Transcript
COMENIUS PROJECT „Let’s try degrowth“ 2012-2014
2nd meeting: 10th – 15th March 2013
Peter-Paul-Rubens-Gymnasium, Siegen
Index
•Jan Müller – a typical consumer
•Growth – the solution or the problem?
•A balanced lifestyle
•What is neoliberalism?
•Prosperity without growth
Jan Müller has enough or…
…how much growth can the planet take?
Jan Müller: portrait of a typical 18 year-old German • born on 15th July 1993
• zodiacal sign: cancer
• height: 1.81m
• weight: 73.9kg
• non-smoker
• without a girlfriend (presently)
• Catholic on paper
• likes to play football (favourite team: FC Cologne)
• school: 11th grade
• home: at his parents flat in Cologne (three and a half rooms)
Jan Müller‘s room…
14.4 square meters (natural wood furniture)
Flatscreen TV (2 hours a day)
Computer w. Internet (2 hours
a day)
Memories of his childhood…
For his birthday he received a few bottles of Schnaps…
(But when he celebrates, he prefers beer…)
Wilhelm and Jan Müller…
…worked 11 hours a day.
average lifespan: 45 years
owned:-a few shirts-trousers-a pair of boots-a jacket-a piece of soap-and (perhaps) a Sunday suit
19th century 120 years later……works for 6 hours a day
average lifespan: 80 yearsowns:
flatscreenTVcomputerandmonitorstereoheadsetsmartphoneCDcassetterecorderplaystationwithintegratedDVDunitaWiiconsoleaportableplaystationcalculatorradioalarmclockbedcupboarddeskchairtwofootballsonebasketballrucksackglobeseveralpairsoftrainersshirtstrousersjacketsbooksDVDsgamesbikemountainbikemot
orbikeor…
even a car
A simple calculation…• …if the economy is to grow by 2% each year to guarantee prosperity
• Jan will have to own twice as much in 25 years.
• Or:
• If everybody on earth wants to live according to Jan Müller‘s standard of living,
•The world economy will have to grow by 40 times
that would mean:• he would have to have 4 times as many clothes
• has to go to McDonald‘s 5 times as much
• to the cinema 6 times as much
• to the football stadium 7 times as much
On top of that:
He has to learn for school…
Jan is a consumer.
Wilhelm owned 30 itemsJan owns 500…
So in order to generate growth, he has to generate
WASTE
Every year, Germans• waste 6.7 million tons of food
• two million tons of clothes
• two million tons of (repairable) mobile phones, TV sets, CD players, stereo sets and laser printers
Waste boosts growth, but…
Will Jan buy and waste twice as much in 25 years?
Jan Müller does not have to go to the „Bundeswehr“ any more but he needs to help his country in other ways…
…he has to go shopping a lot!
What politicians and economists say…„Europe needs
growth!“
„Rates must increase!“
„We have to stabilize growth!“
„We need a strategy for growth!“
„More growth, more turnover, more profit!“
Pareto:
„Man is a greedy, insatiable creature.It‘s the homo oeconomicus.
Driven by the feeling of lack, he accumulates.“
Islands of wealth…
…within oceans of poverty
In the western world:prosperity through technological revolutions in• agriculture
• nutrition
• healthcare
• education
• communication
• information technology
„Prosperity“
„to live well within the limits of a finite planet“
but:
2.000.000.000 people are chronically undernurished…
1.000.000.000 people have no access to clean water…
We have a
moral duty to share these benefits with those in the
poorest parts of the world
By unlimited consumerismwe are consuming earth‘s
resources faster than nature can replenish
them
…in order to survive, we need a balanced approach which sustains the earth‘s life-support systems in the long term
Flow 1
In the pursuit of the good life today…
…we are eroding the basis for our well-being
tomorrow
How do we do this?
1. Wasting limited energy
Oil
coal
gas
2. Destroying productive land by extensive agriculture
3. Food
wasting foodusing food as biofuel
privatization
3. Water
Contamination of groundwaterby chemicals
Privatization of water supplies
4. Wood
clearing forests for:
cattle (=meat)growth of biofuelspaper production
5. Climate change, caused by• burning of fossil fuels (CO2 production)
• deforestation (reduced CO2 absorption)
• warming of oceans
ecological and economic disasters caused by…
neoliberalism
1. deregulation of financial markets
2.„free“ trade3. no interference of national
governments4.privatization of national
industries
Let‘s make money 3:22-5:34
Exploitation of developing countries and it‘s disastrous consequences for the people…
lmm burkina faso, 34:40-43:41
LMM 49:15-50:38
Former banker John Christensen tells his story
LMM 30:52-34:38
LMM 1.34:38-1.38:39
LMM 1.40:39-1.43:28
According to the ideology of
neoliberalism1. deregulation of financial
markets2.„free“ trade
3. no interference of national governments
4.privatization of national industries
these measures are supposed to:•stimulate growth•create demand for commodities•encourage investment•generate prosperity
but…
they put multinational corporations in the position to make profit on:•Food•Water•Energy•Services•Goods
and they also lead to…
the exploitation offinite resources…
the exploitation of people…
and to the destruction of our planet
material plenty?
affluence?new gadgets every
month?
the latest model?
the best deal?
What do we really need to be happy?
What we really need cannot be bought:
health
safety
respectidentity
harmony with nature
friendship
inner balance
striving for profit destroys the basis of our lives
We need to change our attitude towards
societynaturework
leisureand towards
ourselves and our
fellow human beings
It‘s neccessary to•limit working hours•relearn leisure•foster our ability to generate friendship•focus on arts, sports and education•take part in political debate and activity•live in harmony with nature•care for our fellow human beings
to change our style of living
The idea of a non-growing economy may be a nightmare to an economist…
but the idea of an endlessly growing economy is a nightmare to an ecologist…
Prosperity has to go beyond material pleasures
It is found in the quality of our lives and in the health and happiness of our families…
It is expressed in the strength of our relationships and our trust in the community.
It means satisfaction at work,
a sense of shared meaning and purpose
Prosperity is the ability to flourish as human beingswithin the ecological limits of a finite planet
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