In my view degrowth is required, either we do it on our own or climate change will degrow for us. It’s necessary not only to combat climate change but also ecological destruction. Jason Hickel is maybe the most well-known author on the topic, though it’s a much broader field.
To be clear, degrowth is not a form of primitivism, it’s not genocidal or Malthusian. It’s simply the concept that especially/primarily in the global north/imperial core production and consumption must be curbed, we are simply using more resources than can be supported by the planet. Planned obsolescence and unchecked consumption cannot continue. Those living in areas with sufficient productive ability need to shift production towards things that are necessary to allow those in the global south the ability to achieve standards of living available in the global north.
I know it’s controversial among some communists, so I wanted to see what lemmygrad thinks about the concept.
Personally I find the idea of degrowth a bit counterproductive. We should celebrate human achievements, and push production and technology as far as possible. Full communism is only possible in a post-scarcity society.
It goes without saying that none of this is possible under a capitalist system. Instead of growth for the sake of comfort and achievement, growth is solely focused on short-term profits, and blows up every 8 to 12 years (not to mention destroying the environment). Degrowth is also impossible under capitalism, as other people have pointed out.