From a wellbeing economy to Doughnut Economics, creative visualisations of a better economic system are flourishing all over the world. The transition to a fair and sustainable economy that respects people and nature requires new economic narratives that people can adhere to and share with others. The good news is: these stories exist, they are rooted in science and evidence, and ready to be told and heard. The EEB is working to share and amplify these stories, and help create a better economy where people and nature thrive together.
Overcoming our dependence on endless economic growth means moving towards a more resilient, secure and stable society. An alternative economic system that guarantees collective wellbeing for people and the planet and does not rely on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth at all costs is possible and needed. Our current economic model is pushing people and the planet to burn out. It is time for decision-makers to listen to science, reduce the extraction, production and consumption of resources, and focus on other pathways to make our societies thrive.
The role of the EEB is to connect emerging evidence supporting new economic models. One example is the LOCOMOTION project, where scientists test and explore scenarios to determine the effect of political decisions on our society in the short, medium and long term.
Better economic concepts have been developed and proven to be more successful. For instance, the wellbeing economy monitors and values what matters: our health, nature, education and communities. Doughnut Economics highlights minimum social criteria and maximum ecosystem limits to guide decision makers toward a more equitable and more sustainable system. And it does not stop here: a broad range of useful narratives have emerged from what academics call the degrowth community, the European ‘beyond growth’ policy scene, as well as the Global South.
It is time for the EU to choose a sweeter deal
OUR WORK
- Turn an academic letter on post-growth into a popular petition
- Co-organise the first post-growth conference in the European Parliament (2018), and the ’Beyond Growth’ conference (2023)
- Promote new economic narratives in horizontal processes such as the Council Presidencies
- Publish narratives on the wellbeing economy and on the pandemic
- Release videos on the pandemic as change opportunity pandemic as an opportunity for change, upcycling and Doughnut Economics (docu, stunt and political)
- Lectures, workshops and TED talks
Want to stay informed on this? Email Katy (katharina.wiese@eeb.org) and join our working group (+-1 email / week)
