PostReNex · Tackling the paradox of growth and sustainability - A SDG indicator framework for water, energy, land, and materials based on postgrowth and resource nexus thinking

Tackling the paradox of growth and sustainability - A SDG indicator framework for water, energy, land, and materials based on postgrowth and resource nexus thinking

Despite many attempts, humanity transgresses most planetary boundaries. Consequently, people’s lives are affected. There has been a common misconception that economic growth improves people’s wellbeing; however, this is not true after a specific point of development. A different paradigm is necessary for a democratic transformation of the economic system without significant ecological impacts, and with improved wellbeing. The paradigm shift suggested herein, within a postgrowth world, is degrowth. Nevertheless, questions remain regarding such a transition. Useful policy recommendations depend on ethical, logical, as well as realistic models and indicators. All metrics are based on specific principles. The principles upon which the current economic system is based are hedonistic, and more specifically utilitarian. In recent years, within ecological economics, as well as within degrowth, the principles proposed are eudaimonic. In theory, this change is in line with a degrowth transition’s principles, putting more weight on aspects that can lead to both an improvement on people’s wellbeing and ecological impacts. The use of eudaimonia is noble, but various concerns remain. Some of them include conceptual and practical mistakes regarding eudaimonia and hedonism, an assumption of voluntary simplicity, and a lack of consideration of how to deal with an inevitable ruptural transition trough. This project concentrated on shedding light on these questions. At first, the assumption was that working directly on indicators would be the way to go, but during the first few months it was deemed vital to first concentrate on the basic underlying philosophy (eudaimonia) that ought to be used to be able to achieve the proposed transition. As such, the objectives of the project were to examine the philosophical basis of current ecological economics and degrowth work, identify misconceptions and propose corrections, analyse needs for a degrowth paradigm shift, identify and embellish degrowth principles, and finally propose proto indicators to assist with degrowth future planning.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union