A Fisking Is In Order

 Nature

The global economy is structured around growth — the idea that firms, industries and nations must increase production every year, regardless of whether it is needed. 

If something isn't needed, nobody will purchase it.  Or does "needed" mean, we smart people don't think you need it, even though you willingly exchange money for it?

This dynamic is driving climate change and ecological breakdown

And yet, oddly, the countries with the best environmental conditions are the richest ones.  Is this an unsolvable mystery, or are we going to pretend this isn't the case?

Researchers in ecological economics call for a different approach — degrowth3. Wealthy economies should abandon growth of gross domestic product (GDP) as a goal, scale down destructive and unnecessary forms of production to reduce energy and material use, and focus economic activity around securing human needs and well-being. 

The assumption here, is that individuals don't really know their own needs and have no idea of how to promote their own well-being.  What is needed is a centrally-planned economy, where governments decide what is produced and in what quantities.  Does this sound vaguely familiar?  It should, it is a central idea behind Marxism.  You know, the ideology which led to the premature deaths of at least 100 million Humans along with massive destruction of the environment, as well as slavery and loss of freedom for more than a billion individuals.

Let's look at some recommendations:

Reduce less-necessary production. This means scaling down destructive sectors such as fossil fuels, mass-produced meat and dairy, fast fashion, advertising, cars and aviation...

Here's a crazy idea:  Rather than have a top-down, we will force industry to produce less of these bad things, how about if people who think these are bad things buy fewer of them? Nah!  Freedom is over-rated, we enlightened ones will decide that the peasants should have and if we need to build a few concentration camps--well omelets are needed and eggs must be broken.