Sufficiency as a "Strategy of the Enough": A necessary debate. Discussion paper

Human consumption of nature must be reduced quickly and drastically. At the same time, many people do not have sufficient access to energy and resources. The SRU calls for a social debate on a previously neglected dimension of future policy: Sufficiency. Sufficiency aims to reduce the consumption of goods and services with particularly harmful environmental impacts. It is an established concept in the environmental sciences that complements efficiency (more output per input) and consistency (same output with less environmentally harmful input). Sufficiency is often framed as a purely individual lifestyle issue. In fact, it is above all a structural task that requires appropriate political and economic framework conditions. These should promote environmentally friendly social practice - instead of making it more difficult, as is often the case. The development of sustainable economic practices and lifestyles is a shared social and political responsibility. With this discussion paper, the SRU would like to stimulate a debate on sufficiency. It explains, for example, why we need sufficiency to comply with the planetary boundaries and why sufficiency is also a question of justice. Drawing on various disciplines and case studies, the paper formulates a series of theses on a topic that defies simple answers. The paper also addresses the fact that a discussion on a "Strategy of the Enough" is likely to be difficult and contentious.