It's no coincidence that ecological damage has reached a global scale just as the whole of global society is being connected up via vast networks of energy and material flow. Humans, products, and information develop and spread through these networks – yielding many great technical wonders, complex social structures, fundamental physical knowledge, and even environmental protection efforts. Along the way to achieving many great things locally, Earth’s abundance has allowed us to ignore global-scale costs. A community may reduce waste accumulation by exporting it elsewhere, a country may keep arable land out of production by exploiting land elsewhere, and a company may move pollution elsewhere by exploiting new energy and material pathways. But, from the perspective of global society, all of these elsewheres add up to one big “here.” The criticality of this moment stems from both the size and extent of ecological impact and the interconnectedness of its economic engine.

Degrowth calls for both a downscaling of economic activity, to abate ecological degradation, and a shifting of economic priorities, to enable the next evolution of global interconnectedness. Degrowth builds on many achievements of modern society, namely the ability to measure and sense the status of our shared global ecology, and the ease with which information can be shared, stored, and acted upon – across political and cultural barriers. And degrowth builds on social momentum toward more just and ecological technologies, policies, and ways of living together. However, in contrast to many framings of sustainable development, human flourishing, and the like, degrowth makes clear: a limit on economic activity is a co-requisite of such aspirations.  

To some, a “intentional economic downscaling for sustainability and social justice” will seem like controversial, to others it is a lurking suspicion that these issues are linked, and to a great many folks it is obvious. Especially for those who have been working hard to reduce environmental impact, build and spread ecological knowledge, and fight for justice in our socioeconomic relationships. This crowd senses that many of the savings gained through smarter resource use and more responsible supply chain practices are not actually put toward ecological restoration, nor are they conserved for future generations. Rather, ecological savings that result from innovation and well-meaning localized policies are redeployed on the global economic network. The imperative of economic growth dictates that this is what happens. If we want to realize the stated goals of sustainable development and environmental justice, we’ll need to enact economic limits at a global scale, negotiating all the complexities implied therein.

Degrowth entails a downsizing of wealthy economies and individuals who have already overshot ecological limits. Achieving a fair allocation of resource consumption will require economic growth in many contexts, and degrowth in others.

Degrowth needs a diversity of people to challenge growth at key points of leverage. That is how we will convert the building momentum of the degrowth movement into just, actionable, and exciting proposals for moving society beyond the growth imperative, at a global scale.

Imagine you are on a bicycle, coasting along a flat road and a hill appears up ahead. As the hill approaches you give the pedals an extra lurch of energy to start your uphill momentum. 

Our theory of change, and our strategy for enacting that change, can be likened to the parts of a bicycle drivetrain. While one pedal pushes down, the other pulls upward, creating the bike’s initial circular drive. The pedals turn a chain connected to the rear wheel sprocket, creating mechanical leverage that pushes the bike along the road.

We aim to be like a bicycle crankset, enabling the field of degrowth (the drive wheel) to spin together, with the requisite energy to move through a hilly and somewhat uncertain adventure ahead. Our actions have both push and pull, creating a continual energetic cycle:

PULL, i.e. opening up the intellectual space for existing degrowth voices and potential new ones to come together and build momentum. Actions include supporting the community of degrowth advocates with tools and resources, and developing degrowth content with a diverse array of voices.

PUSH, i.e., bringing explicit degrowth challenges and proposals into existing social and economic points of leverage. Actions include challenging sustainable development’s commitment to growth, developing proposals for international cooperation, and calling for balanced downscaling by focusing on wealthy economies and consumers first.