Degrowth necessary to prioritize environmental concerns

On the plane of [a] transactions with nature, an overall far smaller throughput of matter and energy with less waste, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions would be necessary for economies and societies in the materially rich countries to become ecologically sustainable (Georgescu-Roegen, 1971, Georgescu-Roegen, 1975). As the degrowth literature points out, this for instance requires less production and consumption of unnecessary goods and services, less flying and fewer transportation miles (Trainer, 2012). Such changes necessitate a different attitude towards nature, which means less exploitation and instrumentalism (Naess, 1989) and less transformation of nature into built environments and industrial sites (such as monoculture plantations of food crops and forests) (Nesterova, 2022b). At the same time, more clean energy forms and more behaviour premised on regard for both planetary boundaries and for the characteristics of local regions would be required, as well as valuing (rather than evaluating monetarily) biodiversity, non-human beings and life in themselves (Naess, 1989). This entails more nature- and place-based economic activities carried out with care towards unique constellations of natural (as well as social) structures in different locations (Nesterova, 2022a).