Post-growth: the science of wellbeing within planetary boundaries

Dario Krpan, Frédéric Basso, Dallas O’Dell, Jason Hickel and Giorgos Kallis
The Lancet Planetary Health, Vol 9(1) | January 2025

Summary

In a new Nature Human Behaviour commentary, CUSP researcher Dr Dario Krpan and international colleagues are making the case for integrating psychological and behavioural sciences into the study and implementation of degrowth—a socioeconomic paradigm that prioritises planetary health and human wellbeing through the democratically planned reduction of unnecessary production and consumption.

As the world nears the critical threshold for limiting global warming to 1.5 °C, the authors argue that addressing the climate crisis requires not just systemic economic transformation, but also significant behavioural and psychological shifts. Despite degrowth being largely overlooked in mainstream psychological research, evidence from adjacent fields shows its relevance to wellbeing, values, and social change.

The authors call for a unified, interdisciplinary research agenda that connects existing insights and builds a coherent body of knowledge to support the behavioural foundations of degrowth and guide its practical implementation.

Further Reading