Consuming our planet

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Summary

Is another economic crisis looming? Is 3 to 4 percent GDP growth nearing an end? Many economists and analysts feel permanent growth is the only possible option. But a new movement is gaining moment...

Is another economic crisis looming? Is 3 to 4 percent GDP growth nearing an end? Many economists and analysts feel permanent growth is the only possible option. But a new movement is gaining momentum in quite a few countries. It proposes stopping the machine in order to save the planet. It is a philosophy that opposes mass consumption while calling for a return to a more laid-back lifestyle. The Internet has popularized a whole new vocabulary - concepts like degrowth, radical simplicity, lohas, no-impact man, freegan, 100-mile diet and downshifting. Concepts that reflect the need for a slower pace of life. For many of those living in first-world countries, the spectacular economic and technological growth of the last few decades has carved out a comfortable lifestyle full of consumer items, many of which are petroleum derivatives. Private cars have become essential to daily life.

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