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From:
Amir Kassam <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Amir Kassam <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Sun, 29 May 2022 23:01:42 +0100
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*Global CA-CoP* *CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE COMMUNITY OF*

*for sustainable agriculture, land use and ecosystem management*

Dear Subscribers,

Please see herebelow a message from David Duthie of BIOPLAN regarding the
IPPC 1.5 "demand reduction" degrowth.

Apologies for any cross-posting.

*Amir Kassam *

*Moderator*

*Global CA-CoP*

e-mail: [log in to unmask]

URL: http://www.fao.org/conservation-agriculture

URL: http://www.act-africa.org/

URL: https://ecaf.org/
URL: http://www.caa-ap.org/


---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: David Duthie <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 26 May 2022 at 17:33
Subject: IPPC 1.5 "demand reduction" degrowth
To: bioplan <[log in to unmask]>


Dear BIOPLANNERS,



Have you ever wondered how the ever-shrinking “window of opportunity” to
limit atmospheric warming to 1.5oC never actually slams shut? (Spoiler
alert – it probably has).



It seems that the latest contortion those brave scientists in the IPCC have
had to increasingly turn to in order to keep the window open in their AR6
III report is……wait for it……..degrowth!



I sometimes wonder how many people read these huge IPCC reports but luckily
for us, there are few dedicated souls who are prepared to do so and publish
really useful digests.  One of these is Timothee Parrique, a champion of
all things degrowth.



Below my signature, I am pasting his original digest of the use of
“degrowth” in the main AR6 III report (the word was expunged from the SPM
and even the Technical Summary), but I noticed that Timothee has just
posted what looked like complementary post on “*Sufficiency means degrowth
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimotheeparrique.com%2Fsufficiency-means-degrowth%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921613211%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=rHJjLpaNA1upY%2BPvoWNgSpiCH3%2FOLAXOSTnrnsDRqU0%3D&reserved=0>*”
which read as a kind of supplement to the first – two well-researched and
hyperlinked articles for the price of one!



And as if this was not degrowth riches enough, Timothee maintains a very
comprehensive bibliography of degrowth resources, by sector, etc. – see here
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimotheeparrique.com%2Facademic-articles%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921613211%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=slgHasETR2J7y8Q%2FelRA4zlme9HaxmGfhWsTsh7buB8%3D&reserved=0>
.



Finally, also below my signature, are a couple of recent degrowth
references that I did not see in Timothee’s bibliography (yet)



Best wishes



David Duthie



****************

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****************



Jackson, Robert B. et al.*(2022) **Human well‐being and per capita energy
use. Ecosphere; https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3978
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1002%2Fecs2.3978&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921613211%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yXacmA3jvSUEwniL105O7p3Y5gfSbo3EaQUSnJQYHL0%3D&reserved=0>
(open
access)*



*Increased wealth and per capita energy use have transformed lives and
shaped societies, but energy poverty remains a global challenge. Previous
research has shown positive relationships among metrics of health and
happiness and economic indices such as income and gross domestic product
and between energy use and human development. To our knowledge, however, no
comprehensive assessment has examined to what extent energy use may limit
national‐level trends in such metrics. We analyze the maximum global
performance of nine health, economic, and environmental metrics by country,
determining which metrics increase with per capita energy use and which
show thresholds or plateaus in maximum performance. Across the dataset,
eight of nine metrics, including life expectancy, infant mortality,
happiness, food supply, and access to basic sanitation services, improve
steeply and then plateau at levels of average primary annual energy
consumption between 10 and 75 GJ person−1 computed nationally (five metrics
plateau between 10 and 30 GJ person−1). One notable exception is air
quality (energy threshold of 125 GJ person−1 across 133 countries).
Averaged across metrics, the 10 countries (with at least seven metrics)
showing the best performance given their per capita primary energy use are
Malta, Sri Lanka, Cuba, Albania, Iceland, Finland, Bangladesh, Norway,
Morocco, and Denmark. If distributed equitably, today’s average global
energy consumption of 79 GJ person−1 could, in principle, allow everyone on
Earth to realize 95% or more of maximum performance across all metrics (and
assuming no other limiting factors). Dozens of countries have average per
capita energy use below this 79 GJ energy sufficiency threshold,
highlighting the need to combat energy poverty. Surprisingly, our analysis
also suggests that reduced per capita primary energy consumption could in
principle occur in many higher energy‐consuming countries with little or no
loss in health, happiness, or other outcomes, reducing the need for global
energy infrastructure and increasing global equity. *



*Cover article at:
**https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/04/the-energy-requirements-of-a-good-life-are-surprisingly-low/
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.anthropocenemagazine.org%2F2022%2F04%2Fthe-energy-requirements-of-a-good-life-are-surprisingly-low%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921613211%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=AofirC1BryPEtEVYCssThh4k8umAZ78uhBmj%2FvXra%2F8%3D&reserved=0>
*



