Degrowth and International Law: Assessing the Compatibility of Degrowth and the Principle of Sustainable Development

Abstract

This article explores whether the international law principle of sustainable development is compatible with the degrowth development framework. Sustainable development is a guiding and binding principle of international law which calls for development that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This article is grounded in the international law principle of sustainable development because of the significant position it occupies in international law as a guiding principle of the United Nations. Degrowth calls for the intentional downscaling of production and consumption at all levels to bring human activity back within planetary boundaries while securing decent levels of human well-being. It challenges the common-sense understanding that economic growth is an indispensable part of development and instead relies on policies which redistribute already existing wealth to fund social development projects. An approach to social concerns in this way ensures that less environmental capital is needed to develop States. This article takes a broad approach to sustainable development and degrowth and argues that they are complementary because they share the same base, namely the intersection between economic development, social development, and environmental protection. This article ultimately concludes that the principle of sustainable development is compatible with and is most purely manifested within a degrowth framework.