Produce Less – Exploring Degrowth

Climate communication has often emphasized hope, success and the possibility of staying within the 1.5°C threshold. Theresa Leisgang and Gerriet Schwen argue that this approach can obscure the severity of the climate crisis. Drawing on climate science, research and conversations with scientists, journalists and activists, they examine the growing evidence of ecological and social breakdown and the limits of optimistic narratives. They call for more honest communication about climate overshoot, systemic risks and the possibility of profound disruption. Rather than abandoning action, they argue for a form of hope grounded in realism: acting to protect life, prepare for crises and pursue meaningful gains even when outcomes remain uncertain.

Berry didn’t exempt himself from this critique of the destructive habits that draw down the ecological capital of the planet: “I am … still in bondage to the automobile industry and the energy companies, which have nothing to recommend them except our dependence on them. I still fly on airplanes, which have nothing to recommend them but speed; they are inconvenient, uncomfortable, undependable, ugly, stinky, and scary. I still cut my wood with a chainsaw, which has nothing to recommend it but speed, and has all the faults of an airplane, except it does not fly.”

Transcript of my interview with Kohei Saito on 1 st September, 2023 on the occasion of the 9th International Degrowth Conference in Zagreb. This interview was originally published in Czech in Alarm, a Czech left-wing online magazine, on 28 September 2023. This is the first English publication of the full transcript, approved by Kohei Saito.

Japan offers a distinctive perspective on degrowth, shaped less by deliberate economic contraction than by depopulation, ageing, and shrinking rural economies. Junko Edahiro examines how communities are adapting by placing wellbeing, resilience, sufficiency, and local participation ahead of conventional growth. From Transition Town Fujino’s local energy initiatives to the “Half Farmer, Half X” lifestyle model and Ama Town’s approach to living with fewer material resources, these examples show how communities can reorganize around what matters most. The article also explores Toyama’s wellbeing indicators and a practical framework for community development that connects future visions, systems thinking, and local action.

Openly discussing degrowth can be a great activity both for those who think about it a lot as well as those who never imagined that life can improve with less stuff. Our group examination proved a great way to let a thousand flowers bloom in people’s minds. Removing the ills of the old society is critical for survival but will come to nothing without provoking a cascade of ideas for building a new one.

The amount of materials needed to sustain an electrified future at the world’s continued pace of economic growth is as remarkable as it is troubling. By one estimate, at least 384 new mines will be needed by 2035.

Thessaloniki’s alternative food networks offer a grounded view of what degrowth can look like in practice. Cooperative groceries, solidarity kitchens, direct producer markets, community gardens and seed networks have developed around principles of solidarity, democratic participation, ecological sustainability and sufficiency. Emerging partly from Greece’s debt and social crisis, these initiatives have created new forms of food distribution, work and community participation. Yet they remain fragile, facing financial pressures, limited infrastructure, burnout and questions about social inclusion. This article examines both their achievements and contradictions, and considers what policymakers can learn from grassroots experiments already reshaping food systems.

The way of life of the vast majority of humanity is now wholly dependent on petroleum: in effect we eat it, wear it, get carried around by it, communicate through it, sit on it and medicate ourselves with it.  Oil has the virtue of being a dense and transportable energy source. It is not so difficult to substitute for oil in applications such as electricity generation, although the renewable energy capture systems themselves are made and maintained by burning oil.

Former Union Secretary E. A. S. Sarma has appealed to the Prime Minister not to permit private mining of Monazite, the mineral from which Thorium is extracted for India’s long-term nuclear energy programme. He argues that opening the sector to private firms would depart from the vision of Homi J. Bhabha, weaken strategic control over a critical national resource, and revive concerns arising from past instances of illegal mining and regulatory failures. The article outlines the history of beach sand mining policy, the significance of Thorium reserves, and the case for retaining Monazite extraction exclusively within the public sector.