Degrowthers are neither deranged nor do we claim that ending or reversing growth will save the planet. Instead, we simply look around at what several centuries of demographic and economic growth have done to the prospects for the long-term survival of healthy ecosystems and civilization itself. Then we ask, does humanity really need more of this at this point in our expansion or something different?

Might we celebrate the possibility that population growth could end relatively soon through lower birthrates? Might we find ways to reduce poverty by shrinking inequality in wealth and income, rather than mindlessly pumping up gross domestic product, which the editorial acknowledges is not a measure of individual happiness?

Robert Engelman, Takoma Park
The writer is a Senior Fellow with the Population Institute and former president of the Worldwatch Institute.