Climate change is today a reality, impacting our everyday lives. Its effects vary across the globe, but it is a global challenge that threatens both the most basic and the most complex provisioning systems that make life easier. There is scientific consensus that we need to drastically cut annual global CO₂ emissions to avoid a catastrophic rise in global temperature levels. However, CO₂ emissions remain strongly coupled with economic growth, and forecasts predict that in the short term, a strategy based solely on decoupling CO₂ emissions from growth through technological progress and energy transition will likely fail to limit global warming to 1.5ºC. This has given rise to new research showing the need for wealthy countries to transition to post-growth economic systems.

Such a transition would have direct implications for welfare states, which are generally seen as dependent on economic growth—for both the revenues it provides and the spending needed to mitigate the negative externalities of market activities. In fact, climate change is already putting pressure on European welfare states with climate mitigation policies, new social risks arising from climate change, and energy transition policies that demand new transfers (e.g., green checks, energy rebates). In light of these demands and pressures, a debate is emerging on how to decouple the welfare state from economic growth—and therefore CO₂ emissions—and transition to an eco-social or post-growth welfare state.

I aim to contribute to this debate scientifically and societally by studying where and how to begin a transition to a post-growth welfare system. The project TRANSPOSE, under the MSCA-Cofund Gaia initiative at the University of Southern Denmark, has provided me with the opportunity to do so. Beyond scientific publications and other academic outlets, I believe researchers must be part of a broader conversation, communicating and debating proposals to advance sustainable welfare and a sustainable society with all interested parties.

On this website and in this blog, I will share thoughts and ideas on creating sustainable welfare and effective eco-social policies that help keep our societies within planetary boundaries while ensuring a dignified life for all. Action is needed, but our complex and changing societies require us to continuously plan and update our political and economic strategies.

I hope this work will be useful to all comrades working joyfully and tirelessly in a burning world to create futures of abundance and well-being for all within planetary boundaries.