********************



Benjamin Leon Bodirsky (2022)* Integrating degrowth and efficiency
perspectives enables an emission-neutral food system by 2100. *Nature Food;
https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00500-3
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1038%2Fs43016-022-00500-3&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921613211%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=YA7wQiYOv%2BUyW7wJ%2BOi2TZs%2FnWIUSCL4fF3wx1ph%2FM4%3D&reserved=0>
(subscription
required)



*Degrowth proponents advocate reducing ecologically destructive forms of
production and resource throughput in wealthy economies to achieve
environmental goals, while transforming production to focus on human
well-being. Here we present a quantitative model to test degrowth
principles in the food and land system. Our results confirm that reducing
and redistributing income alone, within current development paradigms,
leads to limited greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation from agriculture
and land-use change, as the nutrition transition towards unsustainable
diets already occurs at relatively low income levels. Instead, we show that
a structural, qualitative food system transformation can achieve a
steady-state food system economy that is net GHG-neutral by 2100 while
improving nutritional outcomes. This sustainable transformation reduces
material throughput via a convergence towards a needs-based food system, is
enabled by a more equitable income distribution and includes efficient
resource allocation through the pricing of GHG emissions as a complementary
strategy. It thereby integrates degrowth and efficiency perspectives.
Income reduction in high-income regions is insufficient for mitigating food
systems greenhouse gas emissions. A deeper transformation is required that
changes consumption patterns and prices emissions. *



*Cover article at:*
https://phys.org/news/2022-05-world-degrowth-sustainable-food.html
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphys.org%2Fnews%2F2022-05-world-degrowth-sustainable-food.html&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921613211%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=TAGZIdqR%2BJnfni%2BVgZtwDzXgc1QLB%2FoIU7ae22PL7MY%3D&reserved=0>


************


Degrowth in the IPCC AR6 WGIII Timothee Parrique April 7, 2022
https://timotheeparrique.com/degrowth-in-the-ipcc-ar6-wgiii/
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimotheeparrique.com%2Fdegrowth-in-the-ipcc-ar6-wgiii%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921613211%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=uN7lpKZf0odSytHfEl%2FB4XndiJb8JFKI7HPcuv2dEuQ%3D&reserved=0>

Even after two days of binge reading, I still have trouble believing that
the last IPCC report “Mitigation of climate change
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ipcc.ch%2Freport%2Far6%2Fwg3%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921613211%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=q4d9mrT1zlFIV25x18OPIKz2hIi88f3R5BQ1e1I%2BXgw%3D&reserved=0>”
is real. The document is packed with powerful statements with radical
implications and might represent nothing short of a watershed in the
history of climate politics. There is so much to talk about and so I will
split the analysis into several articles.

This first one is about *degrowth*. The term is mentioned *7 times* (plus
21 times in the bibliography)[i] in the 2,913-page report. This is roughly
the same number of mentions than in the adaptation report, which had a
total of 27 mentions
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimotheeparrique.com%2Fdegrowth-in-the-ipcc-ar6-wgii%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=s%2FlPE5X35HhnjObZenioTU9nHll9R0DPillR8FQjelo%3D&reserved=0>
(15
in the text and 12 in references). Just like in the adaptation report,
“degrowth” is neither mentioned in the Summary for Policymakers
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qe9vAwp9vVvyrVOzfF1tTQAoMqJHoekocw0akNRgBqE%3D&reserved=0>
nor
in the Technical Summary
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_FinalDraft_TechnicalSummary.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=aFIyNmae3%2BlQgxLfpD6MSECT3GlmNigDy44VbsFFSm0%3D&reserved=0>,
even though we’ll see that the underlying idea is present (this will be the
topic of another article).

There are four places in the report where degrowth is discussed. In *Chapter
1: Introduction and framing*, degrowth is presented as an alternative
sustainability concept with a specific take on well-being; in *Chapter 3:
Mitigation pathways compatible with long-term goals*, it is discussed as a
scenario feature for modelling mitigation pathways; in *Chapter 5: Demand,
services and social aspects of mitigation*, it is evoked again in the
context of prospective scenarios; and finally in *Chapter 17: Accelerating
the transition in the context of sustainable development*, the term is
mentioned twice in a discussion about the transition.

*Degrowth and well-being*

The first mention occurs in Chapter 1: Introduction and framing
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_FinalDraft_Chapter01.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qBTe6g3cOOKgRoZBDTK%2FnVUlYfRlEO%2FWNmOTRIcswdc%3D&reserved=0>
in
a section titled “Concepts and frameworks for integrating climate
mitigation and development.” After a few paragraphs discussing the
relevance of the concept of sustainable development, there are two long
paragraphs that present nine “alternative sustainability concepts”:
doughnut economics, ecological modernisation, mainstreaming, green economy,
green growth, degrowth, post growth, post development, and just
transition.

