Introduction
The modern economic order is not a neutral set of techniques, but a system that favors efficiency at the expense of mutual understanding. Capitalism, defined by the sequence of capital accumulation, imposes an imperative of growth for growth's sake. This article analyzes why we must abandon the fetishization of GDP in favor of metrics for well-being and ecological stability. You will learn how to rebuild institutions to serve people within planetary boundaries and why social justice forms the foundation of climate policy.
Profit vs. Needs: Justice and Technological Traps
The logic of capital accumulation (M → C → M′) prioritizes profit over human well-being. Jason Hickel points out that justice is the antidote to growth, as a fairer distribution of income and strong public services reduce the pressure for compulsive production. Without this shift, we fall into technocratic traps.
One of these is the Jevons paradox: increases in energy efficiency often lead to higher total resource consumption rather than a decrease. Another threat is BECCS technology. Hickel describes relying on it as an irresponsible gamble that legitimizes further accumulation at the expense of food security and biodiversity. True change requires reduction at the source, not technological crutches.
Well-being Purchasing Power: Public Services and Ecology
A key concept for the new economy is well-being purchasing power. It means that access to a dignified life depends on the quality of shared services, not just private income. The demonetization of basic goods—such as healthcare, housing, or education—systemically reduces the pressure to increase earnings and extend working hours.
An abundance of public services curbs the growth imperative and reduces demand for unnecessary production. In this context, social policy becomes the core of climate policy. To prevent carbon leakage to countries with lower standards, carbon borders combined with technology transfers are necessary. Cleaning up supply chains must be an act of global cooperation, not a new form of expansion by the wealthy North.
The Degrowth Program: Institutional Pillars of Change
The architecture of post-growth is based on a new metrology of success, replacing GDP with indicators of quality of life and ecosystem stability. A key pillar is the shorter workweek, which allows for a fair distribution of tasks under conditions of limited material production. Another element is the right to product durability, which ends planned obsolescence and restores autonomy to users.
A reform of the debt and monetary system is also essential so that credit mechanisms do not force destructive growth. The whole is completed by an ontological correction: abandoning the human-nature dualism in favor of an ethos of regeneration. In this model, institutions recognize the agency of nature, and the economy becomes a tool for human flourishing within the regenerative boundaries of the biosphere.
Summary
In the pursuit of growth, are we losing sight of the true goal—human flourishing in harmony with the planet? Perhaps the key to the future is the constant search for balance between economic aspirations and ecological limits. True progress is measured not by GDP indicators, but by the quality of life and the durability of our world. Can we imagine an economy that does not strive for constant expansion, but for fair sharing and the responsible use of resources?
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