The Fourth International Degrowth Conference for Ecological Sustainability and Social Equity took place in Leipzig, Germany from September 2nd to 6th 2014. Almost 3000 people took part in the conference. The conference consisted of more than 500 events. You could find keynote speeches, panel discussions, scientific talks, discussion workshops as well as practical workshops and artistic formats. The conference showed the interest that exists for degrowth in Germany and made it possible to tie closer connections between the German and the southern European degrowth debate. Furthermore, links between the degrowth movement and other movements were strengthened, such as the climate justice movement. If you wish to read more about what was discussed at the conference you can stroll through the programme database and the press-review or watch a video of one of the events.
Moreover, you can read the following background information: > What made the conference special? > The host town of Leipzig
Thirty four years ago I published Abandon Affluence and Growth, with negligible effect, so it has been hugely satisfying to see the recent emergence of a degrowth movement. However, I believe some aspects of the movement need greater attention. Degrowth transition strategies especially should deal more effectively with the sheer magnitude of the problem we are facing. The magnitude of the prob...
When our book Post-Growth Society was published in 2010 in German, the term was entirely unheard of. Today, Post-Growth is the harsh reality in many countries, but this phenomenon is considered to be transitory. Governmental investment subsidies and infrastructure spending, consumer incentive programs and a generous monetary policy are supposed to re-stimulate growth. Additional governmental e...
On 14 March the last submission period closed for contributions to the conference. After a first quick review it was already clear that all expectations were far exceeded: more than 350 scientific papers were received from a broad range of disciplines such as economics, psychology, geography and urban planning. Further 260 proposals for practice-based activities were submitted by various civil-...
