The Cost of Growth challenges Europe’s growth story by exposing the extractive systems it relies on and the communities that pay the price. Filmmakers Lena Hartog and Anuna De Wever Van der Heyden travel throughout Europe to confront different narratives of greenwashing that uphold the idealisation of the economy. Through their journey, they meet changemakers who offer decolonial alternatives to the system of global capitalism. The grassroots perspectives presented demonstrate how ecological extraction is connected to the defective democracy and imperial militarisation of Europe. With an international cast, the film (90 minutes) connects struggles in Serbia, Italy and Sápmi to wider fights for justice — showing how communities resist extraction, build solidarities, and expose the violence behind Europe’s economy. I spoke with Lena Hartog about her documentary.
Your film explores different conversations about the climate crisis and its connection to a flawed economic system. What inspired you to make a documentary about this theme?
My co-producer Anuna de Wever and I became friends in the climate movement and were both frustrated with what climate policy has turned into. Europe presents itself as this progressive, green leader, but underneath there is a story of continued exploitation and an unquestioned commitment to economic growth. We wanted to tell that story and to explore some of the harder questions of our time: who are we growing this economy for? Who’s paying the price? And how do we resist? These conversations are being held inside global justice movements and academia, we wanted to share this with a much wider audience.
Why do people have to watch this documentary? What do you want people to know about the story of the infinity economy?
So many people have this feeling that something’s not working with our economy but sometimes they find it hard to connect the dots. We made this movie to shake people up and tell a more honest story about our time. To challenge the xenophobic extreme-right narrative and the delusional optimistic story that green growth will save us. Infinite growth on a finite planet is impossible, but it’s hard to imagine a world beyond capitalism because the current system requires growth. Our societies have made so many essential things dependent on growth that don’t need to be, we can secure things like food, energy and housing outside of capitalism.
Throughout the documentary, you and Anuna unravel the narratives that greenwash harmful policies, projects and economic visions within Europe. What was one of the most unexpected eye-opening cases you learned about?
We went to talk to Ida and Ella in Oslo, two Sápmi artists and activists who are fighting against windmills in their territory. To build windmills, large parts of Sápmi are made uninhabitable both because of the windmills themselves and the new roads there. What was shocking to me was that Ida explained to us that the current landgrabs of Sápmi land by far exceed any period of landgrabbing in the past, including the official colonisation periods.
Your project started off as a journey into the story of the climate crisis, at what point did you realise that this crisis was intertwined with a broader story of global capitalism?
We worked from the very early start together with Brototi Roy, a climate justice researcher at ICTA in Barcelona. She explained to us very clearly how the climate crisis is just one of many problematic outcomes of global capitalism, how the frontiers have focused on rare minerals and how even topics like genocide often have a hidden economic reality under it.
Ecological extractivism is being related throughout the film to new forms of colonialism. Can you explain how extractivist projects such as mining in Serbia are inherently colonial?
We visited two places where locals are fighting against how their lands are currently being taken for so-called ‘green growth’: the Jadar valley in Serbia for lithium and Sápmi for windmills. What’s colonial about these cases is that land is being taken from the existing inhabitants to serve the needs of an elite minority.
Which alternative ideas on European economy and society provide you with hope?
Vijaj Prashad, one of the experts we interviewed, urged us to start demanding a real democracy in Europe instead of spreading this moral superior image of Europe as the beacon of enlightenment. That might be confronting but actually gives me hope: delinking Europe from harmful and sometimes deadly investments in militarization and genocide, investing in radical, participatory democracy, taking corporate lobby out of European politics and democratizing the economy directly instead of hoping for politician’s regulations. All kinds of movements play a role in that: the wider decolonial working cooperatives, collective housing initiatives, mutual aid networks, public food kitchens. Ultimately it’s about bringing back control over production from the market to the people, fighting for real democracy and equal global relationships.
Monday February 23rd, Pakhuis de Zwijger will host a screening of The Cost of Growth. Together with filmmaker Lena Hartog, Beylula Yosef and Martine Doppen we will continue the evening with a conversation on the myths of green growth and new stories of alternative economies. What initiatives are currently bringing in new perspectives towards a sustainable future? Find out more about this programme here. Tickets are available through this link.