After describing green growth, the authors add that “critics however argue
that green economy ultimately emphasizes economic growth to the detriment
of other important aspects of human welfare such as social justice (Adelman
2015
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwrap.warwick.ac.uk%2F85952%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=CnuJuXLVZDzU%2FZZOqosW5x%2F2EOp4ttuhHQrReTtVwv0%3D&reserved=0>
; Death 2014
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F02589346.2014.885668&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=8X7qdnl63f0J7TCL%2BmIrdfOgFAGBd6rCUgClpLBpdfs%3D&reserved=0>
; Kamuti 2015
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ajol.info%2Findex.php%2Fai%2Farticle%2Fview%2F131924&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4J1zvGGKPyUtXsdqW1B4DVu%2BfrCEmMMTWonardEYnJw%3D&reserved=0>)
and challenge the central idea that it is possible to decouple economic
activity and growth (measured as GDP increment) from increasing use of
biophysical resources (raw materials, energy) (Jackson and Victor 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.science.org%2Fdoi%2F10.1126%2Fscience.aay0749&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xaT0kwD0yv4EMzyk6Cguy%2BcnE%2B3kGVph6%2F98xrgLt5s%3D&reserved=0>
; Parrique et al. 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Feeb.org%2Flibrary%2Fdecoupling-debunked%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mPweneWJkybwysMDj7Z1Cz2K4FD4PftE9EUbQtWvdyU%3D&reserved=0>
; Hickel and Kallis 2020
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F13563467.2019.1598964&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=bcKBlrZoF5Nfz4KRFF%2BnrZ9NnTVCBtLMADNaTlaM5F8%3D&reserved=0>
; Haberl et al. 2020
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fiopscience.iop.org%2Farticle%2F10.1088%2F1748-9326%2Fab842a&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=QbacVc4QDqkuLyYwnQ5QO88J1elUip9csvKnYfQyEzw%3D&reserved=0>
; Vadén et al. 2020
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS1462901120304342&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=TWyH6BSP9AauoodpGEcZ7dKEhseu0O4oN57OsWDh5K8%3D&reserved=0>).”
It is in the following sentence that the term is mentioned: “Literature on
*degrowth*, *post growth*, and *post development* questions the
sustainability and imperative of more growth especially in already
industrialised countries and argues that prosperity and the ‘Good Life’ are
not immutably tied to economic growth (Escobar 2015
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs11625-015-0297-5&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=rqWCbyNTONf1Ylz7%2BSSQE8iC0VV9t1Tzaqt5C0nuKlg%3D&reserved=0>
; Asara et al. 2015
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs11625-015-0321-9&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xpYQDyeV4qG28zVEEy8riW8X5CH9JHGxEPlHQWzzf3I%3D&reserved=0>
; Kallis 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F10455752.2017.1386695&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=VoOg9BFhzOKHoNAALhwj27s5v9BMM36LXykWm%2BwgN8g%3D&reserved=0>
; Latouche 2018
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.springerprofessional.de%2Fen%2Fthe-path-to-degrowth-for-a-sustainable-society%2F15095662&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=QHRdOyPEsZt6wkIZG9ktSudoRspdkv8R4xh4Pxiirjc%3D&reserved=0>;
see also Section 5.2.1 in Chapter 5)” (Ch.1 p.41).

The sentence points to sub-section 5.2.1 “Metrics of well-being and their
relationship to GHG emissions” which can be found in Chapter 5: Demand,
services and social aspects of mitigation
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_FinalDraft_Chapter05.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=TzPJCQj5tDsBXwNFXKgVqcrvHONA3MiEsTPYY%2F9uYxw%3D&reserved=0>.
There is much to say about how remarkable Chapter 5 is and I’ll write
another article just about that. But for now, let’s have a look at a few
relevant passages on the topic of degrowth and well-being.

Let’s start with the idea of “minimum and maximum standards of
consumption.” “Reducing GHG emissions associated with *high levels of
consumption* and material throughput by those far above DLS [Decent Living
Standards] levels has potential to address both emissions and inequality in
energy and emission footprints (Otto et al. 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41558-019-0402-3&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839921769441%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ftGJ7SERwhOIA4U35kaunh93%2B3LAAWzUGE7%2FV4ZWSpo%3D&reserved=0>)”
(Ch.5 p.18). (The title of the cited paper is “*Shift the focus from the
super-poor to the super-rich*.”) “The challenge then is to address the *upper
limits of consumption*. When consumption supports the satisfaction of basic
needs any decrease causes deficiencies in human-need satisfaction,
contrary, in the case of consumption that exceeds the limits of basic
needs” (Ch.5 p.18). The focus on *high levels of consumption* with the
objective of reducing consumption (putting an *upper limit of consumption*)
is one important aspect of degrowth.

This brings us to another paragraph from the same sub-section: “Vital
dimensions of well-being correlate with consumption, but only up to a
threshold,” and so “a mitigation strategy that protects minimum levels of
essential-goods service delivery for DLS, but *critically views
consumption* *beyond
the point of diminishing returns of needs satisfaction*” (Ch.5 p.19). This
is what growth-critical scholars call the *saturation hypothesis*, which
implies that reducing income per capita in rich countries (one of the
implications of degrowth) will not debase quality of life if income levels
do not fall below a certain threshold (that *point of diminishing returns
of needs satisfaction*).

