Alternatives to growth. From sustainable development to degrowth and beyond 4030-AtG
Economic growth lead to an unprecedented improvement in material well-being, but also to a dramatic rise of material and energy flows, that destabilized the natural systems on a planetary scale. As the global ecological crisis worsen, the deeply intertwined nature of social, economic, and ecological life is becoming more apparent than ever. Despite recurring calls for sustainability, the much-needed transformation has not taken place yet. Instead, the very possibility of any meaningful change is being questioned, with fatalistic visions of imminent civilizational collapse becoming increasingly widespread.
Degrowth is a call for reimagining the future. Only recently the term has entered the academic world, and stirred the discussion about possible futures. In its core degrowth offers a vision for the radical transformation of society. More than just a critique of GDP growth, it provides a holistic overview and a radical questioning of the growth society - drawing both on natural sciences’ elaboration of biophysical limits and on social sciences and humanities’ insights on social imaginary and cultural frameworks. In order to avoid collapse of a growth society, degrowth calls for an ecologically sustainable and socially equitable downscaling of production and consumption. Contrary to sustainable development, degrowth intends to re-politicize and democratize the limits to growth discourse, by including marginalized voices, exposing power structures, and envisioning new futures.
Aside from degrowth, there are other concepts built on a critique of sustainable development. The ecomodernism constructs the optimistic narrative of human ingenuity. Technological breaktroughs will allow us to overcome the current catastrophism, and intensification of cities, agriculture, and energy production will leave more space for undisturbed nature to flourish. The doughnut economics seeks to combine planetary boundaries and social goals into one model for human flourishing. It has been widely acclaimed on a global scale, and several cities has been pioneering its implementation as a strategy of their development. The Green New Deal emerged as a key topic in the US presidential election in 2020. In May 2023, the Beyond Growth conference took place in the European Parliament, gathering hundreds of politicians, academics, entrepreneurs, and activists. Is the time ripe for a new chapter in the history of sustainability?
Our discussion will be revolving around the following questions:
- Is the concept of sustainable development still valid and appropriate, over 30 years after its formulation?
- What are the main lines of critique of sustainable development?
- What are the current trends in discussions about sustainability?
- Which new concepts of social-ecological transformation has recently emerged and gained traction?
- What are the ideas and practical solutions offered by concepts like degrowth, doughnut economics, ecomodernism, etc.?
- What are the political proposals of these new concepts, e.g. the Green New Deal?
- How these ideas are being implemented, and what are the lessons learned?
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
1. Knowledge. Upon completion the student:
• understands the concept of sustainable development in all its dimensions (K_W01)
• knows the global and regional environmental, social and economic challenges and understands the interrelationships between them (K_W02)
• knows and can properly use social, legal and technological, as well as planning and economic tools to implement sustainable development in different areas of activity (K_W05)
• knows how to apply an interdisciplinary approach to sustainable development, using information from a variety of disciplines, and is able to evaluate the contribution of these disciplines to solving problems/challenges related to sustainable development (K_W07)
2. Skills. Upon completion, the student has an ability to:
• initiate, actively participate in and lead teams preparing documents and strategies for the implementation of the principles of sustainable development in various types of institutions, as well as within grassroots movements and other social initiatives (K_U01)
• work across disciplines and across sectors - draw knowledge from different disciplines and sectors to synthesize new ideas and concepts (K_U02)
• pose critical questions and find appropriate solutions (K_U04)
• participate in international and local initiatives and academic and practical debates on sustainability issues (K_U06)
• identifies the weaknesses and strengths of the standard measures taken to solve the problems of sustainable development (K_U07)
3. Social competences. Upon completion the student is ready to:
• effectively communicates verbally and in writing with the public and professionals in various fields (K_K03)
• verify and respect the opinion of other team members (K_K05)
• care about the reliability and credibility of his/her research work (K_K07)
• coordinate the work of the team (K_K09).
Assessment criteria
The assessment criteria include: (a) activity during the workshop and (b) final assignment (essay or research mini-project)
Practical placement
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Bibliography
• ARONOFF, Kate, et al. A planet to win: why we need a Green New Deal. Verso Books, 2019.
• ASAFU-ADJAYE, John, et al. An ecomodernist manifesto. 2015.
• D'ALISA, Giacomo; DEMARIA, Federico; KALLIS, Giorgos (red.). Degrowth: a vocabulary for a new era. Routledge, 2014.
• ESCOBAR, Arturo. Encountering development: The making and unmaking of the Third World. Princeton University Press, 2011.
• GÓMEZ-BAGGETHUN, Erik; NAREDO, José Manuel. In search of lost time: the rise and fall of limits to growth in international sustainability policy. Sustainability Science, 2015, 10.3: 385-395.
• FITZPATRICK, Nick; PARRIQUE, Tim; COSME, Inês. Exploring degrowth policy proposals: A systematic mapping with thematic synthesis. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2022, 132764.
• HOPKINS, Rob; THOMAS, Michael; The essential guide to doing transition. Totnes: Transition Network, 2016.
• JACKSON, Tim. Prosperity without growth: foundations for the economy of tomorrow. Routledge, 2016.
• MARTINEZ-ALIER, Joan; MURADIAN, Roldan (ed.). Handbook of ecological economics. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2015.
• PARRIQUE, Timothée, et al. Decoupling debunked. Evidence and arguments against green growth as a sole strategy for sustainability. A study edited by the European Environment Bureau EEB, 2019.
• RAWORTH, Kate. Doughnut economics: seven ways to think like a 21st-century economist. Chelsea Green Publishing, 2017.
• REDCLIFT, Michael. Sustainable development (1987–2005): an oxymoron comes of age. Sustainable development, 2005, 13.4: 212-227.
• SCHMELZER, Matthias; VETTER, Andrea; VANSINTJAN, Aaron. The future is degrowth: A guide to a world beyond capitalism. Verso Books, 2022.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: