Gerry McGovern9h ago

What is degrowth?

"The original and in my view essential meaning was about the need to dramatically reduce levels of resource use and ecological impact being produced by contemporary lifestyles and economies. This was the meaning evident in what appears to have been the first use of the concept ”decroissance”, by Andre Gorz in 1972."
Ted Trainer

https://degrowthuk.org/2026/03/16/degrowth-and-socialist-comrades-what-should-we-be-doing/

Degrowth and socialist comrades, what should we be doing?

Ted Trainer* This is an attempt to clarify this discussion of degrowth strategy, a topic on which I think there is considerable confusion and mistaken approaches. Debate has recently been fuelled b…

degrowthUK
Show threadGerry McGovern

"My primary concern is strategy for achieving the degrowth in throughput necessary for achieving an ecologically sustainable society, and I see this focus as enabling judgements which rule out various options and identify the most promising options. I suggest that, for now, it rules out socialist goals and strategies."

Ted Trainer

https://degrowthuk.org/2026/03/16/degrowth-and-socialist-comrades-what-should-we-be-doing/

Degrowth and socialist comrades, what should we be doing?

Ted Trainer* This is an attempt to clarify this discussion of degrowth strategy, a topic on which I think there is considerable confusion and mistaken approaches. Debate has recently been fuelled b…

degrowthUK
11:07amWeb
Show threadGerry McGovern9h ago

A degrowth world "cannot be anything like the present energy and resource-intensive, capital-intensive, globalised, trade-intensive, unjust, investment-intensive, urbanised, highly industrialised, extractivist consumer society. It must cut resource use to something like 20% of present rich world per capita levels."

https://degrowthuk.org/2026/03/16/degrowth-and-socialist-comrades-what-should-we-be-doing/

Degrowth and socialist comrades, what should we be doing?

Ted Trainer* This is an attempt to clarify this discussion of degrowth strategy, a topic on which I think there is considerable confusion and mistaken approaches. Debate has recently been fuelled b…

degrowthUK
Show threadSister Lucy Fur9h ago
@gerrymcgovern Provocative. I am curious if he'll persuade me to abandon socialist goals, which to me are about equity and fairness. Strategies, of course, are always up for debate and dynamic change.
Show threadGerry McGovern9h ago
@FIAR_Light I think the basic philosophy of socialism and degrowth share a lot: fairness, equity. But what degrowth is focused on first is a massive reduction in energy and materials consumption, and waste production.
Show threadSister Lucy Fur9h ago
@gerrymcgovern With which I concur heartily....I have the article to read in an open tab--will get to it shortly! Sadly, I don't know how we persuade people to do that though in my view a good start is taking out the 0.01% who are the biggest contributors to such horrific consumption/waste while destroying democracy, socialism or degrowth (as we see with more war and horror for foul fuels)....thanks for sharing, look forward to reading the article.
Show threadGerry McGovern9h ago

@FIAR_Light Sadly, I don't think we will. I have these conversations regularly with groups from many countries and people just laugh, look at me like I'm totally mad. The very idea of reducing consumption is simply not acceptable to the vast majority of people. That's why I see civilizational collapse as inevitable.

Our work is to be good ancestors and try and leave some good soil, water, air, ideas after us, that will help those who must start again.

Show threadSister Lucy Fur9h ago
@gerrymcgovern Yep--that's why starting with the 0.01% would make the relatively minimal consumption of the majority less onerous....but, yeah, I agree with you. I think Roger Hallam is correct and our species is hurtling toward its own self-inflicted extinction.