The central argument here is surely misdirected. Income inequality is a social problem that hinders many things, but addressing it does not fix the root cause of our crises. To see why, imagine that everyone suddenly shares the wealth of the world equally - no more billionaires or underclass. That would actually increase demand for energy and materials, because the large group of the 'poor' would become able to consume at rates more like the 'middling rich', whereas reduction in billionaire consumption would be much less because they are few in number relative to the poor, and there's only so much each person can consume.

The core problem surely is that prices reflect the value of goods and services, but no price is assigned to extraction from nature and emissions back to nature. To fix that, all consumption has to pay the full price, whatever social arrangements are devised to share out the wealth.

Billionaires and developed world consumption are egregious problems. But rather than fruitlessly complaining about them, it might be more productive to campaign for specific realistic policy to price pollution and extraction, and agree a formula for financial transfers from developed to developing regions.

I would like to know the source of the information that dying people regret having worked too hard, and, having not lived the life they wanted to. Important stuff. Directly challenges the sanctimonious narrative that hard work is automatically virtuous! 'Work will set you free'...'You get what you deserve', etc. ????

Also, great article that focuses on solutions, not repeating problems endlessly. More people are getting this crucial point, but at the current rate it will be too late.

If we want to open the flood gates the environmental movement needs its gatekeepers to address the real crisis. Civilization is in decline and can’t be saved. Centralized technocratic policies promoting smart, controlled, and urban human solutions are just more of the same failure. We are stuck with cities and the self-organizing urge of humanity is towards more of this. This means urban solutions are vital but doubling down on urbanism with centralization, technological progress, and authoritarian controls is not going to make this predicament better. It will hasten decline in a dirty and turbulent way.

Globalism is colonization of localism with delocalized support and a relief value allowing talent and resources to be bled off to areas of advantage. You are not going to decrease inequality with more globalism. The technocrats pushing this fake social justice of unlimited immigration is just one example of lack of respect for localism. A world in degrowth must have sovereign borders. Keep in mind this is more than national borders, this is also local borders. If permaculture localism is going to work there must be protection from competition. Immigration is competition.

Excess wealth does result in disproportionate power. The elites today are wielding this power to push for removing excess power but this power is from the working and middle class. The elites have no intention of removing their power. Their power and wealth are directly contingent on globalism. It is based upon smart cities that are controlled for their benefit. This has resulted in an administrative state. This is class imperialism is disguised with manufactured racism. The problem is imperialism of elite class who are disproportionately old white people harping about poor white people. These people are pushing social justice not for altruistic reason but reasons of control. Environmentalism is likewise hijacked with techno-progressive policies of renewables. Renewables are vital but not a solution. They will diversify a coming forced planetary degrowth episode. They are not clean. The are just more industrial creations of an anti-life civilization based on the transhumanism of machines and knowledge accumulation. A knowledge accumulation seeking less human impute because life can’t be trusted.

Real degrowth is doom degrowth. It is anti-elite and anti-administrative statism. The Chinese model of fascist state capitalism of authoritarian control through elite administration partnered with corporate monopolies is not degrowth. This is feudal growth with lords and serfs of old adapted with a technocratic system. The serfs will own nothing and be forced to be happy with deception if needed. Degrowth doom would be an elite decline first not an elite merger where global elites are forming private clubs to control public resources. Degrowth doom is about education. This education is honesty on the predicament of civilization. This includes no solutions. Civilization is failing. It is being forced into decline. This means an education on values. Affluence needs to be dealt with. The real issue with affluence is it is a trade-off. You can’t have affluence and degrowth. You have one or the other. Since the planet is forcing degrowth and civilization is in socio-political bifurcation the narrative must be to accept lower affluence here on out. This would require elites to lead the way in example.

Ultimately, degrowth doom would be a measured response of the elite, the administrative state, and an educated population to lower affluence where it can and where it can’t to be honest about uncontrolled failures. The honesty comes form accepting planet forced destructive change of abandonment, dysfunction, and resulting irrational responses. These are inevitable and should be planned for. This is the hospice part. The life boat part is to get as many as possible while there are still resources into permaculture localism. Depopulate cities where possible. Forget the trillions on fancy techno-transhuman machines and instead apply appropriate no or low tech. This is so simple it is too complexed for our environmental academics who live behind walls on vast campuses. Too much knowledge and too much affluence means this honesty and stoic courage will never be spoken of. Instead, censorship will be the answer as carefully crafted messages of green utopias are spoken of. Realgreenadaptation.blog