On October 12, 2021, Waseda University’s Global Asia Research Center hosted a workshop entitled “Ecology of Happiness,” presented by Prof. Stefano Bartolini, Associate Professor of the University of Siena, Italy.

The presentation mainly discussed the concept of ‘happiness’ in the current growth-based society where the population rate increases rapidly, causing more burden on the environment as they thrive for economic growth. Professor Bartolini explained the two important terminologies: Techno-optimism and Eco-pessimism, as the central debates among ecologists. He emphasized that while human expansion and exploration are almost considered a natural course of human history, the cost of such accelerating speed of growth is being paid in the form of environmental degradation. Therefore, to ease the problem of global ecological crisis and for the economy to grow sustainably, the ‘Great Deceleration’ will need to happen faster.      

The discussion then continued the question of ‘how to improve life without economic growth?’. To live in a sustainable environment and not have to trade with happiness, Bartolini gave an example of Defensive Growth and the ecological crises by comparing two cities: Collaborandia and Privatopolis. Collaborandia is a city whose people trust more on the political system with a capacity of cooperating for the improvement of collective life while the Privatopolis acts otherwise. Bartolini expressed that our society becomes more and more close to Privatopolis because we care about future generations but do not trust the political system, being reluctant to collaborate. But does this mean that mistrust in politics can be justified?’

After a fruitful discussion, he indicated that human society today is being too indulged by the concept that material possession could lead to the ultimate value: happiness. Still, in fact, that is not the right way. As illustrated in the comparison between two different cities, the fate of human society rests upon people’s trust in the political system and their capacity of redesigning collective action to transform the socio-economic system. Without collective actions aimed at making and remaking policies for common goods, society would be neither happy nor sustainable.

In sum, ecological crisis can be seen as another side of the coin of social and political crisis. Thus, sustainability requires a substantial change in political, social, and economic dimensions.