[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/da\/article\/modal\/10481\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n      3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n      \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n        \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n  \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EOnce unthinkable, the prospect of society driven by wellbeing gains traction \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlmost 16 years ago, the EU held a conference devoted to an idea that was novel \u2013 even for many policy wonks \u2013 and far-reaching.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe notion was to redefine society\u2019s goals by going beyond the standard measure of progress over the past 80 years: growth in gross domestic product, or GDP.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow, the European Parliament is set to host another big \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.beyond-growth-2023.eu\/\u0022\u003Econference\u003C\/a\u003E devoted to the idea, which is gaining momentum. In its most ambitious form, the concept would fundamentally change how businesses operate, people work and governments regulate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmong the speakers at the 15-17 May event is \u003Cstrong\u003EGiorgos Kallis\u003C\/strong\u003E, one of the world\u2019s leading researchers into ecological economics. Kallis goes as far as advocating a \u201cdegrowth\u201d model to replace the one based on GDP, saying economies can \u2013 indeed must \u2013 prosper in a way that reduces inequality and improves wellbeing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA Greek native and professor in Spain at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Kallis is also co-heading a new EU-funded research project called \u201cA Post-Growth Deal\u201d, or REAL. The six-year initiative aims to bring post-growth pathways closer to reality through new research, data and models.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon Magazine spoke to Kallis about his work on growth and the evolution of societies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cfigure role=\u0022group\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cimg alt=\u0022Professor Giorgos Kallis\u0022 data-entity-type=\u0022file\u0022 data-entity-uuid=\u00222b661dba-909a-4507-9c60-878500d53930\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/hm\/IMCEUpload\/WhatsApp%20Image%202021-12-07%20at%203.25.27%20PM%20%281%29_crop.jpg\u0022\u003E\n\u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022italic mb-4\u0022\u003EProfessor Giorgos Kallis\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n\u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow and why did you become interested in the notion of \u201cdegrowth\u201d?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudying different environmental problems, from water scarcity in the Mediterranean and California to global climate change or forest fires in Europe, I came to realise that there is a common cause to all these problems: the unquenchable thirst of the economy to grow \u2013 bigger and bigger, without limit.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter working for 20 years on sustainable development, I realised that squaring unlimited growth with sustainability is impossible and we have to face it sooner rather than later. Degrowth was a word that resonated well with this realisation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat explains the REAL project\u2019s timing and what will it tackle mainly?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEurope is at a crossroads. Inflation is coupled with stagnation and, at the same time, the clock for the climate bomb is ticking and is past midnight.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn our project we are asking uncomfortable questions about how Europe could \u2013 and should \u2013 manage without growth and we are eager to see where these questions lead us.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor example, we want to see what combinations of social and economic policies can help Europe prosper without growth. And we want to understand how we can reorganise provisioning systems \u2013 that is, systems of energy, food or housing provision \u2013 to satisfy human needs with a fraction of the resources they currently require.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECan \u201cgreen growth\u201d deliver enough or is more ambitious degrowth needed?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMost likely, no, green growth can\u2019t. But we don\u2019t want to spill more blood in a heated debate over whether green growth, or what has been called in academic jargon \u201cabsolute decoupling\u201d of GDP and environmental impact, is possible or not.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENo matter where one stands on the question of green growth versus degrowth, I want to think that we all agree that there is a lot of uncertainty and that there is a chance \u2013 high in our view, low in the view of others \u2013 that degrowth is both necessary and in a way inevitable.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBut are policymakers ready to ditch the pursuit of economic growth?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENo, they aren\u2019t ready. Few of us are ready to do the changes we need to do to move beyond the current model.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut the current model is breaking down on its own. Within these conditions of instability, new challenges will emerge and new social movements will rise up to press for change. We want to think that the science and models we will be establishing will provide good frameworks for asking the right questions and finding useful answers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIn a degrowth society, how would business activity and employment change?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s the type of question we want to ask in projects like ours. We have only some provisional answers regarding employment, with policy proposals like work-sharing or a job guarantee, and some initial thinking and dialogues with businesses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe need much more research in starting to model the changes in skills or employment patterns or organisational models that would emerge and be stable in post-growth paths.