Less is More by Jason Hickel
Two sentence summary
Jason Hickel explores why we’re in the mess we’re in and what the solutions are to create a sustainable future. His answer is ‘degrowth’.
Three things I took from the book
1. HOW MANY OF OUR PROBLEMS STEM FROM A DESIRE FOR CONTROL
Jason gives a brief history of capitalism, colonialism and our desire to control people, natural resources, land. I found this summary fascinating, accessibly written in plain English, shocking, insightful, wrong. It definitely opened my eyes.
This desire for constant growth means we’re constantly looking for more to take control of, ‘own’ and exploit - and that’s been going on for hundreds of years.
2. GDP GROWTH AND GLOBAL MATERIAL FOOTPRINT ARE LINKED
I’ve often wondered whether spending money on services or experiences rather than stuff could be a solution. Jason says no and gives data to back this up.
3. SOME OF THE SOLUTIONS SHOULDN’T BE CONTROVERSIAL
The most obvious solution (to me) that he shares is ending food waste. Ending waste of any type should hopefully be reasonably non-controversial - if something valuable is being wasted then surely putting it to good use rather than wasting it should be a no-brainer?
Three questions it prompted
1. HOW CAN WE START CONVERSATIONS THAT PROVOKE ACTION?
There are some great ideas in the book, and the rationale behind the need for change is well set out. How can we take the content of the book and engage people to take the proposed solutions and make them a reality? What’s the roadmap for change and immediate call to action?
2. WHAT IF WE DIDN’T CALL IT ‘DEGROWTH’?
I don’t think the term ‘degrowth’ is helpful. It immediately turns a lot of people off, and yet I believe that many of the proposed solutions should seem very sensible to a lot of people. So I wonder if we need to use a different term to get broader engagement?
3. HOW MIGHT WE CREATE A POSITIVE FUTURE VISION?
Many of the proposed solutions (e.g. ending planned obsolescence, shifting to a reduced working week, expanding the commons) sound pretty inspiring to me. My guess is that these might also be very appealing to many of the general public.
Too much of the communication around sustainability is negative - what if we could use these proposals to create a positive and inspiring vision of an alternative future? One that people are motivated to make real?