Degrowth in Emerging Visegrad Economies?
by Vincent Liegey, Visegrad Revue, 24.11.2014
The idea of sustainability, of turning away from infinite growth in a world with finite resources has been gaining ground globally. Can it be applicable in the emerging Visegrad economies, where the promise of economic enrichment still dominates?
Photo: Creative Commons / Paul Sableman
A new movement founded around the provocative slogan “degrowth”[1] has emerged over the last 10 years. This “bomb word” has been used to open in-depth debates on whether infinite growth in a finite world is desirable or even possible. Degrowth first deconstructs the myth that growth is the central solution for the impasse our capitalist, productivist and consumerist societies have led us to. The movement tries to understand the convergence of the crises we are experiencing and argues that energetic, political and existential, economic and social and various environmental crises like climate change are interconnected. Our society’s “always more” attitude and the push towards increased production and consumption is not sustainable as we are now facing global warming, biodiversity loss, and the end of cheap and easy extraction and production of raw materials such as fossil energies and metals – in particular the ones used in renewable energies. Our model of development hasn’t been able to respond to raising inequalities and unemployment. GDP growth or just a quantitative reading is far from implementing a meaningful and emancipating life for all. So degrowth warns about a potential crisis of civilization and answers this by exploring alternative and coherent solutions.