Novara Media Downstream: Infinite Growth Will Lead to Collapse w/ Jason Hickel
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Sep 1, 2025 
In this discussion, Professor Jason Hickel, an expert on climate dynamics and author of 'Less is More', challenges the notion that endless economic growth is beneficial. He argues that clinging to GDP growth is driving humanity towards disaster. Hickel critiques green growth as merely a guise for capitalism and emphasizes the urgent need for degrowth to combat climate change. The conversation also touches on the geopolitical implications of capitalism, the role of state-led models like China's, and the call for a new economic framework focused on sustainability and social equity.
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Three Degrees Is Civilization-Scale Risk
- Current trajectories put us near ~3°C warming by 2100, which would be catastrophic for ecosystems and food systems.
- Every fractional degree matters and 1.5°C should be the urgent target to minimize collapse risks.
Climate As Atmospheric Colonization
- The global North caused roughly 90% of excess historical emissions yet suffers far less of the mortality and economic costs.
- Climate breakdown functions as atmospheric colonization with harms falling along colonial lines.
GDP Measures Capital's Priorities, Not Welfare
- GDP growth is an aggregate production metric that equates all market output regardless of social value.
- Treating GDP as synonymous with progress masks harmful production and misallocates resources away from human needs.
