Growth at All Costs: The Politics of a Burning Planet

Description du cours

This course examines how modern states and global systems render the world legible—that is, how they translate complex social, ecological, and political realities into simplified, quantifiable forms such as statistics, GDP, and development indicators. Drawing from thinkers like James C. Scott, Arun Agrawal, and Jason Hickel, the course explores how concepts like “growth,” “progress,” and “conservation” are not neutral measurements but tools of governance that shape what and who counts.

By tracing the historical transformation of forests, land, and people into measurable units, we interrogate how political disputes over inequality, ecology, and sovereignty are displaced into technical debates about data and method. This course also critically examines the ideology of economic growth, the dominance of GDP as a metric of prosperity, and Hickel’s call for degrowth as a pathway toward ecological and social justice.

And yet, questions of equity and fairness remain. Do countries have an equal responsibility towards tackling the climate crisis? Who are the big polluters and who bears the brunt? What gives some countries the right to pollute and not others? What is degrowth’s place in the developing world, and what is its role compared to development efforts that are still so crucial in generating prosperity and wealth for the people that need it most?

Answering these questions requires a historical analysis of how we got here in the first place. What was the historical allure of fossil fuels? What gave rise to this obsession with GDP and growth? What would it mean to treat degrowth as the defining paradigm shift (or even the zeitgeist) of the coming century?

Ultimately, students will consider how the state and global capitalism use quantification to depoliticize power relations (e.g. neutralizing Indigenous and alternative perspectives) and how reimagining these concepts can open possibilities for more equitable and sustainable futures.

What are the solutions to advancing climate justice? How do we shift from our current way of operation to one more equitable with the people and the planet? Can capitalism and climate justice co-exist? What are the roles of governments, international institutions, civil society, and individuals in tackling the climate crisis?