Systems Thinking for Degrowth: Archetypes, Equity, and Strategic Pathways for Global Sustainability

Abstract

South Africa’s overlapping crises, namely ecological overshoot, energy insecurity, unemployment, and inequality, are not isolated challenges but systemic outcomes of a political economy dependent on growth. This article advances a degrowth by design framework that positions systems thinking as the primary driver of transformative change. By embedding Meadows’ leverage points within canonical archetypes such as Limits to Growth, Shifting the Burden, Success to the Successful, and Tragedy of the Commons the analysis demonstrates how reinforcing and balancing feedbacks perpetuate overshoot and social inequity and how targeted leverage strategies can reorient systems toward sufficiency, equity, and ecological repair. The framework integrates decolonial ethics, Ubuntu-informed relational dignity, pluriversal design perspectives, and legislative anchors such as South Africa’s Climate Change Act and Just Energy Transition. While the contribution is primarily conceptual, it is strengthened by illustrative vignettes, descriptive statistics, and the proposal of measurable indicators including material footprint per capita and energy intensity of wellbeing. Acknowledging the limitations of qualitative mapping and partial empirical application, the article outlines a research agenda centred on empirical validation, comparative municipal case studies, participatory action research, and open indicator repositories. The unique contribution lies in reframing degrowth as a diagnostic and prescriptive leverage strategy that is both contextually grounded and transferable. Rooted in South Africa yet relevant across the Global South, the degrowth compass functions as a normative and analytical benchmark to guide contested transitions toward just and ecologically restorative futures.