What are the main objectives of the group? The network’s main aims are:
to strengthen the capacity for transformative action at a personal and collective level (at a local, regional, national or global scope);
to intervene socially and politically, with public stances;
to disseminate degrowth ideas, values and proposals;
to create spaces for reflection and action strengthening interpersonal relationships and community spirit;
to develop networks of mutual help and collaboration with similar movements (national and/or international).
Since when have you been active? Since 2018.
How many members are you? 25 - 40 active members in local (territorial) cores or attending the annual national gatherings. Almost 500 people subscribe to the quarterly newsletter.
How are you organized? Rede para o Decrescimento is an open, collaborative, horizontal, non-partisan collective with no legal form. Our current structure and mode of operation are outlined in an Internal Organization Model, approved in January 2021 and revised in May 2024, which is intended to be dynamic and lively, in permanent experimentation and evolution. The people who make up the network’s nodes remain connected through joint and ongoing actions, individual and collective learning, and mutual reinforcement, which take the form of Local Cores (which develop dynamics anchored in the territory) and Circles (thematic working groups or those with specific functions - e.g. internal management or communication).
Main events/actions carried out:
In 2020, Rede para o Decrescimento organized the “Days of Degrowth”, scheduled for April 23rd, 24th and 25th which had to be online due to covid-19. The talks focused on Degrowth and the solidarity economy, Decrease in production and consumption due to covid-19: What about Degrowth?, and Territorial management and the challenges of the ecological crisis.
In 2021, Rede para o Decrescimento also participated in the debate about the Portuguese Climate Law with a report to the parliamentary working group.
In 2022, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the publication of Limits to Growth - A report to the Club of Rome, the network organized, in partnership with the Alcântara Library and the Lisbon Library Network, a monthly series of events throughout 2022 called “Crescer até Rebentar?” (Growing until bursting?). The main aim of this initiative was to highlight the relevance of that study in analyzing the current moment of global environmental and social crisis while addressing different interconnected dimensions of the dominant socio-economic paradigm and the relevance of systemic visions and approaches in the search for alternative paths towards prosperous and sustainable societies. The cycle included nine talks, debates, workshops and other events, in a hybrid fashion (recordings can be found here).
More information about the network’s activities can be found in the quarterly newsletter Caracol, available on the website.
Plans for the future: Besides continuing regular events that disseminate degrowth ideas in the public debate and reaching out to transformative initiatives which are active in the local territories, we are actively planning to hold a Beyond Growth Conference in the national parliament in late Autumn 2024 or early 2025.
Links to social media/website: https://www.decrescimento.pt/
Connections with IDN: Rede para o Decrescimento is member of the IDN and has nominated two representatives that collaborate in the Activism and European Circle, as well as some Working Group Circles (Research, Global South)֫. Some members are also individual members of the IDN.
Group photo: