De-growth and CSOs

26th of March 2010

Leida RijnhoutANPED

Executive Director

leida@anped.org

SD: What went wrong ?

Goal of SD movement is to achieve sustainability, social and environmental justice and equity worldwide

• BUT: How do CSOs integrate SD in their activities ?

Unfortunately more or less the same at

governments and business did -> too much focus on eco-efficiency only

and not questioning the main roots of environmental degradation and social injustice.

They do not ask for paradigm shift, but keep on promoting a kind of green capitalism and consumerism development

‘Contraction and Convergence’

Environmental Space

Developing countries

Industrial countriesFormer Eastern European countries

Level of welfare

Use

of

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ura

l re

sou

rces

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Ceiling (= overconsumption)

Floor (= dignity life line)

Based on Rochol

Why not use this model?

• Within the mainstream CSOs, trade unions, ..• Researchers and think tanks were the first to

initiate the degrowth debate• Degrowth debate is very new for most CSOs• Resistance of word and strategy, because of

“negative message” • Most CSOs are getting part of (official)

stakeholders dialogues, and that position often makes them less critical (cooptation)

Collective denial !! :

CSO have to take the lead!

• .. because it is our responsibility

• If we deny reality the problems will increase, as well the measures to take

• Leads to more drastic decisions (‘war economy’)

• Threat for democracy

• Social dramas – for most the vulnerable groups

The future (1)

• Sense of urgency: For ANPED and other networks it is very important to push forward the agenda of “sufficiency”, “contraction and convergence” and “degrowth”.

• Stimulate mainstream CSOs to do the same: stress their obligation and “reason to be” to be more radical in their views - not only duplicate governmental policies on eco-efficiency

• Be realistic ! Not utopian by thinking that the planet will grow together with our economic growth obsession

The future (2)

• Future scenarios: based on what is possible (availability of natural resources, absorption capacity of the Earth) and not on what we “desire”:, status quo on many things, more jobs, more economic growth, more material wealth, ...

• We need to think more in terms of transition, well being, carrying capacity, justice, long term strategies, coherence, ..

New paths to take (1)

• A lot of small initiatives are taken, inspired by scientists, and the books they wrote. But still isolated from mainstream CSOs.

• The first degrowth conference in Paris was huge success. Barcelona will be as well.. :-)

• ANPED-network (on SD) is involved in those dynamics, and will continue working in this framework. It fits in the capital approach of SD and the so called “strong sustainability”

New paths to take (2)

• In Holland scientists and small organizations started a platform on a fair and green economy, which after three years is gaining space. Slow but positive process.

• In many other countries we see same things happening, like “Growth in Transition” conference in Vienna

• In an official meeting, a UNEP-director proposed to start to talk about the “D”-word.

• To find allies with other networks with the same goals, although they don’t use the word “degrowth” : Monday sessions !!

THANK YOU !THANK YOU !

gràcies, gracias,gràcies, gracias,

ezkerrik asko, bedankt, merci, danke, ..ezkerrik asko, bedankt, merci, danke, ..

Leida Rijnhout

Leida@anped.org

www.anped.org