If there’s one value that will be instilled in me forever by my grandma, it’s to treasure and take care of everything you own. During one conversation her, she told me about her childhood, and how she and her family lived. It was a simple life by modern standards. But ‘simple’ doesn’t translate to unhappiness. For they had everything they needed. 

But the fundamental principle that governs our economics is economic growth particularly at a macro scale with rising GDP. Although this can be a useful indicator of rising wages and better public services which are vital to a country and its citizens it doesn’t reveal the full picture. We often use this single indicator of a rising GDP to measure our economic health and stability but in reality this number is far too simplistic to define our economies.Even Simon Kuznets, the inventor of the concept of GDP, warned us not to define our economic health and stability with this number. But at the time in a post-depression world, we were so desperate for a simple way to define our economy. We forgot people are far more nuanced than a number. 

But surely growth is good? You ask. Its the basic linear progression we are all familiar with. 

Let us think about the economy differently, as a living organism. Think about you as a human. You grew, you increased in size and complexity (this is the stage developing countries are in), and then you were physically developed enough. Your body reached a state of equilibrium. This applies to the economy too. Once everyone has access to the goods and services they need, should we really be growing excessively more? Economic growth is closely linked to the increased consumption of material goods. And with this increased consumption bulldoze through our forests. We deplete our mines. We pollute the air we breathe and the water we drink. So now in the developed world, we need to find this stability once more.

And how do we do that? Degrow. The planned restructuring of the economy and reduction of energy and resource use to bring the world back into safe planetary boundaries, in a safe and equitable way as outlined by circular economist Kate Raworth.  How can we make degrowth a reality? First and foremost, we need to reduce consumption and there are actionable steps we can take. Think about the energy it takes to extract, manufacture and transport all the goods in the world. It’s a lot. And reducing this, requires a shift in the way we interact with material goods. 

I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed the things we buy don’t last as long. Because the cheaper something is to manufacture, the worse quality it is yet the greater the potential profit that can be made. But, it wasn’t always this way. I found out recently that our vacuum cleaner is twenty-five years old. I highly doubt any modern vacuum cleaner would last this long. But some companies are taking action. Patagonia, the outdoor clothing company, has launched a scheme where they repair worn items of clothing, for free. Imagine how our consumption would plummet if companies bore responsibility for the waste they create and are held accountable for their placing of profits over the planet.  

But perhaps the most powerful path to degrowth is cultivatingcommunity. And this is when my grandma’s stories flooded back to me once more. The reason why they were so happy living simply was because their lives were enriched by those around them. She lived in a compound, with multiple families, and a shared courtyard space where everyone would come together.A new baby born in the compound meant a new home for my grandma’s old clothes that she had outgrown. 

A feasible pathway for degrowth to occur is introducing the idea of a library economy. What if every community had a library of goods and tools that everyone needed but not all the time. Say you need an electric drill to put together a new shelf, unless you’re really into DIY you don’t need your own one. This not only reduces consumption but saves money too. The same applies to cars. Four times more productive capacity is mobilised to produce SUVs than to produce public transit. We do need electric cars, but only to fill in the gaps that public transport cannot. Because we often forget the energy intensive processes that go into creating our lithium batteries, solar panels and wind turbines. So we want to minimise the number we need, and the way we do that is by using less and caring for what we do have MORE.  

So what is stopping us from creating a more equitable and sustainable society – politics. Our politicians are still focusing on fostering growth through increased consumption as opposed to creating a more sustainable economy. Most who speak out against degrowth say in the short time we have to turn this climate crisis around, we won’t be able to form these communities, to reduce consumption and convince world leaders degrowth and reduced consumption. is a solution. 

But I have faith. Our generation is one who isn’t afraid to speak out against the wrongs in society whether it is about social justice or fossil fuels, with the internet it has never been easier to rally people together for a common, imperative cause. 

Yes, this can liberate us from our obsession with material goods but the community it can create is far more beautiful. The challenges we face and will face, will test the boundaries of humanity. But facing these crises together, as a more equal society, will make us even more powerful.