This document summarizes Jan Müller, a typical 18-year old German consumer, and examines the implications of perpetual economic growth to support increasing consumption. It notes that if global consumption reached Jan's level, the world economy would need to grow 40-fold. It then discusses some negative environmental and social impacts of pursuing unlimited growth through waste generation and resource depletion. Finally, it argues for redefining prosperity in a way that is environmentally sustainable and focuses more on health, community and purpose rather than material possessions.

1. COMENIUS PROJECT „Let’s try degrowth“ 2012-
2014
2nd meeting: 10th – 15th March 2013
Peter-Paul-Rubens-Gymnasium, Siegen

2. Index
•Jan Müller – a typical consumer
•Growth – the solution or the problem?
•A balanced lifestyle
•What is neoliberalism?
•Prosperity without growth

3. Jan Müller has enough or…
…how much growth can the planet take?

4. Jan Müller: portrait of a typical 18 year-old
German
• born on 15th July 1993
• zodiacal sign: cancer
• height: 1.81m
• weight: 73.9kg
• non-smoker
• without a girlfriend (presently)
• Catholic on paper
• likes to play football (favourite team: FC Cologne)
• school: 11th grade
• home: at his parents flat in Cologne (three and a half rooms)

5. Jan Müller‘s room…
14.4 square meters (natural wood furniture)
Flatscreen TV (2
hours a day)
Computer w.
Internet (2 hours
a day)

6. Memories of his childhood…

7. For his birthday he received a few bottles of
Schnaps…
(But when he celebrates, he prefers
beer…)

8. Wilhelm and Jan Müller…
…worked 11 hours a day.
average lifespan: 45
years
owned:
-a few shirts
-trousers
-a pair of boots
-a jacket
-a piece of soap
-and (perhaps) a Sunday
19th century 120 years later…
…works for 6 hours a day
average lifespan: 80 years
owns:
flatscreenTVcomputerandmonitorstereo
headsetsmartphoneCDcassetterecorde
rplaystationwithintegratedDVDunitaWiic
onsoleaportableplaystationcalculatorradi
oalarmclockbedcupboarddeskchairtwof
ootballsonebasketballrucksackglobesev
eralpairsoftrainersshirtstrousersjacketsb
ooksDVDsgamesbikemountainbikemot
orbike
or…
even a car

9. A simple calculation…
• …if the economy is to grow by 2% each year to guarantee prosperity
• Jan will have to own twice as much in 25 years.
• Or:
• If everybody on earth wants to live according to Jan Müller‘s standard ofliving,
•
The world economy will have to grow by 40 times

10. that would mean:
• he would have to have 4 times as many clothes
• has to go to McDonald‘s 5 times as much
• to the cinema 6 times as much
• to the football stadium 7 times as much
On top of that:
He has to learn for school…

11. Jan is a consumer.
Wilhelm owned 30 items
Jan owns 500…

12. So in order to generate growth, he has to
generate
WASTE

13. Every year, Germans
• waste 6.7 million tons of food
• two million tons of clothes
• two million tons of (repairable) mobile phones, TV sets, CD players, stereosets and laser printers

14. Waste boosts growth, but…
Will Jan buy and waste twice as much in 25 years?

15. Jan Müller does not have to go to the
„Bundeswehr“ any more but he needs to
help his country in other ways…
…he has to go shopping a
lot!

16. What politicians and economists say…
„Europe
needs
growth!“
„Rates must increase!“
„We have to stabilize growth!“
„We need a strategy for growth!“
„More growth, more turnover, more profit!“

17. Pareto:
„Man is a greedy, insatiable creature.
It‘s the homo oeconomicus.
Driven by the feeling of lack, he accumulates.“

18. Islands of
wealth…
…within oceans of poverty

19. In the western world:
prosperity through technological revolutions
in
• agriculture
• nutrition
• healthcare
• education
• communication
• information technology

20. „Prosperit
y“
„to live well within the limits of a finite planet“
but:

21. 2.000.000.000 people are chronically
undernurished…

22. 1.000.000.000 people have no access to
clean water…

23. We have a
moral duty
to share these benefits with those in the
poorest parts of the world

24. we are consuming earth‘s
resources
faster than nature can replenish
them

25. …in order to survive, we need a balanced
approach which sustains the earth‘s life-
support systems in the long term

26. Flow 1

27. In the pursuit of the good life today…
…we are eroding the basis for our well-being
tomorrow

28. How do we do this?

29. 1. Wasting limited energy
Oil
coal
gas

30. 2. Destroying productive land by extensive
agriculture

31. 3. Food
wasting food
using food as biofuel
privatization

32. 3. Water
Contamination of groundwater
by chemicals
Privatization of water supplies

33. 4. Wood
clearing forests for:
cattle (=meat)
growth of biofuels
paper production

34. 5. Climate change, caused by
• burning of fossil fuels (CO2 production)
• deforestation (reduced CO2 absorption)
• warming of oceans

35. ecological and economic disasters caused
by…

36. neoliberalism
1. deregulation of financial
markets
2.„free“ trade
3. no interference of national
governments
4.privatization of national
industries

37. Let‘s make money 3:22-5:34

38. Exploitation of developing countries and it‘s
disastrous consequences for the people…
lmm burkina faso, 34:40-43:41

39. LMM 49:15-50:38

40. Former banker John Christensen tells his
story
LMM 30:52-34:38

41. LMM 1.34:38-1.38:39

42. LMM 1.40:39-1.43:28

43. According to the ideology of
neoliberalism
1. deregulation of financial
markets
2.„free“ trade
3. no interference of national
governments
4.privatization of national
industries

44. these measures are supposed to:
•stimulate growth
•create demand for commodities
•encourage investment
•generate prosperity
but…

45. they put multinational corporations in the
position to make profit on:
•Food
•Water
•Energy
•Services
•Goods

46. and they also lead to…
the exploitation of
finite resources…
the exploitation of people…
and to the destruction of
our planet

48. material plenty?
affluence?
new gadgets every
month?
the latest model?
the best deal?
What do we really need to be happy?

49. What we really need cannot be bought:
health
safety
respectidentity
harmony with nature
friendship
inner balance

50. striving for profit destroys the basis of our
lives
We need to change our attitude towards
society
nature
work
leisure
and towards
ourselves and our
fellow human
beings

51. It‘s neccessary to
•limit working hours
•relearn leisure
•foster our ability to generate friendship
•focus on arts, sports and education
•take part in political debate and activity
•live in harmony with nature
•care for our fellow human beings
to change our
style of living

52. The idea of a non-growing economy may be a
nightmare to an economist…
but the idea of an endlessly growing economy is a
nightmare to an ecologist…

53. Prosperity has to go beyond material pleasures
It is found in the quality of our lives and in the
health and happiness of our families…
It is expressed in the strength of our
relationships and our trust in the community.
It means satisfaction at work,
a sense of shared
meaning and purpose

54. Prosperity is the ability to flourish as human beings
within the ecological limits of a finite planet