A hard-hitting film challenging the notion of economic growth as a yardstick for progress is being screened in Buckfastleigh and Newton Abbot.

The Cost of Growth is a 2025 documentary exposing the damage done to the planet and the human race by policies that prioritise profit above human and environmental factors.

The film documents grassroots resistance to heavy mining and extraction practices in Serbia and ‘land grabs’ in northern Europe. It also tells the story of the GKN factory workers’ collective in Italy, who took over their factory after its closure in 2021 with the aim of setting up a cooperative and running a sustainable manufacturing operation.

Screenings of the film are being promoted by the Degrowth movement, which campaigns to bring the economy back into balance with the environment, for the benefit of the human race.

The local screenings are being hosted by Briony Greenhill and Michael Piper, who are both supporters of Degrowth.

Michael said: “You can’t have infinite growth on a finite planet. While CEOs and politicians demand exponential economic growth, our topsoil, ecosystems, our children, the food we eat, air we breathe, the water we drink, and the animals we share this earth with all pay the price.

“Economic growth is wrecking the planet, and no-one seems to have the collective appetite or sets of policies to change anything.

“It is possible to stay within reasonable ecological boundaries while providing decent living standards for all, with a set of policies under the banner of Degrowth.

“The most polluting industries are the worst for our welfare, like fossil fuel and the military industrial complex. The Degrowth movement targets the worst offenders, reducing them in size.

“A planet where wars are no longer fought for oil doesn’t seem possible, given where we are now, but economists and anthropologists have worked hard behind the scenes to set out a concrete set of policies enabling us to enjoy life without killing the only planet we have.”

The Buckfastleigh screening is at the Moor Imagination Centre this Thursday, September 10, and the film will also be shown at The Maltings in Newton Abbot on Wednesday, September 23. Doors open for both events at 6pm with the film starting at 6.30pm. After the screenings there will be a discussion, with a chance for everyone to give their views.

Tickets for the screenings are available from www.brionygreenhill.com