OPEN: EU Scenario Storylines Report: - One Planet Economy Network

Scenario 4 – Slow Motion
DRIVERS:
Quality-driven mindset towards development & technological stagnation
ASSUMPTIONS:
The following assumptions about society help to form a picture of what life would be like
for Europeans in 2050. These assumptions also inform the consideration of the policy
measures needed in this Scenario to reach the One Planet Economy goal:
� Quality of life is prized over economic growth and increasing income.
� Prices act as a strong driver towards resource efficiency and sufficiency.
� Values have become less materialistic. Companies and consumers are driven by a
quality and community development-orientation instead of profit maximisation.
� Technological innovation in the efficiency of resource and energy use and in the
development of alternative energy sources is limited.
� Due to the stagnation in technological innovation and changing societal
expectations, collaboration and knowledge sharing have become more important
forces than competition in the business world.
� Social innovation 13 is highly dynamic and proves successful in increasing human
capabilities, welfare and environmental sustainability.
LIFE IN EUROPE IN 2050
Most Europeans have embraced frugality, simplicity and sustainability as key
elements of their lifestyle. Most Europeans live in cities in socially innovative modes of
housing such as co-housing communities, urban co-ops and communes. Urban sprawl
has thus declined. Some self sufficient communities have moved back to the countryside,
and many people have developed the green areas of the cities for cultivation. In general,
social status across society is gained from immaterial goods such as education, culture
and social networks. The education system takes holistic approach to learning, in which
self-awareness, environmental awareness, spiritual and community values play a key
part.
The EU’s economy is reflective of its values and has become famous for its
Beyond GDP approach, which is also being promoted in the rest of the world. When
people do make purchases, prices for goods and services are comparatively higher than
40 years ago, as they now reflect the true costs of social and environmental externalities.
Most people prefer to share or lease many durable goods that were previously
individually owned. Further, roughly half of Europe‘s population shuns consumerism
altogether and adopted the more extreme lifestyle of voluntary simplicity—LOVOS.
These large groups form strong local communities and are often completely selfsufficient.
Due to the large segment of LOVOS, energy and resource use has declined
dramatically over the past 40 years despite lagging technological advancements.
13 A social innovation is a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable, or just
than existing solutions and for which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than
private individuals (Phills, et al., 2008, p. 36).
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