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Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 23 November 2023 – A new Greenpeace publication sets out nine principles shared by societies, organisations and government initiatives around the world that distinguish themselves by putting the wellbeing of nature, people and society before the need for making profit and growing Gross Domestic Product (GDP).[1]
Although GDP is the main economic index used by almost every country in the world to measure growth and development, its one-size-fits-all approach rewards waste and pollution and does not take into account vital aspects such as people’s wellbeing or the limits of nature.[2]
“Whenever it’s claimed that there are no alternatives to capitalism, it really exposes the lack of imagination and willingness to develop a better future, not the lack of alternatives. All the examples we have gathered exist, work and prove that there is a dynamic landscape for many alternative futures” said Paula Tejón Carbajal, Alternative Futures Campaign Lead at Greenpeace International.
The nine principles for wellbeing economies, including “people and planet over profit and growth”, “equitable distribution of wealth and power”; “wellbeing at the core”; and “real participatory democracy”, are reflected in the contributions of experts, activists and scholars in a three-chapter publication called “Growing the Alternatives: Societies for a Future Beyond GDP”.
Growing the Alternatives also includes an interactive crowdsourced map with detailed information and the location of the communities, organisations and government initiatives featured in the publication, as well as new examples that people around the world can now submit.
“In a world wracked by polarisation, inequality, climate change, ecological breakdown and a crisis of hope and imagination, we can’t use the same thinking that created the problem in the first place. Greenpeace calls for governments and global institutions to drive their decision making according to sufficiency and the wellbeing of people and planet, so that what we really value becomes the new measure of success and can thrive and flourish across the world,” added Tejón Carbajal.
Growing the Alternatives was presented in a public online event on 22 November 2023, which was joined by more than 160 people all around the world. The moderator was Latin American journalist Monica Fonseca with guest speakers included Teresa Correa and Gustavo Salas of Cecosesola and Chikumbutso Ngosi of the Malawi Feminist Macroeconomics Alliance, two of the cases included in the publication and on the map.
ENDS
Growing the Alternatives map and three-chapter publication produced by Greenpeace International.
Photos related to this project can be downloaded via the Greenpeace Media Library.
Notes
[1] Some of the examples of existing wellbeing economies included in the report are:
- The Brazilian Semiarid Articulation (ASA) network with more than 3,000 civil society organisations that work together to maintain the ecosystem and maximise resilience by sharing goods and power.
- Cecosesola in Venezuela, an integrated cooperative built on respect, where decisions are taken by consensus.
- The Sinaweya social enterprise in Egypt, founded with the intent of safeguarding Sinai’s natural ecosystems and local communities by enabling them to revive their traditional knowledge in the areas of environmental and cultural heritage.
[2] https://www.wired.com/story/happiness-measurement/
Contacts
Camilo Sanchez, Communication Strategist for Alternative Futures, Greenpeace International: csanchez@greenpeace.org
Greenpeace International Press Desk: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)
For the latest international releases follow us on X/Twitter @greenpeacepress
