Meera Karunananthan
The Montreal Gazette reports, “Just as events are forcing Quebecers to debate some fundamental questions about our economy and our future, five Montreal universities happen to be hosting a weeklong conference (from May 13 to 19) on ‘degrowth’ – a movement that questions whether economic growth should be our society’s primary goal. …The Occupy movement, the recent record-breaking Earth Day march in Montreal, concerns over the push to develop northern Quebec and the continuing student strikes are all signs that many Quebecers are questioning the ‘business-as-usual’ approach to economic development. …Errors like runaway global warming, habitat destruction and a widening wage gap between rich and poor will lead to calamity for future generations, and a forced, unplanned ‘degrowth’ period that will be painful, they warn.”
Yesterday at 4 pm, Council of Canadians water campaigner Meera Karunananthan was present at the conference to lead a ‘Water Justice and Degrowth’ roundtable in Salle Leacock 14 at McGill University. The roundtable was described as, “A water justice framework dictates the need to build economies based not only on reduced consumption, but commons-based management models that grant communities the tools to protect the environment and ensure equitable access to nature for current and future generations. This Council of Canadians roundtable will provide a critique of market mechanisms and provide examples of successful community-run models of environmental stewardship.”
As noted on the conference web-page, “Twenty years after the Earth Summit in Rio, the linkage of sustainable development to economic growth requires profound rethinking. It has not offered a convincing solution to one of the most dramatic crises in history: how to avert ecological collapse while enhancing social justice and improving life’s prospects. In advance of Rio plus 20, our Conference seeks to challenge and move beyond the sustainable development agenda. A degrowth perspective will help us visualize and build towards a truly prosperous world.”
Keynote speakers included Holly Dressel, David Suzuki, Elizabeth May, and Elizabeth Peredo.
The Montreal Gazette adds, “(The conference) is modelled on similar conferences in Paris in 2008 and Barcelona in 2010, and is leading up to a global conference on the issue next fall in Venice.”
