Antirost

The concept of anti-growth (fr. Décroissance ) was first formulated by the French philosopher Andre Gorz in 1972; other French authors began to use it after the publication of the report of the Club of Rome " Limits of Growth " in the same 1972 ^[4] . Gorz himself was inspired by the work of Nicholas Georgescu-Regen , who published in 1971 his main work "The Law of Entropy and the Economic Process" ^[4] .

A key point for proponents of the idea of ​​anti-growth is the recognition of the existence of environmental limits that limit the scope of economic activity. In this regard, the concepts of “ecological capacity” or “ecological footprint” are used .

For example, according to Global Footprint Network , the current size of the global economy exceeds the carrying capacity of the biosphere by about 1.5 times (2009) ^[6] , which implies the need to reduce production and consumption at the global level.

Continued uncontrolled economic growth conflicts with the solution of global problems, such as the risk of catastrophic global warming of more than 2 ° C ^[8] , widening the gap between rich and poor countries, depletion of natural resources, ecosystem degradation and species extinction.

In this regard, societies of “sustainable anti-growth” ^[9] will use less non-renewable natural resources and switch to renewable energy sources .

The anti-growth criticizes the fixation of the modern world - first of all, the so-called “ global north ” - on consumption. Consumerism , as a rule, becomes possible due to inequality, leads to environmental degradation, and also does not provide a meaningful and happy life. Time to be freed up by reducing personal consumption and the efficient organization of labor can be devoted to arts, music, family, culture and society.

The following measures are among the most generally accepted among the anti-growth supporters:

1. Promotion of local monetary systems and a change in the principle of interest-bearing lending.
2. Transition to non-profit organizations and small enterprises.
3. Change of individual priorities and preferences and the adoption of a less consumer lifestyle, primarily in such areas as food, housing and transport. Refusal from excessive consumption of products with a high position in the food chain (meat), preference for public transport, smaller dwelling.
4. Restriction of production growth due to the introduction of environmental standards, in particular the system of quotas and auction trading ( Cap and Trade ) for scarce resources, as well as tax policy.
5. Elimination of commercial advertising from public spaces ^[10] .
6. Limitation of working time, its more flexible use. An important point is the new application of labor productivity growth, namely, its use for obtaining more free time, and not for the growth of commodity-cash flow, as is happening now.
7. Encouraging an “informal” local economy based on the principles of self-supply and mutual assistance.

Many advocates of the idea of ​​anti-growth recognize that the rejection of economic growth will lead to the danger of social conflict between rich and poor, and therefore it is necessary to limit the range of incomes and make the distribution of public goods more even. Some in this regard advocate the introduction of a fixed basic income for all citizens at the expense of the state.

A number of advocates of the idea of ​​anti-growth advocate anti-capitalist positions and call for a substantial restriction or complete abandonment of the institutions of a market economy.

The anti-growth movement includes groups supporting the ideas of environmental economics , anti-consumerism and anti-capitalism . In France, the Institute for Economic and Social Research of Anti-Growth was created ^[11] . In the summer of 2012, the 3000-kilometer Ecotopia bike ride was held with the motto “Toward Anti-Growth!”, During which 43 public actions in support of the anti-growth idea were held in the cities between Barcelona and Venice. The movement held international conferences in Paris (2008) ^[12] , Barcelona (2010) ^[13] , Montreal (2011) ^[14] , Venice (2012) ^[15] and Leipzig (2014) ^[16] . In Europe, the academic association Research & Degrowth ^[17] operates, its goal is to “bring together scientists, civil society, activists and practitioners”, it includes representatives from about 40 countries. Most of its events are organized in Spain (Barcelona) and France.

In Italy there is an organization called the Movement for a Successful Anti-Growth. The Five Star Party also supports the anti-growth concept, which received about 25% of the vote in the last election ^[18] .

The ideas of anti-growth are reflected in the positions of religious leaders. Pope Francis in the encyclical “Laudato si '” stated that it was time for rich countries to think about containing economic growth and even “taking steps in the opposite direction before it was too late.” At the same time, he condemns the exaggerated attention to population growth, pointing out the great importance of the "extreme" level of consumption of a privileged minority. ^[nineteen]