The area is like a urban forest with trees that thrive among numerous residential and industrial areas and wild animals teem freely. He’s even got a chapter about lobbying in this book (even though lobbying is of course only a small part of the picture of how big business controls the state). Ultimately, we need to consider where this energy is going, because the source is only half the problem. Daar wringt het schoentje toch wat: directe democratie is allemaal goed en wel, maar in deze gepolariseerde maatschappij waar macht vaak corrupt is kan ik me niet voorstellen dat deze noodzakelijke snelle en wereldwijde overgang zonder slag of stoot zou kunnen gebeuren, of zonder dat totalitaire leiders zich hier en daar in het machtsvacuüm wringen. HAMLET'S ODE TO THE 21st CENTURYTo grow, or not to grow: that is the question,Whether 'tis nobler on Earth to sufferThe filth and waste of outrageous productionOr to take arms against a toxic sea of troubles,and by opposing, end them?

Rather than making a strong argument for degrowth, he made a straw man argument for growth, which he could then easily tear down and scoff at. Capitalism has robbed us of our ability to even imagine something different; Less is More gives us the ability to not only dream of another world, but also the tools by which we can make that vision real. The abandonment of animism is what allowed capitalists to exploit nature and fellow humans to the point of billionaires. And, if you’re looking for an ancient author to express the idea of simple living in a political setting, you could hardly do better than Plato. Think water, for example - how long are our ground water supplies supposed to last if both industries and population keep rising at their current rate?By shining a light on ecological breakdown and the system that's causing it, Hickel shows how we can bring our economy back into balance with the living world and build a thriving society for all.

High-income countries externalize production, thereby making the appearance of reduced or slowed DMC. But logging companies equipped with chainsaws don't let their workers finish the job early and take the rest of the day off. He is a Visiting Senior Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics, and Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London. Thus, by managing the amount that countries and industries are allowed to grow, we can ensure a more equitable state of things and prevent ecological collapse.But Hickel actually convinced me that the well-being and joy of humans is tied up with thriving ecosystems, and that systems of real democracy can protect it all.