"The Future Is Degrowth" - 7. The future of degrowth

There are other challenges that have been only partially addressed in the book (there's a need for deeper discussion).

7.1 Class and race

Tendency to focus on ecological issues from class-blind perspective: in the degrowth spectrum, a majority of participants are white, from the Global North, have academic background. It may ignore the perspective of those who cannot consume less. It does not have to be this way.

-> Degrowth should speak directly to the question of class inequality, analyses the critique of consumerism through lens of class and emphasizes distributive justice. It's about overcoming class society, globally.

There's an urgent need to incorporate into degrowth how racial capitalism drives class relations within and between countries, and is intrinsic to capitalist growth. Some with connections between prison systems, policing and criminilization of marginalized populations. Need to tackle dynamic of exclusion that drive growth machine.

7.2 Geopolitics and imperialism

Degrowth advocates don't tackle geopolitical ramifications of transition (eg. relation between growth, state, imperialism and militarization).

Not clear at all under which conditions elites would give up their privileges. And what about the serious consequences within the current world system? What about possibilities of degrowth at transnational level (EU, Nato)?

Degrowth also needs to engage with demands for demilitarization, a strenghtning of democratic world politics, globally just trade and monetary order, and freedom of movement.

7.3 Information technology

Degrowth relationship with technology (IT) must be clarified. Even if some reject techs (eg. smartphones), degrowth actually has a lot to offer about IT, beyond absurdities of Silicon Valley's growth.

Possibility of prospective digital commons.

How could platform cooperativism (which refers to efforts to build new, cooperatively owned platforms) be integrated into degrowth vision? Links mush be made with communities living and working in rare earth, lithium mines.

7.4 Democratic planning

Another definition of degrowth:

A planned reduction of energy and resource use designed to bring the economy back into balance with the living world in a way that reduces inequality and improves human well-being.

What could "planning for degrowth" look like? Proponents of degrowth could further investigate in this type of planning, requirements, challenges, etc (eg. absolute cap in resource use, etc).

How would degrowth relate to, for example, the logistic industry, existing infrastructure projects? What kind of economic indicator instead of GDP?

7.5 Degrowth: a visionary pathway to post-capistalism

Many disregard degrowth as a romantic idea that cannot be taken seriously. But this observation should be rejected outright: it poses a set of key questions that all emancipatory alternatives need to address.

=> Degrowth is one important guide to a world beyond capitalism. We will need others on its side.