Degrowth as a counter-model to "economic growth" within a limited world... - Degrowth as a counter-model to "economic growth" within a limited world... - Network - Tourist

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Degrowth as a counter-model to "economic growth" within a limited world...

Dear Colleagues,

as criticised in my presentation at the conference in Hanoi, "sustainable tourism" is very often interpreted as "sustainable growth" of touris, which leads sometimes unfortunately to overtourism. Within a limited world, this creates fundamental practical and paradigmatic problems. For this reasons, academics have developed the concept of "Degrowth" - a horror picture for politicians, economists and tourism marketers.

To clear the fog around  this term a bit, I may present an explanatory article from the Encyclopedia of Sustainable Tourism.

Reference: Friedl, H. A. (2015). Degrowth. In: Cater, C., Garrod, B. & Low. T. (Ed.): The Encyclopedia of Sustainable Tourism. Wallingford: Cabi, S. 161.

Comments, critics and further ideas are welcome.

Bye, Harry

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Ceterum censeo mutationem climae esse vincendem.

(Incidentally, I think that global warming must be defeated) 

 

Prof. (FH) Mag. Mag. Dr. Harald A. Friedl
Assoc. Professor for Sustainability and Ethics in Tourism
Institute for  Health and Tourism Management
FH JOANNEUM - University of Applied Sciences
Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Straße 24
8344 Bad Gleichenberg, Austria
Phone office +43-316/5453-6725
Phone mobil: +43-699/191.44.250
eMail: harald.friedl@fh-joanneum.at
Web: www.fh-joanneum.at/GMT

 

Hello Harry! In my opinion, degrowth will not be necessary thanks to disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, which can give us the necessary tools to make a sustainable growth economic model, such as knowing our limits better, better measuring the effects of economic activity to be able to make better policies, etc. Although the economic model we currently have may seem unsustainable, there are alternatives to degrowth, we can get around the limitations by relying on and creating new tools based on a more technological and supportive world, leaving no one behind with new models such as universal basic income. Thank you!

Thanks, Lara, for your critical reflection.
Allow me to respond also in a critical way:
I think, that we need to clarify the term "degrowth". For me, it means at the end the reduction of wasting resources. When producing wapons, starting a war and reconstructing the destroyed state - as it has happened in Irak by the US, we call this "growth". But that is a simple numeric growth, while the quality of life of the people there was terribly suffering. It was growth of the wealth of investors... But calculated in values such as health, access to water - and all the other SDGs, I am conviced that it was a very negative form of degrowth...
When you think of disruptive technologies, then a look back into history shows pretty well, that due to the rebound-effect, disruptive technologies allowing more efficiant use of resources are leading to the growth of production (because it is much cheaper now) and, in consequence, to the expansion of over-all use of resources. Just look at the historic development of individual mobilisation by engines and the growth of usage of petrol....
At the end, it is always a question of distribution of wealth. Or as Gandhi has expressed it: There is enough for everybody, but not enough for the greed of everybody.
In a world, where there exist 2095 billionaires  according to the Forbes List, there runs something wrong, don't you think? And better instruments will help first those who are already on the top to go even further...
What do you think?

Ceterum censeo mutationem climae esse vincendem.

(Incidentally, I think that global warming must be defeated) 

 

Prof. (FH) Mag. Mag. Dr. Harald A. Friedl
Assoc. Professor for Sustainability and Ethics in Tourism
Institute for  Health and Tourism Management
FH JOANNEUM - University of Applied Sciences
Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Straße 24
8344 Bad Gleichenberg, Austria
Phone office +43-316/5453-6725
Phone mobil: +43-699/191.44.250
eMail: harald.friedl@fh-joanneum.at
Web: www.fh-joanneum.at/GMT

 

Hello!
Very interesting both visions of the possibilities of development, however if we think of a more catastrophic situation in which we take into account collapse and as a necessity underdevelopment, a question arises: how is tourism expected to develop? are these possibilities contemplated from the study of tourism?
Thank you in advance for putting up with the pessimism I have expressed

Dear Olimpia, thanks again. I added a paper which my network "ACTnetwork" (Action for Climate in Tourism Network) published last year on behalf of the present CoVid crisis, looking forward on strategies about turning the desaster into a chance for a sustainable tourism development, taking into account the next, even worse approaching crisis - of the climate.
Would be interested about your impression.
M

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Ceterum censeo mutationem climae esse vincendem.

(Incidentally, I think that global warming must be defeated) 

 

Prof. (FH) Mag. Mag. Dr. Harald A. Friedl
Assoc. Professor for Sustainability and Ethics in Tourism
Institute for  Health and Tourism Management
FH JOANNEUM - University of Applied Sciences
Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Straße 24
8344 Bad Gleichenberg, Austria
Phone office +43-316/5453-6725
Phone mobil: +43-699/191.44.250
eMail: harald.friedl@fh-joanneum.at
Web: www.fh-joanneum.at/GMT