Contributions from Feminist and Plural Peace Perspectives to Promote Degrowth. A Dialogic Approach in Times of Multiple Interlocking Crises

Abstract

It is often said that writing a thesis is a solitary journey. This is only a partial truth.Throughout the writing process I have begun to appreciate the relational aspects of research and writing. Here I would like to acknowledge the people that supported me: Thank you, Eloísa Nos-Aldás, for your steady presence as a tutor and supervisor. I am grateful for your critical and empathic responses as well as your perpetual invitation to find freedom on my own path. Thank you, Alberto Gomes, for your highly instructive advice. Thanks for generously sharing your rich depth of alternative knowledge(s). Thank you,

"Bracing for the Next Crisis: Pandemics, Climate Change, and Safeguarding Global Health and Prosperity"

“…This domain examines a country's economic resilience [2,23,24], social safety nets, and commitment to sustainable development practices [25,26]. Factors such as income inequality, access to education and healthcare [27], and investment in green technologies [28,29] are considered.…”

“…Concurrent with the threat of pandemics, the escalating impacts of climate change pose an existential challenge to global health and prosperity [12]. Rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events [20][21][22] have far-reaching consequences for human health, food security, water availability, and economic stability.Climate change exacerbates the risk of vector-borne diseases, malnutrition, and mental health is-sues [8,32,38], while also contributing to the displacement of populations and heightened conflicts over dwindling resources [26,39]. These impacts disproportionately affect marginalized communities, further exacerbating existing inequalities and straining already overburdened healthcare systems [27,37,40].…”

“…The interconnectedness of global health, economic prosperity, and the potential for conflicts cannot be overstated. Pandemics and climate change-induced crises have the potential to disrupt supply chains, destabilize financial markets, and exacerbate resource scarcity [2,23,24], creating fertile ground for civil unrest and geopolitical tensions.Conversely, investing in robust healthcare systems, promoting sustainable development, and fostering international cooperation can not only mitigate these threats but also contribute to lasting peace and stability [10,26]. By addressing the root causes of conflicts, such as poverty, environmental degradation, and inequalities [25,39], we can cultivate an environment conducive to economic growth and human flourishing.…”

“…Governments, private sectors, civil society, and individuals must collaborate to prioritize investments in pandemic preparedness, climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, and the promotion of sustainable development practices [22,25,28,29,51,52]. By confronting these challenges head-on, we can not only safeguard global health and wealth but also forge a path toward a more equitable, resilient, and peaceful world [10,11,26]. The time to act is now, for the consequences of inaction are too grave to contemplate [4,9,24,53].…”

Why are feminist perspectives, analyses, and actions vital to degrowth?

“…• Care economies, commoning care, caring masculinities, and interspecies care (Aulenbacher & Riegraf, 2018;Borowy & Aillon, 2017;D'Alisa & Catteano, 2013;Dengler & Lang, 2022;Paulson et al, 2022(a); Paulson et al, 2022(b)\; Tummers & MacGregor, 2019;Winker, 2015) • Crises (war, anthropocene, COVID) (Bahn, Cohen & Rodgers, 2020;Bock, 2021;FaDA, 2020a;FaDA, 2020b;Raworth, 2014;Riquito, 2021;Paulson, 2022;Paulson, 2020) • Decolonial, intersectional, and global south approaches (Abazeri, 2022;Dengler & Seebacher, 2019, Mehta & Harcourt, 2021Nirmal & Rocheleau, 2019;Paulson, 2021;Pietilä, 2006, Salleh, 2020Svampa, 2015) • Design, technology, and practical innovations (Bell et al, 2020;Gaziulusoy & Houtbeckers, 2018;Houtbeckers & Gaziulusoy, 2019;Kawgan-Kagan, 2015;Paulson, 2022;White, 2020) • Ecofeminisms (Pérez Orozco & Mason-Deese, 2022;Perkins, 2019;Picardi et al, 2022;Saave, 2022;Salleh, 2017) • Gender and political economic systems (Andreucci et al, 2019;Akbulut, 2021;Barca et al, 2019;…”