Rethinking development: Language, power and the cost of progress

This paper challenges the dominant frameworks that continue to shape our understanding of development. We argue for a necessary reframing, one that confronts how prevailing development narratives have upheld high-consumption models, defined by excessive resource use and environmental degradation, often at the expense of countries labelled as 'developing.' To reorient our thinking, we must first interrogate the colonial scaffolding behind these global categories. Terms like 'developed' and 'developing' divide the world into zones of achievement and deficiency, relying on metrics rooted in the values and interests of over-consuming countries, rather than the lived realities, knowledge systems, or priorities of countries consuming below their means. We propose a reframing of development centred on sustainable consumption, with a new language and a new categorisation of countries grounded in the reality that our shared biocapacity is finite. The classification challenges conventional labels by recasting 'developed' nations as over-consuming and 'developing' nations as low consuming, highlighting their potential leadership in shaping a more sustainable future. This reframing invites critical dialogue on reimagining development itself, moving away from capitalist-driven overconsumption, and toward models that prioritise human flourishing, honour Indigenous knowledge, and embrace alternative ways of organising life, economies, and societies.