The last passage I want to highlight is a Frequently Asked Question at the
end of Chapter 5: Demand, services and social aspects of mitigation
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_FinalDraft_Chapter05.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ziMAOEmIsjIJfwzz62O7cczfK9MXJdfIrLuv3lEbaPY%3D&reserved=0>.
To the question “Is demand reduction compatible with growth of human
well-being?” the IPCC authors respond: “there is a growing realisation that
mere monetary value of income growth is insufficient to measure national
welfare and individual well-being. [So far, this is only the classic
critique of GDP as an indicator ill-fitted to measure welfare.] Hence, any
action towards climate change mitigation is best evaluated against a set of
indicators that represent a broader variety of needs to define individual
well-being, macroeconomic stability, and planetary health. Many solutions
that *reduce primary material and fossil energy demand*, and thus reduce
GHG emissions, provide better services to help achieve well-being for
all” (Ch.5 p.107).

Let’s unpack that sentence. The Annex I: Glossary
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_Annex-I.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=g%2Fcq1NMfJbTeDTnHfRGR7BpA0cyNoYPxYWRVLwCee6k%3D&reserved=0>
 defines *demand-side measures *as “policies and programmes for influencing
the demand for goods and/or services,” which falls within the territory of
the reduction of production and consumption discussed in the degrowth
literature. If this is right, it means that this passage argues that
degrowth (which involves a reduction in demand for goods and/or services)
is not only effective in cutting emissions, but also to *achieve well-being
for all*.

*Modelling economic decline *

The second mention happens in Chapter 3: Mitigation pathways compatible
with long-term goals
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_FinalDraft_Chapter03.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=da5jGeYV9g%2FGtLjY03fr7udWhyBmqw8abXy1wMb91vU%3D&reserved=0>.
While the degrowth-related discussions in Chapter 1 and Chapter 5 were
rather conceptual, focusing on degrowth as a vision of prosperity beyond
growth, this one is more technical, with the idea (either called *degrowth*
 or *economic decline* or *decline in income levels*) understood as a
specific pathway to be simulated in mitigation scenarios.

In the midst of a discussion on *Socio-economic drivers of emissions
scenarios* in Section 3.3 “Emission pathways, including socio-economic,
carbon budget and climate responses uncertainties,” one can read that “the
SSP [Shared Socioeconomic Pathways] scenarios cover an extensive range,
with low per capita growth in SSP3 and SSP4 (mostly in developing
countries) and rapid growth in SSP1 and SSP5. At the same [time], however,
also scenarios outside the range have some plausibility – including the
option of *economic decline* (Kallis et al. 2012
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS0921800912003333&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Q7vG5eHLyu9vsCX5DS3eRugyzt56RcsS8HQm5gX4sPU%3D&reserved=0>)
or
much faster economic development (Christensen et al. 2018
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F29760089%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Qt7DgI0BVeEqTYR0ATNXWjbvmY4cbvlYUUUlIrDavJ4%3D&reserved=0>)”
(Ch.3 p.24). The term *economic decline *is here used in the sense of
degrowth, as attested by the reference to an article lead-authored by
Giorgos Kallis which is titled “The economics of degrowth.”

The paragraph continues: “An emerging area of literature emphasises the
possibility of* stabilisation (or even decline) of income levels *in
developed countries, arguing that such a trend would be preferred or even
needed for environmental reasons (Anderson and Larkin, 2013
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkevinanderson.info%2Fblog%2Favoiding-dangerous-climate-change-demands-de-growth-strategies-from-wealthier-nations%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qFfN%2F%2F8us4okYDqH8zJT%2FPCj2M5JgmUdXZTidICJ5rc%3D&reserved=0>
; Kallis et al. 2020
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wiley.com%2Fen-fr%2FThe%2BCase%2Bfor%2BDegrowth-p-9781509535620&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=isa2TzKKBedQq%2FCnFJVa8F3%2FZDAgyM6OsQYQnowadUQ%3D&reserved=0>
; Hickel and Kallis 2020
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F13563467.2019.1598964&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HbIzRIfs3%2Bk7X%2FRSynZuwvMm4MbEPUkAxzz6%2F9LEeuA%3D&reserved=0>
; Keyßer and Lenzen 2021
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41467-021-22884-9&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=SfeLLhdHAx%2FRjYp2LdTAyTKWJBUO2DLvpJ3c%2FTRm4pA%3D&reserved=0>
; Hickel et al. 2021
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41560-021-00884-9&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=idRpJ%2BemWnJQcUA5HkM8m1f4nmfm4YtyYXtTH3rHrXg%3D&reserved=0>).
[Same situation here: all these references explicitly use the term
*degrowth*.] Such scenarios are not common among IAM [Integrated Assessment
Models] outcomes, that are more commonly based on the idea that
decarbonisation can be combined with economic growth by a combination of
technology, lifestyle and structural economic changes. Still, such
scenarios could result in a dramatic reduction of energy and resource
consumption” (Ch.3 p.25).

On the same point, one finds an actual mention of the term in Annex III:
Scenarios and modelling methods
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_Annex-III.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Yth7dMFYTB1yu%2FQZeThWP5xPMRROWZYquLxxV%2FD49vs%3D&reserved=0>
in a
section discussing “key design choices and assumptions in mitigation
scenarios.” “A wider range of narratives describing alternative worlds is
also conceivable. The sustainability world (SSP1), for example, is a world
with strong economic growth, but sustainability worlds with low growth or
even elements of *degrowth *in developed countries could also be explored”
(Annex III p.56).

