English summary below.

Hier vindt u een verslag, de presentatie van Dr. Thilo Lang, hoofd van de vakgroep Regionale geografie van het Leibniz Institute in Leipzig en de video van het webinar van 10 september 2020.

Verslag
In dit verslag een samenvatting en impressie.

Presentatie
Presentatie Thilo Lang.

Terugkijken
Hieronder kunt u het volledige webinar terugkijken.
Welkom door Drs. Elly van der Klauw, projectleider KKNN, introductie door Prof.Dr. Tialda Haartsen, Professor Plattelandsgeografie aan de Rijksuniversiteit Groningen en spreker Dr. Thilo Lang, hoofd van de vakgroep Regionale geografie van het Leibniz Institute in Leipzig. Daarna vragen van deelnemers.

Professor Thilo Lang, head of the Regional Geography department at the Leibniz Institute in Leipzig, held a webinar on 10 September in which he presented his ideas about Degrowth.

Summary
Degrowth is a movement that calls for reverse development. The idea is that we should not aim to grow, but should instead look for ways to live together sustainably. Degrowth advocates a greater emphasis on well-being than on prosperity, on balance instead of growth, on increased democracy and on a more equal distribution of wealth. In addition to the activist degrowth movement, a more academic ‘post-development’ debate has also emerged with a critical take on globalisation. The expectation that the entire world would benefit from economic growth in the core nations has failed to materialise, disparities are not shrinking but widening and natural resources are being depleted. We cannot continue down this path.

Degrowth, or post-development, is not just interesting for areas that are experiencing a population decline; it also puts smaller, more traditional communities in a good position to do things differently. There is less economic pressure in these places, and people still know each other personally. After all, Lang warns, ‘No one can do it alone; it takes a community. Others will join in once the initial successes have been achieved.’ He cites the Dutch city of Olst as an example of a place where interesting degrowth projects are underway.