With an unprecedented level of detail, an ICTA-UAB report describes the policies required to put a post-growth transition into practice in Catalonia (Spain). The measures could be applicable in both a national and international context.
In a global context marked by the environmental crisis, social destabilization, and geopolitical uncertainty, a new report prepared by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB), Spain, proposes a detailed public policy plan to meet the population's needs in a resilient manner while respecting planetary boundaries, decoupling well-being from traditional economic growth. The study "Pla B. Per una Catalunya resilient en un escenari postcreixement" ( Plan B: for a resilient Catalonia in a post-growth scenario ) analyzes how to implement solid alternatives by responding directly to Catalonia's socio-environmental reality.
The report stems from the need to explore potential Plan Bs in an environment of increasing disruptions. The study, which is part of the REAL post-growth research project, is funded by a European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grant and led by Giorgos Kallis and Jason Hickel from ICTA-UAB, along with Julia Steinberger from the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. In this academic sphere, economic growth is viewed as having become a sort of addiction that no longer improves people's lives, but instead increasingly compromises resources and the environment, thereby undermining the ability to meet essential needs in the future. Post-growth research seeks formulas to improve quality of life without relying on growth—due to its drawbacks and increasingly doubtful viability—while respecting the limits of a finite planet.
The author of the study, Salvador Pueyo, acknowledges that there are "reasons for pessimism given all the problems present in the world and in people's daily lives", but emphasizes that "the game is not over" and considers defining solidly grounded policies an immediate necessity to emerge from this global crisis. The report is part of a collective effort in this direction and seeks to tailor these actions to the specific case of Catalonia. According to Giorgos Kallis, principal investigator of REAL, "this is a fundamental study, the first that calculates how a region can transition toward a post-growth future, proving that it is feasible".
One of the report's key contributions is quantifying the resources required by current modes of living and production, comparing them with the potential capacity of both Catalonia and the planet as a whole. Pueyo explains that the report "does not focus on individual responsibility, but rather on the potential for collective change; however, having reached this point, it is inevitable that this collective shift will also involve a change in consumption habits".
In the energy sector, he presents quantitative data arguing that it is urgent to move away from fossil fuels—which is not currently happening—and notes that meeting all current energy consumption levels solely through renewable sources would carry difficult-to-bear consequences. Increasing these consumption levels further would be even worse. The document proposes an energy transition plan accompanied by a rapid contraction of sectors such as road and air transport, while calling attention to the emerging challenge posed by data centers. It demonstrates how sharply reducing air traffic through targeted fiscal tools would not only save resources, reduce impacts, and lower vulnerabilities, but also generate public revenue and temper housing prices.
In the agrifood sector, the report offers guidelines for a transition toward an agroecological model centered on small-scale farmers rather than large corporations, prioritizing food security over exports. By quantifying ways to achieve a baseline level of self-sufficiency while reducing local and global impacts, the authors consider a drastic reduction in the consumption of animal-based products indispensable, given the agricultural output absorbed by intensive livestock farming and the limits of extensive farming. Beyond the domestic benefits, a coordinated international reduction in this type of consumption represents perhaps the last remaining hope for the climate, now that a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels is more necessary than ever, yet no longer sufficient on its own to respect the 1.5 °C limit.
The economic sphere is inseparable from the others. As Pueyo indicates: "In a post-growth transition, a profound transformation of economic, fiscal, labor, and social policies is required. We need economic tools to drive sustainability—even if it comes at the expense of growth—and when growth ceases to be a priority or is simply no longer viable, redistribution becomes key to meeting basic needs."
Although globally there seems to be no other option to improve everyone's quality of life, unilaterally implementing these types of policies is far more difficult for specific territories, especially when part of a system like the eurozone. Research conducted for the REAL project at ICTA-UAB yielded notable advances in post-growth economic policies for the eurozone, but a major challenge remains: identifying what Catalonia can do while the rest of the eurozone has yet to apply them. "At the start of this study, we feared that the margin for unilateral maneuver in Catalonia would be minimal, but we are now more optimistic", Salvador Pueyo admits. A central contribution of the report has been compiling existing policies while developing new ones that, in principle, can be applied unilaterally. The researchers hope these policies can also serve as a benchmark for other countries.
Even if applying unilateral policies remains insufficient on its own, implementing them in Catalonia could offer the region leadership potential in driving the international coordination necessary to address major global challenges. The study notes that the current global landscape reflects the failure of the globalized economic model and frames the main challenge as articulating a new form of international cooperation focused on people and the planet, drawing on historical precedents that demonstrate the viability of such collective action.
Key Highlights of the Report
1. General Framework and Climate Emergency
2. Energy Transition and Mobility
3. Agrifood System
4. Green Taxation and Financing
5. Labor, Social Rights, and Democracy
Data/statistical analysis
Not applicable
Plan B: for a resilient Catalonia in a post-growth scenario
16-Sep-2026