman, P. Fikret, Arsel, M., and Avci, D., “De-growth as Counter-Hegemony? Lessons from Turkey”, in Fourth International Conference on Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity, Leipzig, 2014.PDF icon 3737.pdf (70.75 KB)

Participants

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Results from Leipzig 2014

General strategies

  • Focus on local policies (bottom-up participation)

  • Offer alternatives:

    • both infrastructural & actual policies to try out alternative activities (like free bus pass)

    • particularly to new residents because of higher acceptance of habits change when the life context changes

    • present sufficiency in a positive way

  • Recognize sufficiency supporting policies in mainstream policy fields, start by implementing these “low hanging fruits”

  • Campaigns accompanying policies

Concrete Ideas for Policies

  • Check where are blockades for sufficiency in the tax system + ecological tax reform: increase tax on resources and energy + lower tax on labor while addressing social impacts

  • Better functioning of emission (reduction) systems

  • Increase transparency

    • product labelling (positive and negative)

  • Progressive electricity tariffs

  • Speed limits : highways: 120, city 30, elsewhere 80

  • Right to lower working hours

  • Sufficiency education

    • p.e. ecology, consumer awareness, sustainability, excursions... at all levels of edu

    • Communicate it as basic education (no special course) eg global awareness

    • p.e. like at Lüneburg University first year only for sustainability studies

    • Practice School gardens

    • Theory: documentaries, information material, workshops

Controversial

  • Use of terms: “Sufficiency Politics” or “Politics of the good life”

  • Individual ecological footprint limit

Results from Barcelona 2010

Here you can find the results of the GAP at the Degrowth Conference 2010 in Barcelona that are particularly relevant for this working group. More.