In the midst of an economic crisis, can 'degrowth' provide an answer? | Lola Seaton

Degrowthers are susceptible to caricature - but their ideas raise important questions about how, how much, and why we work

Amid the misery and chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic, there are some short-term consolations. The precipitous drop in road and air traffic has left the air cleaner and the skies clearer. For advocates of a Green New Deal (GND) - a vast, state-funded green infrastructure project, including a total transition to renewable energy and the construction of mass transit systems - there are reasons to be optimistic. As the severity of the unfolding global recession becomes clear - the IMF predicts a 3% global contraction - the GND looks like the best route to recovery.

Related: Could Microsoft's climate crisis 'moonshot' plan really work?

Lola Seaton is assistant editor at New Left Review