Inspiring conference by renowned author and anthropologist Jason Hickel in front of 250 people

„Less is more: How degrowth will save the world“

On 16 December, Jason Hickel, whose book “Less is More: How Degrowth will save the world” was listed as book of the year by both the Financial Times and the New Scientist, presented his analysis of the growth issue to a packed auditorium.

It is remarkable that 250 people found their way to the conference this week before the start of the holidays. The breadth of the audience was also remarkable: the event was attended by stakeholders from the business world, trade unions, non-governmental organisations, municipalities, some politicians and interested private individuals.

Jason Hickel was able to explain in a compelling and lively way why our current economic model is not sustainable.

In doing so, he focuses on the fact that the following question must characterise our social and economic model: What should grow in the future and why? A blanket focus on growth would be the wrong approach. The economy should be there to ensure “access to a good life” and not to maximise corporate profits.

Tackling the climate and biodiversity crisis is not about holding individuals accountable. Rather, production conditions need to be changed, says Jason Hickel.

In the course of the event, he elaborated on these thoughts, deepened them and presented a whole series of other extremely stimulating considerations.

Got curious?

Then take a look at the inspiring video of the lecture or listen to and watch the reports on RTL television or in “Lëtzebuerger Land”.

Recording of the evening event:

The interview during the news can be seen here, it is at about 17:53:

https://www.rtl.lu/tele/de-journal-vun-der-tele/v/3397079.html

You can find the entire interview here (only available online):

https://www.rtl.lu/news/national/a/2260193.html

Jason Hickel is an author and professor at the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He is also a visiting professor at the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. He is a member of the Climate and Macroeconomics Roundtable of the US National Academy of Sciences, the Advisory Board of the Green New Deal for Europe and the Lancet Commission on Sustainable Health.

Jason’s research focuses on political economy, inequality and ecological economics, which are the subjects of his two most recent books: The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions (Penguin, 2017) and Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World (Penguin, 2020), which was listed as Book of the Year by the Financial Times and New Scientist.