It is a political, economic, and social movement based on environmentalist, anti-consumerist and anti-capitalist ideas. Degrowth thinkers and activists advocate for the downscaling of production and consumption—the contraction of economies—as overconsumption at the root of long term environmental issues and social inequalities. Key to the concept of degrowth is that reducing consumption does not require individual martyring and a decrease in well-being. Rather, 'degrowthists' aim to maximize happiness and well-being through non-consumptive means—sharing work, consuming less, while devoting more time to art, music, family, culture and community.
Concept behind Degrowth
The movement arose from concerns over the perceived consequences of the productivism associated with industrialist societies (whether capitalist or socialist)
Ø The reduced availability of energy sources
Ø The declining quality of the environment
Ø The decline in the health of flora and fauna, and humans themselves
Ø The ever-expanding use of resources by first-world countries to satisfy lifestyles that consume more food and energy, and produce greater waste, at the expense of the third world
