Political elites throughout the developed world are embracing the ideology of ‘degrowth’. They now seem to believe that shrinking our economies will have benefits for the public and the planet alike.
[Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World author Jason] Hickel dismisses those who worry that cutting back on energy and resource use might lead to lower standards of living. People just need to be culturally ‘reprogrammed’ to accept less material wealth, he argues.Share this article
This miserablist, self-destructive, anti-growth ideology is everywhere. Politicians and green ideologues seem committed to shrinking our economies and reducing our energy production. And they claim to be doing it for our own good. Germany, once a world leader in nuclear technology, shut down its last remaining nuclear power plants this year, even amid the worst energy crisis for decades. And the Dutch government, cheered on by the EU, is currently trying to destroy the Netherlands’ highly advanced agricultural sector, which it blames for high levels of greenhouse-gas emissions. These actions are equivalent to a US government shutting down Silicon Valley. Politicians, cheered on by activists, are seemingly intent on committing economic and societal suicide.
