Let’s use the word ReGrowth, not degrowth

We know the word degrowth is unappealing, thanks to loss aversion theory.0 Loss aversion theory refers to a cognitive bias in which a situation is perceived as worse if it is framed as a loss, rather than a gain. Losses tend to be treated as if they were twice as large as an equivalent gain. This makes it impossible to build a successful movement based on loss, such as a degrowth movement.

ReGrowth is essentially Regeneration. It means fixing the mess that mass consumerism has created. Fixing the untold damage that 70+ years of consumerism has done to our planet, our cites and to people. ReGrowth means taking what has been broken and rebuilding a better world around people and nature.

We need to ReGrow our social connections again, and cure the global loneliness epidemic. 1 We need to ReGrow our lost forests and regenerate our depleted soils. We need to ReGrow our cities into thriving spaces for people, nature, commerce and entertainment. Let’s ReGrow a pollution free planet and restore the abundant wildlife it once sustained. Let’s ReGrow our democracies from the ground up, through local communities. ReGrowth is a story of positive life affirming and life enhancing growth, not the toxic, exploitative, planet wrecking growth we have today.

How do we Regrow our world? It starts with one simple step; change the way we measure success. Because what gets measured gets managed. Instead of using GDP as an indicator of success we could use something different. Let’s call it RPI. (Regrowth Progress Indicator) RPI would measure environmental and societal impacts of every activity and take them into consideration in every decision making process. Everything we make and build and do would need to be contributing to ReGrowth in some way. This one change alone, if it was mandatory for Governments and Corporations, would change the world as we know it, for the better.

Changing the way we measure success changes the way we make decisions.
Instead of simply asking, how much will this cost and how much will this earn? we should ask “how will this ReGrow our community, our social cohesion, our biodiversity, our…?” Not measuring environmental impacts, health impacts, societal impacts has put us into this poly crisis. Measuring and taking action to avoid negative impacts is the way we get out. The only question then is, what do we measure to inform our decisions?

We already have some excellent thinking in this area. Genuine Progress Indicator. (GPI) Index of Human Development. (HDI) Human Poverty Index. (HPI) Gross Domestic Happiness. (GDH) Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare. (ISEW) Happy Planet Index (HPI) Green gross domestic product (Green GDP or GGDP) are all different ways of measuring what matters, that we can draw inspiration from. We also have Doughnut Economics, which provides a whole economic system that broadens the definition of economic success by incorporating factors such as social welfare, environmental sustainability, and human thriving.

If we put new metrics in place we encourage new thinking. Every problem becomes an opportunity to make life better. We kick off a race to the top, not to the bottom. Degrowth speaks to us of the need for less. We do need less pollution, less destruction, less climate change, less social injustice, but we need to frame it as ReGrowth, then we focus on more. We can think about a more vibrant society, more freedom, more social mobility, more resilience, more free time, more sustainability, more actual free speech, more good jobs, more…

SolarPunk is that ReGrowth story. It’s not about creating a perfect world, it’s about creating a better world, as well as accepting imperfection. It’s less of a destination and more of a journey, guided by new ReGrowth metrics. It’s about ensuring every day we are healing our planet, healing our societies, healing ourselves. Every day we move from an extractive and exploitation economy to a restorative and fair society.

There are three possible paths to ReGrowth. Through economic collapse, through incremental change or through rapid change. As we don’t know exactly when economic collapse WILL happen, we need to prepare for all three. With economic collapse and rapid change, it’s important to have a whole system thought out, ready for this great transformation, like Doughnut Economics. With incremental change we need to look at the world as it is now and try and implement as many smaller changes and ReGrowth metrics as possible. Whatever the way forward we can and should plan for them all.
ReGrowing after the collapse means two things. Starting now, building more sustainable communities. Like joining a Transition Town movement2 or starting a Solar punk Community3. As well as planning for a complete restructure after collapse happens. (Retro Suburbia)
ReGrowing incrementally means looking at how we can put those ReGrowth metrics into our governments, into companies, into local councils. Looking at how we can make changes within the current system. While accepting that this is not the ideal outcome.
ReGrowing for rapid change means facilitating rapid change. Joining a progressive organisation that seeks this kind of rapid change. Supporting the people who want rapid ecological based change now.4 This can also be done while pushing for incremental changes or building more sustainable communities.

Our world is like a sick and dying tree. Its branches badly hacked by consumerism, its roots damaged by political lies, its leaves burnt by climate change and its biodiversity diminished. But it still lives. It can still be saved, it can still grow 1000’s more offspring and create a giant forest. It’s time to ReGrow that tree, heel our planet and our societies and make them more abundant than we have ever known.

Featured image thanks to Sharyn Morrow https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharynmorrow/ shared under CC licence

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