Green Transition

Austerity or growth, austerity for growth, and maybe for a different kind of growth? In 2012, this debate is on the top of the European agenda. But what should we do if growth is no longer possible?

Humanity is facing an undeniable challenge. Economic growth is necessary to sustain the welfare state, but this growth is more unsustainable than ever before. It’s not at all clear how this paradox – the need for economic growth that is unsustainable – can be resolved.

The economic crisis that most of the western economies are facing is digging a breach in our consumer’s narratives. Signs of transition to a new kind of society are numerous in the USA as in Europe and Japan. Despite the claims of prominent development economists, a high mass-consumption society is not the endpoint of history. Could it be that a postconsumerist era is already creeping on us?

The re-emergence of the debate on growth must not push the Greens towards fundamentalism. The idea is not to jump into a ‘back to the roots’ movement but rather to review a series of questions that have been left unanswered, without falling into the trap of false dilemmas. In this prospect, is the question of how to reduce inequality in Europe; with or without economic growth, maybe one of the most important?

The present crisis already appears to be as serious as the Great Depression of the Thirties, but what does it mean for the future of our economic system? And what is the Green alternative?