As to why there are no degrowth scenarios in the report, the authors
justify themselves in a section of Chapter 3, *Methods of assessment and
gaps in knowledge and data*. “The scenarios included in the AR6 scenarios
database [3,131 scenarios in total] are an unstructured ensemble, as they
are from multiple underlying studies and depend on which institutions chose
to submit scenarios to the database. As noted in Section 3.2 [this section
describes the database in more detail], they do not represent the full
scenario literature or the complete set of possible scenarios. For example,
scenarios that include climate change impacts or economic* degrowth* are
not fully represented, as these scenarios, with a few exceptions, were not
submitted to the database” (Ch.3 p.116).

*Policies and institutions for degrowth *

The aforementioned passages in Chapter 3 reduces degrowth to a simple
scenario of declining income levels. In Chapter 5: Demand, services and
social aspects of mitigation
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_FinalDraft_Chapter05.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922238155%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ziMAOEmIsjIJfwzz62O7cczfK9MXJdfIrLuv3lEbaPY%3D&reserved=0>,
however, the discussion becomes more complex. In a section titled “Equity,
trust, and participation in demand-side mitigation,” it is written
that “*consumption
reductions*, both voluntary and policy-induced, can have positive and
double-dividend effects on efficiency as well as reductions in energy and
material use.”

The paragraph continues: “systems-dynamics models linking strong
emissions-reducing policies and strong social equity policies show that a
low-carbon transition in conjunction with social sustainability is
possible, *even without economic growth* (Kallis et al. 2012
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS0921800912003333&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Ve4VTXOYl6uZwzODtbxiR4%2FVFD2%2BDG%2BAl1Jbypw5zLM%3D&reserved=0>
; Jackson and Victor 2016
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0921800915001044&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=f83OH58rjKkjFo9WCkIWY2YBhkJJu%2F1RCLP1TOZhl%2F8%3D&reserved=0>
; Stuart et al. 2017
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F13563467.2017.1417364&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vJARioT%2BB%2FgEP5Hbas3%2BLxVyTQUps%2F7JPE8m2WexHgg%3D&reserved=0>
; [D’Alessandro et al. 2020
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41893-020-0484-y&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xtzjw9PCtKRaSeXsBVnmAu8irHB%2BBjRvZYKsWA9ecPA%3D&reserved=0>
]; Huang et al. 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS0306261918317628%3Fvia%253Dihub&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2B1kVMNTrOqTNkBH5cced7ox4Fv%2BsdzlulwpOYPnHx6w%3D&reserved=0>
; Victor 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.e-elgar.com%2Fshop%2Fgbp%2Fmanaging-without-growth-second-edition-9781785367397.html&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=F%2FcX1cnSpltZgNXwZlkP8MOxbA6%2FD%2F2v8XLJWkwGn5I%3D&reserved=0>
; Chapman and Fraser 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs11625-018-0613-y&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=EojDaHpZ%2Bkeb2s0c6uoAo0QfHUf3LfH3ZwjKVusodX0%3D&reserved=0>
; Gabriel and Bond 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0921800918303033&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=RKjqXn86hfgQRtriss6jFQThttoA0P52bU353yGY5JQ%3D&reserved=0>
). Such *degrowth* pathways may be crucial in combining
technical feasibility of mitigation with social development goals (Hickel
et al. 2021
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41560-021-00884-9&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=O3Yyc4wspvGhQA5WDLicNr9lAJroXils680bO8QymgQ%3D&reserved=0>
; Keyßer and Lenzen 2021
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41467-021-22884-9&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=NwJaizfkuj4yOPZiL6Oh9iSsP2jqwzD3qQs3y9alMyI%3D&reserved=0>)”
(Ch.5
p.32).

A quick look at the references[ii] reveals that the kind of degrowth these
articles talk about goes way beyond a mere decline in GDP and includes a
variety of more sophisticated institutional changes. For instance, D’Alessandro
et al. (2020)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41893-020-0484-y&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xtzjw9PCtKRaSeXsBVnmAu8irHB%2BBjRvZYKsWA9ecPA%3D&reserved=0>
associate
degrowth with a universal basic income and work time reduction, Stuart et
al. (2017)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F13563467.2017.1417364&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vJARioT%2BB%2FgEP5Hbas3%2BLxVyTQUps%2F7JPE8m2WexHgg%3D&reserved=0>
discuss
community-based energy systems, and Kallis et al. (2012)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS0921800912003333&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Ve4VTXOYl6uZwzODtbxiR4%2FVFD2%2BDG%2BAl1Jbypw5zLM%3D&reserved=0>
mention
a whole list of proposals from cap and share systems and local currencies
to not-for-profit cooperatives and commons.

