A BBC documentary featuring academics, activists and co-op members, explores the concept of degrowth as an alternative to endless economic growth.
Aired on 3 August, Can ‘degrowth’ save the world? starts by describing how degrowth theory gained prominence after a series of scholars began questioning the limits to growth.
“I came across a book on ‘degrowth’ about two years ago, and I was instantly fascinated by the concept and how it brought together crucial issues like climate change, social justice, a just economic transition, and North/South relations,” says producer Alvaro Alvarez Ricciardelli.” When I discovered that many of the academics and activists working on degrowth were based in Barcelona (where I spend a lot of my time), I saw an opportunity for a documentary. I pitched the idea to the BBC, who were very keen on it from the outset,” he adds.
Though not mentioned in the documentary, mathematician, statistician and economist Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen is widely regarded as the main intellectual figure inspiring the movement. In 1971 he published The Entropy Law and the Economic Process, arguing that all natural resources are irreversibly degraded when used in economic activity.
A year later another group of academics published The limits to growth, which also argued that the limits to growth on the planet will be reached sometime within 100 years.
These works inspired a generation of scholars to question the benefits of growth, particularly when measured in terms of GDP.
Proponents of degrowth also favour the democratisation of the economy and collectively managing key resources like housing – including through housing co-ops. The documentary features Cireres, a housing project led by Sostre Civic, a housing co-op in Barcelona as a case study.
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Founded in 2004, Sostre Civic has 1,000 members and 17 ongoing projects, comprising 236 homes. It retains collective ownership of the property and members are granted the right to use the dwellings for 75 years.
“It’s a place where life in the community happens a lot,” says Ester Alegre, a co-op member who, prior to moving into the co-op, struggled with Barcelona’s high rents, having to move from one place to another. “Now I know that if I want I don’t need to move any longer.”
The co-op places a strong emphasis on building a community of people who support each other and share household items to lower consumption.
“Apart from reducing the impact of energy and material use, we are also bonding communities,” says Nina Turull, another member of the co-op.
Alvarez Ricciardelli says he chose to focus on initiatives happening in the city of Barcelona to make the documentary easier to follow and understand.
“The city has many examples of collective management of resources, such as co-operatives, which directly connect with the idea of the importance of the commons in degrowth theory,” he explains.
“Catalonia has had strong ties to co-operativism for many years; in fact, this year, Catalan co-operativism celebrated 125 years. I knew the city had many examples I could showcase, and I also knew that for such a conceptual documentary, it was important to have examples that could be both grounded and connected to real issues for many people, such as housing.
“I was particularly excited to discover Cireres. I thought it was a great project to bridge the gap between academia and the real world for audiences. As those responsible explained to me, Cireres is part of a larger ‘umbrella’ co-operative that operates various projects in the city. Moreover, they benefit from being in a region where co-operatives of many different types interconnect, creating a truly co-operative ecosystem.”
The documentary interviews several proponents of degrowth theory, including Joan Martinez-Alier, professor of economics and economic history at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain and the author of Ecological Economy; Giorgos Kallis, ecological economist and adjunct professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona; and Jason Hickel, economic anthropologist and professor at ICTA-UAB and visiting senior fellow at London School of Economics.
They suggest scaling down less necessary forms of production and scaling up regenerative food supplies, recycling and renewables.
Alvarez Ricciardelli thinks the documentary shows there is a connection between the concept of degrowth and co-ops.
“I believe the connection between degrowth and co-operativism is a really interesting one because it brings together issues we urgently need to tackle,” he says. “It also demonstrates that when people are made responsible for their own economic projects, they not only consider the environment but also the importance of building a wellbeing economy that can benefit everyone,” he adds.
Critics of degrowth theory argue that it underestimates the need for technological investments and social feasibility, would cost a lot and make people worse off. Many also argue that degrowth would be a risky experiment in the absence of any good examples of moving away from capitalism.
The documentary presents both sides of the argument, concluding that time is running out and “urgent changes are needed if we want to safeguard the future of humanity”.
Can ‘degrowth’ save the world? is available to watch on iPlayer.
This article was edited on 16 August to include more quotes
