In my view degrowth is required, either we do it on our own or climate change will degrow for us. It’s necessary not only to combat climate change but also ecological destruction. Jason Hickel is maybe the most well-known author on the topic, though it’s a much broader field.
To be clear, degrowth is not a form of primitivism, it’s not genocidal or Malthusian. It’s simply the concept that especially/primarily in the global north/imperial core production and consumption must be curbed, we are simply using more resources than can be supported by the planet. Planned obsolescence and unchecked consumption cannot continue. Those living in areas with sufficient productive ability need to shift production towards things that are necessary to allow those in the global south the ability to achieve standards of living available in the global north.
I know it’s controversial among some communists, so I wanted to see what lemmygrad thinks about the concept.
I really wish there were more discussion of the topic. I think too often communist spaces can be so focused on geopolitical strife or following a specific historic line that analysis of these modern and extremely pressing issues just isn’t available.
I’m interested in why you say there aren’t any resource issues. For example, if every person on earth were to live like an average American we would need something like 5 earths for all of the resource inputs and land usage. I see many, from socdems to purported marxist-leninists (really patsocs) saying that we must spread American living across the world, and it’s simply not feasible.
Absolutely agree that borders being abolished is a bare minimum to help with these issues.