In a section on “Economy-wide implications of mitigation” (Chap 3), the
authors discuss the impact of mitigation pathways on economic growth. After
explaining that it could either slow down GDP growth or increase it, they
write that “several studies find that only a *GDP* *non-growth/degrowth*
*or* *post-growth *approach allow to reach climate stabilization below
2°C (Hardt
and O’Neill 2017
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0921800916303202&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=UffdEQe5pox9hEi2QL3H0Wqm4KNTr1aak%2BQrIAiXsIY%3D&reserved=0>
; D’Alessandro et al. 2020
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41893-020-0484-y&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xtzjw9PCtKRaSeXsBVnmAu8irHB%2BBjRvZYKsWA9ecPA%3D&reserved=0>
; Hickel and Kallis 2020
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F13563467.2019.1598964&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6h18ZqRmf0179LiBT5a%2BBfXT%2FZhXi2GTQsZiLILFsJc%3D&reserved=0>
; Nieto et al. 2020
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS0301421519306779&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=snQbszoD6OW9n8akjE9plC2uq4s%2F4cqH8SvsvQ6N6dA%3D&reserved=0>)”
(Ch.3 p.86). Again, the references here are describing degrowth as
something much more multi-faceted than a mere contraction of GDP. Take Hardt
and O’Neill (2017)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0921800916303202&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=UffdEQe5pox9hEi2QL3H0Wqm4KNTr1aak%2BQrIAiXsIY%3D&reserved=0>,
for example, a review of ecological macroeconomic models which the authors
evaluate based on their capacity to test a number of “post-growth policy
themes” like environmental limits, debt levels, consumer behaviours, work
patterns, business models, and well-being. As for D’Alessandro et al. (2020)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41893-020-0484-y&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=xtzjw9PCtKRaSeXsBVnmAu8irHB%2BBjRvZYKsWA9ecPA%3D&reserved=0>,
they actually model a degrowth scenario in France which includes a wealth
tax, a job guarantee, working time reduction, a carbon tax, incentives for
eco-innovation, additionally to a general reduction of production and
consumption.

*Degrowth transition *

We now arrive to the fourth and final discussion that mobilises the term
“degrowth.” (Let’s remember here that some key degrowth ideas – even though
not named as such – play an important role throughout the report, including
in the Summary for Policymakers and the Technical Summary. This will be the
topic of another article.) For now, let’s focus on Chapter 17: Accelerating
the transition in the context of sustainable development
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Freport.ipcc.ch%2Far6wg3%2Fpdf%2FIPCC_AR6_WGIII_FinalDraft_Chapter17.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=iGkR6CUYCLSXb1iiffS1rZDJuxt2KdNj%2BEYxj41JyPI%3D&reserved=0>
.

The first mention is indirect. It happens in the second paragraph of a
section titled “Psychology, Individual Beliefs and Social Change” where
the term “achieve the good life” is referenced with “see Section 1.6.2 in
Chapter 1; Asara et al. 2015
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs11625-015-0321-9&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=kFpBuq2rYrtcTD2fL2X9wfhZI%2BCTg5i1rqnNhCphLc4%3D&reserved=0>
; Escobar 2015
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs11625-015-0297-5&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922394392%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=M%2Bl4Z%2FR8zZHQa85EFd%2BmbA%2FhDOs8WCx2S8uoaURAt7U%3D&reserved=0>
; Kallis [2019]
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Ffull%2F10.1080%2F10455752.2017.1386695&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=jYzvg09Mi5r%2BPGSz%2Fpq3Ssa1GirIraTenbOEh37jrZA%3D&reserved=0>
; Latouche 2018
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.springerprofessional.de%2Fen%2Fthe-path-to-degrowth-for-a-sustainable-society%2F15095662&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=nkk%2BG%2By0nn5zYB9U8nxIFVTmxHGhh9zDFq7LhqogUKk%3D&reserved=0>;
Chapter 5.” The section 1.6.2 “Concepts and frameworks for integrating
climate mitigation and development” is the one I reviewed in the first part
of this article, and *Chapter 5: Demand, services and social aspects of
mitigation* is the chapter about demand-side measures.

But there is also a direct mention in the same section following a
discussion on *inner transitions* (defined as “a person gaining a deepening
sense of peace and a willingness to help others, as well as protecting the
climate and the planet,” Ch.17 p.14). “Examples have also been seen in
relation to a similar set of inner transitions to individuals,
organizations and societies, which involves embracing *post-development*,
*de-growth*, or *non-material values* that challenge carbon-intensive
lifestyles and development models (Kothari 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fccsuniversity.ac.in%2Fbridge-library%2Fpdf%2FResearch-Methodology-CR-Kothari.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qTjAFSxKy17I%2FlNUUbPawt2s7DRpAaRrwmO4OKezAlg%3D&reserved=0>
; Neuteleers and Engelen 2015
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS092180091400202X&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vYNjXVrDqJEo1Cp7KCDSK3%2BD3epolveytrD%2BDiEJObc%3D&reserved=0>
; Paech 2017
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ingentaconnect.com%2Fcontent%2Foekom%2Fgaia%2F2007%2F00000016%2F00000004%2Fart00013%3Bjsessionid%3D4jp757btb4n89.x-ic-live-02&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=7KIwu965%2BEj5%2FLCkmP%2BW8J%2FdAX4ovfydR0vISaxTvGk%3D&reserved=0>
; Sklair 2016
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fonlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1111%2F1468-4446.12181%2Ffull&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qkvpGTUYWQLLgAuzqWzTddFOkUiGZTld2St2Q0JG8pE%3D&reserved=0>)”
(Ch.17 p.14).

