Jan Müller: Prosperity without Growth

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