Can the World Actually Stop Shopping?

JB MacKinnon has written a book 'The Day the World Stops Shopping', advocating a major reduction in consumption as a 'cure' for climate change (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2021/may/30/should-we-all-stop-shopping-how-to-end-overconsumption). MacKinnon points out, for example, that the US population is currently 60% higher than it was in 1970. Over the same period, however, consumer spending (adjusted for inflation) has gone up 400%. Similar changes have occurred in other parts of the world. MacKinnon notes that the human population is currently using up the Earth's resources 1.7 times faster than they can be replenished. Welcome to the finite planet club! MacKinnon wants to see drastic reductions in the stuff that people buy. This could certainly help drive down emissions. The downside is that many shops would shut, production lines reduce their activities and millions of factory workers (and others) become unemployed. Associated activities like sales, services and advertising would also be greatly curtailed. Even if the declines were achieved relatively slowly (and how much time have we got?), the 2008 economic recession might look very modest by comparison. MacKinnon is certainly right that overconsumption is a root cause of our current environmental woes. His solution would, however, be an extremely hard sell for people and politicians (economists have been obsessed by 'growth' for decades). Not many folk would be willing to vote (literally or even via changed behaviour) for reductions in their standard of living. Perhaps the best that can be hoped for, are reductions in some obvious areas of overconsumption? These might well include (MacKinnon gives them a special mention), fast fashion, flights and Black Friday-discounted gadgets. A major problem is that sections of all world populations, regard themselves as being worthy recipients of overconsumption, 'because they are worth it'. Relying on the general public to change its buying habits, whilst having such poor role models, is a bit futile. We are either all in it together or we are not.