The two last references are well-known in the degrowth literature. Sklair
(2016)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fonlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1111%2F1468-4446.12181%2Ffull&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qkvpGTUYWQLLgAuzqWzTddFOkUiGZTld2St2Q0JG8pE%3D&reserved=0>
is
a review of the 2014 book *Degrowth: A Vocabulary for a New Era* and Paech
(2017)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ingentaconnect.com%2Fcontent%2Foekom%2Fgaia%2F2007%2F00000016%2F00000004%2Fart00013%3Bjsessionid%3D4jp757btb4n89.x-ic-live-02&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=7KIwu965%2BEj5%2FLCkmP%2BW8J%2FdAX4ovfydR0vISaxTvGk%3D&reserved=0>
is
a German article written by Niko Paech, author of the book *Liberation from
excess: The road to a post-growth economy* (the title of the article
translates as “Where does the growth compulsion come from?”). Neuteleers
and Engelen (2015)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS092180091400202X&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=vYNjXVrDqJEo1Cp7KCDSK3%2BD3epolveytrD%2BDiEJObc%3D&reserved=0>,
which I didn’t know before, is an article in *Ecological Economics* arguing
that monetary valuation can weaken environmental morale and decrease
environmental protection. I could not understand the relevance of Kothari
(2019)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fccsuniversity.ac.in%2Fbridge-library%2Fpdf%2FResearch-Methodology-CR-Kothari.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qTjAFSxKy17I%2FlNUUbPawt2s7DRpAaRrwmO4OKezAlg%3D&reserved=0>,
the fourth edition of a textbook on research methodology, but I suspect
there may have been a mix up in the bibliography between C.R. Kothari – the
author of the textbook on research methodology referenced in the
bibliography – and Ashish Kothari, a well-known growth-critical author, who
would be worth citing here for his 2019 book *Pluriverse: A
Post-Development Dictionary*
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fcup.columbia.edu%2Fbook%2Fpluriverse%2F9788193732984&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2ByQKdpwTRMxd8FNSFAsUE1pNUp6HcxgAUMbuHoQiSt8%3D&reserved=0>
.

The last mention in the overall report happens in a sub-section on *Financial
systems and economic instruments*. “Also the *degrowth *movement, with its
focus on sustainability over profitability, has the potential to speed up
transformations using alternative practices like fostering the exchange of
non-monetary goods and services if large numbers of stakeholders want to
invest in these areas (Chiengkul 2017
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.routledge.com%2FThe-Political-Economy-of-the-Agri-Food-System-in-Thailand-Hegemony-Counter-Hegemony%2FChiengkul%2Fp%2Fbook%2F9780367885618&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=LbbyIG9FA7yj86V11GFVGBun3z1XapK2rc3eWQ1Y4WU%3D&reserved=0>)”
(Ch.17 p.59). The reference points to a book by Prapimphan Chiengkul
titled *The
Political Economy of the Agri-Food System in Thailand* (she is also the
author of a 2018 article that would have well-fitted this sentence: The
Degrowth Movement: Alternative Economic Practices and Relevance to
Developing Countries
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fjournals.sagepub.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1177%2F0304375418811763&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=lJgcEoln947yYguLt99eeVDlXX06CB3%2FwQkgC%2BShdUo%3D&reserved=0>
).

***

The idea of degrowth is experiencing a historical rise in popularity. This
is especially true in science, with the number of peer-reviewed articles on
the topic rising from only 3 in 2007 to more than 340 today
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimotheeparrique.com%2Facademic-articles%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=GyvWs32GTYJDy7%2BLZ0heo0sUxMhcMLPcjaQfALsoM54%3D&reserved=0>.
The presence of “degrowth” in the latest IPCC report is therefore not a
surprise but only a reflection of the growing importance given to the idea
in academic circles and beyond. What I find remarkable about this report is
the diversity of contexts in which the term is used: degrowth as a vision
of prosperity and the ‘Good Life’ (mention n°1), as an alternative
sustainability world (n°2), as a scenario (n°3), as a crucial pathway for a
low-carbon transition in conjunction with social sustainability (n°4), as
the only option to reach climate stabilization below 2°C (n°5), as a
challenge to carbon-intensive lifestyles and development models (n°6), and
as a movement with a focus on sustainability over profitability which has
the potential to speed up transformations (n°7). Those familiar with
the degrowth
literature
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.annualreviews.org%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1146%2Fannurev-environ-102017-025941&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=goqp7i%2FxIln5wLMVPJmJeZmeO9weX3yxBdATROcOtBc%3D&reserved=0>
know
that this is only the tip of the iceberg, but the world is now discovering
(thanks to the valuable work of IPCC authors) how interesting the idea of
degrowth is.
------------------------------

