Much of our modern way of life increases the level of ecological overshoot that we are causing. To embrace Degrowth we shall need to be willing to lower our expectations regarding our future lifestyle. We shall need to be made aware of the following facts:
- Many technologies speed up the rate that we damage our environment. It would help to publicly identify these with a view to minimising their use
- Many of our leisure activities generate a high carbon-footprint
- Many non-essential consumer goods have a significant carbon-footprint
- Many of our food products undergo carbon-intensive manufacturing processes, in addition to the transportation which is involved. For example bottled and canned drinks, numerous breakfast cereals.
- A child conceived today has a future which is compromised by our past and current behaviour. Any new born now enters a world which is in a state of escalating climate and ecological collapse, the world is increasingly dangerous for us all, according to the Bystroff population projections global life-expectancy will be greatly reduced this decade unless human behaviours change radically.
- Receiving intensive medical or social care has a high ecological cost
- Building using bricks, mortar and cement has a high carbon and ecological cost
A voluntary reduction on all these fronts would only arise after a paradigm shift in awareness and attitudes. Bill Dowling from the Scientists Warning Europe, has provided some calculations to help us understand the scale of the challenge for UK to shrink back within the biocapacity its borders, so that you can judge for yourself – UK biocapacity