Less Is More
Educational
Emotional
Convincing

Less Is More How Degrowth Will Save the World

Jason Hickel — 2021
______________________ 'A powerfully disruptive book for disrupted times ... If you're looking for transformative ideas, this book is for you.' KATE RAWORTH, economist and author of Doughnut Economics Featured in FT Best Books of the Year 2020 ______________________ The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now we must face up to its primary cause. Capitalism demands perpetual expansion, which is devastating the living world. There is only one solution that will lead to meaningful and immediate change: DEGROWTH. If we want to have a shot at halting the crisis, we need to restore the balance. We need to change how we see nature and our place in it, shifting from a philosophy of domination and extraction to one that's rooted in reciprocity and regeneration. We need to evolve beyond the dogmas of capitalism to a new system that is fit for the twenty-first century. But what does such a society look like? What about jobs? What about health? What about progress? This book tackles these questions and traces a clear pathway to a post-capitalist economy. An economy that's more just, more caring, and more fun. An economy that enables human flourishing while reversing ecological breakdown. An economy that will not only lift us out of our current crisis, but restore our sense of connection to a world that's brimming with life. By taking less, we can become more. ______________________ 'A masterpiece... Less is More covers centuries and continents, spans academic disciplines, and connects contemporary and ancient events in a way which cannot be put down until it's finished.' DANNY DORLING, Professor of Geography, University of Oxford 'Jason is able to personalise the global and swarm the mind in the way that insects used to in abundance but soon shan't unless we are able to heed his beautifully rendered warning.' RUSSELL BRAND 'Jason Hickel shows that recovering the commons and decolonizing nature, cultures, and humanity are necessary conditions for hope of a common future in our common home.' VANDANA SHIVA, author of Making Peace With the Earth 'This is a book we have all been waiting for. Jason Hickel dispels ecomodernist fantasies of green growth. Only degrowth can avoid climate breakdown. The facts are indisputable and they are in this book.' GIORGIS KALLIS, author of Degrowth 'Capitalism has robbed us of our ability to even imagine something different; Less is More gives us the ability to not only dream of another world, but also the tools by which we can make that vision real.' ASAD REHMAN, director of War on Want 'One of the most important books I have read ... does something extremely rare: it outlines a clear path to a sustainable future for all.' RAOUL MARTINEZ, author of Creating Freedom 'Jason Hickel takes us on a profound journey through the last 500 years of capitalism and into the current crisis of ecological collapse. Less is More is required reading for anyone interested in what it means to live in the Anthropocene, and what we can do about it.' ALNOOR LADHA, co-founder of The Rules
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Claudia Cordero
Claudia Cordero@srapulpo
5 stars
Sep 28, 2021

This book is simply powerful. It started for me what I would call an awakening that completely turned my politics around at the beginning of 2021. Hickel writes about complex issues in a surprisingly compelling manner and the arguments he presents are very well supported by solid evidence. My perspective used to be completely binary regarding the alternatives to build a better world/society where everyone can thrive and lead meaningful lives. I used to think in an "either or" way, but Hickel excels at presenting realistic alternatives to think outisde of the "capitalism vs. socialism" logic, which really made me feel hopeful by the time I finished reading, something I was really skeptical about in the beginning. This amazing book was exactly what I needed to broaden my political perspective and finally take deeper interest into environmentalism. I recommend it to everyone I get the chance to talk about these issues with.

Photo of fvrests
fvrests@oat
5 stars
May 26, 2025
+3
Photo of halfmoon
halfmoon@halfmoon
4 stars
Jan 30, 2025
Photo of Erich
Erich@erichrc
5 stars
Jan 6, 2024
Photo of Olga V
Olga V@berrybell
4 stars
Dec 13, 2023
Photo of Kimberley 🦉
Kimberley 🦉@kimberleyliterally
5 stars
Sep 4, 2023
+8
Photo of Mayu Nakamura
Mayu Nakamura@mayunak
3.5 stars
Aug 16, 2023
Photo of Brook
Brook@brook
5 stars
Jan 7, 2022
+6
Photo of Karolina
Karolina@fox
5 stars
Oct 3, 2021
+4
Photo of Thijs Christiaan van Son
Thijs Christiaan van Son@thijschr
4.5 stars
Sep 14, 2021
Photo of kiahna
kiahna@niaah
2 stars
Jan 5, 2024
Photo of Nathan Knowler
Nathan Knowler@knowler
5 stars
Dec 29, 2023
Photo of Karen Hinh
Karen Hinh@karnehhh
4 stars
Nov 8, 2023
Photo of Basia
Basia@alien-observer
4 stars
Nov 7, 2023
Photo of Benjamin Rensch Vinterberg
Benjamin Rensch Vinterberg@benjaminvinterberg
4 stars
Aug 10, 2023
Photo of Róbert Istók
Róbert Istók@robertistok
5 stars
Mar 19, 2023
Photo of Andrei Leica
Andrei Leica@leicaandrei
5 stars
Jan 25, 2023
Photo of Christos
Christos@christos
5 stars
Aug 31, 2022
Photo of 395-M
395-M@395-m
5 stars
Aug 16, 2022
Photo of Alex Q
Alex Q@yourque
5 stars
Aug 2, 2022
Photo of Vikas Prasad
Vikas Prasad@boredmonk
4 stars
Jan 11, 2022
Photo of Namera Nous
Namera Nous@nameranous
4 stars
Jan 10, 2022
Photo of abhinav
abhinav@bhnv
4 stars
Dec 26, 2021

This book appears on the shelf historical-alternativefictiontbr

Night
Night by Elie Wiesel
Lovely War
Lovely War by Julie Berry
The Bass Rock
The Bass Rock by Evie Wyld
Where the Crawdads Sing
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Vanishing Half
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
A Single Thread
A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier

This book appears on the shelf historical-fiction

The Brideship Wife
The Brideship Wife by Leslie Howard
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary An...
All the Light We Cannot See
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
The Nightingale
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Voyager
Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
Drums of Autumn (Starz Tie-in Edition)
Drums of Autumn (Starz Tie-in Edition) by Diana Gabaldon

This book appears on the shelf My books

The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
The Two Towers
The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
Insurgent
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Divergent
Divergent by Veronica Roth
The Nature of the Beast
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny
Long Bright River
Long Bright River by Liz Moore