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat would the impact of degrowth be on social justice?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe impacts of recessions are always regressive, as the wealthy find ways to exert their power during crises at the expense of the poor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhat we call degrowth is by definition \u2013 our definition \u2013 a transition that is socially just. It involves massive redistribution, direct through wealth and income taxes or social ownership of means of production and indirect by social programmes like universal basic income or services, a job guarantee and working-hour reductions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat nations lead on degrowth and how can vested interests be overcome?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s safe to say there is no nation leading the way and there are only a few political parties making very shy and careful moves in the directions we are researching.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe want to explore what sort of social movements and mobilisations are strengthening these tendencies and what obstacles they are facing by vested interests. I am sorry I don\u2019t already have good answers, but if I did there would be no need for our research. I prefer to give answers based on science and not conviction\u0026nbsp;\u2013 and on the question of post-growth politics there is very little science.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are the global implications of degrowth and what if Europe went it alone?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere is virtually no research right now on the geopolitics of post-growth and this is something we want to change.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf course, it is very difficult to study something that does not exist \u2013 post-growth politics or desire to move in this way in any European country\u0026nbsp;\u2013 and one risks here being very speculative.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe hope that, together with strong political scientists and international relations scholars, we can start developing convincing answers on, say, whether a big power like Europe can go it alone and under what conditions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMy hunch is that, yes, it can. But my understanding of geopolitics is very na\u00efve and I want to think that, through six years of research and friction with people who know more, we will come up with more informed hypotheses.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow should research and innovation for decarbonsation be funded?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EInnovation can be funded like everything else: by the government paying for it and supporting the social infrastructures necessary for our survival.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch and knowledge are vital for any society and they will be even more so in a degrowth society where, as a species, we will no longer be able to buy our way out cheaply courtesy of fossil fuels. Instead, we will have to be inventive and find new, resource-light ways to enjoy ourselves and live well with one another.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch and innovation not only in hard science but also in arts and humanities would be vital for building such a convivial society.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022text-center bg-bluelightest p-12 my-12 -mx-16\u0022\u003E\n  \u003Ch3 class=\u0022font-sans font-bold text-blue uppercase text-lg mb-8\u0022\u003EBeyond Growth\u003C\/h3\u003E\n  \u003Cspan class=\u0022inline-block w-1\/6 h-1 bg-blue mb-8\u0022\u003E\u003C\/span\u003E\n  \u003Cp\u003EThe European Parliament is hosting a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.beyond-growth-2023.eu\/\u0022\u003E15-17 May conference\u003C\/a\u003E entitled \u201cBeyond Growth\u201d and the EU is funding a new research project on the matter.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBoth initiatives are propelled by growing environmental threats such as global warming, greater awareness of limits to natural resources and louder warnings about social inequality.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe conference in Brussels will feature top economic, environmental and social-affairs officials and experts from Europe and elsewhere, challenging participants to think in very different ways about the progress and wealth of nations. It follows a November \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/environment\/beyond_gdp\/download\/bgdp-summary-notes.pdf\u0022\u003E2007 EU conference\u003C\/a\u003E called \u201cBeyond GDP\u201d that helped put the subject in the spotlight.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe new European research project is called \u201c\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/portalrecerca.uab.cat\/en\/projects\/a-post-growth-deal\u0022\u003EA Post-Growth Deal\u003C\/a\u003E\u201d, or REAL, and is the biggest so far to be financed by the EU in the field. The European Research Council is providing \u20ac9.9 million over six years to the initiative, which will be coordinated from Spain by the Autonomous University of Barcelona.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWatch the video\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ciframe allow=\u0022accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\u0022 allowfullscreen frameborder=\u00220\u0022 height=\u0022315\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/europa.eu\/webtools\/crs\/iframe\/?oriurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2F5r0GfVIxZXg\u0022 title=\u0022YouTube video player\u0022 width=\u0022560\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n            \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n      Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n    \u003C\/div\u003E\n  \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-svewd3mwth4-u5nqdxgo6-5jtitzrlrrk5atfw8-5rw\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-SVeWd3mWTH4_u5nqdXGO6_5jTiTZRlRrK5aTFW8-5rw\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]