Planned Degrowth

Ecosocialism and Sustainable Human Development—An Introduction

Abstract

In the introduction to this summer's special issue on "Planned Degrowth," John Bellamy Foster outlines the major themes of degrowth thought, including, above all, a recognition of the need to challenge current notions of "growth" and "prosperity" and move toward a more sustainable model of human development, one that meets the needs of individuals and communities. This, Foster writes, requires a massive revolutionary shift in the social relations governing the means production and the prioritization of planning our economy around the survival of the species, rather than the endless drive to accumulation that has devastated the planet.