The ecological economist adds to his message that relentless economic expansion is killing the planet with a set of more philosophical reflections. But does ‘post growth’ offer as many answers as the Green New Deal?
Shortly after the release of Tim Jackson’s Prosperity Without Growth (2009) – a landmark text of the “degrowther” movement, praised by sustainability advocates from Prince Charles to Noam Chomsky – the author was summoned to meet with a senior adviser at the Treasury. Jackson explained his basic arguments to the spad: our addiction to ever-increasing GDP is destroying the planet; it is difficult to decouple economic growth from unsustainable practices; hence, we must supplant consumerism with a non-material conception of prosperity based on creativity and care work. The adviser listened carefully before posing a simple question: “What would it be like for Treasury officials to turn up at G7 meetings knowing that the UK’s GDP had slipped down the rankings?” Jackson was, he writes, “dumbstruck” by this response. “How could I have missed that the politics of the playground is evidently still in action, even in the highest echelons of power?” The scholar made his excuses and left early.
This story – recounted in Post Growth, Jackson’s much-anticipated follow-up book – carries a wider significance for his school of ecological thought. “Degrowth” has been described by one of its founding figures, Herman Daly, as “a slogan in search of a programme”. The imperative to respect the Earth is undeniable, but when it comes to the political insight needed to effect this change, degrowthers often seem to falter. Whereas so-called “green growthers” – such as the green new deal supporters clustered around the Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders movements – have written detailed legislative proposals and established powerful campaign groups, GDP-sceptics have not yet articulated a realistic plan to achieve their radical vision. Their aloofness from the “politics of the playground” might be an intellectual strength, but it is also a strategic weakness.
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“Grey-green lichen shimmers on the moist archway. Its musty scent conjures the grim reality of long-forgotten lives. Liminality is populated with restless spectres from earlier transitions and uncomfortable glimpses into the immortal abyss … The sun dazzles you anew after the shadow of the bridge. Blue sky dances on the dappled water … Steam gives way to sail is the oldest rule in the book, from the smallest waterway to the widest ocean. And yet, inevitably, the lower reaches are dogged by thwarted tacks to windward and hurried avoidance strategies.”
Post Growth by Tim Jackson is published by Polity (£14.99). To order a copy go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply.
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