[i] There are seven articles that have “degrowth” in their titles which are
cited in the text without referring directly to degrowth: Assadour[ian] 2012
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.springerprofessional.de%2Fen%2Fthe-path-to-degrowth-in-overdeveloped-countries%2F6480576&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=cm3T3gAomQQ6MFuHAbPEu0v%2B3k60oqGnmDsQ%2BbcZLr4%3D&reserved=0>(Chap
2); Dengler and Strunk 2017
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F13545701.2017.1383620&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MWv0pFJxSJVeWcb2dKYhBsUSwrV2AhvbSW3EB9lnyI0%3D&reserved=0>
, Nicoson 2021
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs11625-021-00906-1&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qiFFOZWEPAoZxdFzbMWeGKlQMJT6D%2BdsS5GmkOA06cE%3D&reserved=0>
, Perkins 2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS0921800918303021&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=HS6c5d0A5zDdDgDTz8jXv26fNkGkrDlX7Jq2mT%2F9ZEE%3D&reserved=0>
, Spangenberg [2017]
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F15487733.2014.11908125&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=f%2FKG94Re%2BQRqC%2BQgHx3piMZsQK4vHeO2JcfMROeFsoI%3D&reserved=0>,
and Spangenberg 2016
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ceeweb.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2015%2F03%2FSCORAI-Europe_Budapest-Workshop_Proceedings_2016.pdf&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922550629%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ikfa7BI8mQD4InCnhhuSxJ4SDLaKq2qMi%2BWN4tSdD3Q%3D&reserved=0>
(Chap
5); and Lietaert 2010
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0959652609003916&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=bczU2cUaLKpzDexsr3F7w09uO%2BauMzrwdkC%2BFbV6gTw%3D&reserved=0>
(Chap
9). This brings the total number of referenced degrowth texts to 31 (for a
full list of degrowth-related articles, see here
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftimotheeparrique.com%2Facademic-articles%2F&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=6ydPI5ysCF6R3KHT91kJankZfGZ5YtUDZRBUpGxmoro%3D&reserved=0>
).

[ii] *The economics of degrowth* (Kallis et al. 2012
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS0921800912003333&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=TLU92awykMoAzsC4HIED4btUJSm5aWIKNN5TEcevCxc%3D&reserved=0>)
is the introduction of a special-issue. Jackson and Victor (2016)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0921800915001044&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=%2Bgg0JPqyeyNfl3ZFtJY%2Bk9921DVG74lWpYbQxhCPIr4%3D&reserved=0>
is
a modelling exercise demonstrating that a reduction in GDP must not
necessarily lead to an increase in inequality – a similar model is
used by Victor
(2019
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.e-elgar.com%2Fshop%2Fgbp%2Fmanaging-without-growth-second-edition-9781785367397.html&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mxURSstns293AjDtk9fHfjL2yvb28jtj4acWoBxq9y4%3D&reserved=0>)
to
simulate degrowth scenarios in Canada. D’Alessandro et al. (2020)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41893-020-0484-y&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mRYVmLEJgwQceCUlCGggqS0xyPUY%2BcZSlR2f9upXRJU%3D&reserved=0>
is
another modelling exercise exploring degrowth transition scenarios in
France. Stuart et al. (2017)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tandfonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1080%2F13563467.2017.1417364&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=NqoKLzKT2YvZZViiKsWuzfH7jSKpCm47FjvyOGIhLkU%3D&reserved=0>
is
a conceptual critique of carbon markets; Gabriel and Bond (2019)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0921800918303033&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=mYT0ZVGZdC0a3pT16zM0l7JntzMD73K7LZxCk4UY%2FRY%3D&reserved=0>
offers
a theory of distributive justice for degrowth. Hickel et al. (2021)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41560-021-00884-9&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fDwSLMCAAmjBb0dBHGrsaUjeGPVofvxupEFO%2BmX%2BX5g%3D&reserved=0>
and Keyßer and Lenzen (2021)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41467-021-22884-9&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=tco3q1gQXM1Sf8Dyp5vpc5au2i3cFd66PtVMJKKZDrY%3D&reserved=0>
both
discuss degrowth as a mitigation pathway for modelling. Huang et al. (2019)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fabs%2Fpii%2FS0306261918317628%3Fvia%253Dihub&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=exNpcbVncrgGJVTWTclbB4iROeC1t%2B%2Bgk2EWeMEZeJc%3D&reserved=0>,
which I’ve not seen used in the growth-critical literature, uses a
computable general equilibrium model to simulate the introduction of a
national emission trading system in China. Also foreign to the degrowth
literature (at least to the best of my knowledge) is Chapman and Fraser
(2019)
<https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs11625-018-0613-y&data=05%7C01%7Cbioplan%40groups.undp.org%7C13d1451f54424dc9007c08da3e56b95a%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637890839922706863%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=yuDuRrhMxU7r429NC9RbiMPlSyQAaqkkYKJryQ2hY%2Bg%3D&reserved=0>,
a quantitative study of solar projects in Japan.

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