> Is degrowth just the uncontroversial claim that what really matters is people leading good lives, or is it the wildly controversial claim that people would lead equally good lives even if we were to systematically shrink GDP in rich countries to focus on sustainability?

That's a great question. In my mind the great question. I have not encountered much degrowth sentiment online, it seems largely to be anti-growth-at-all-costs sentiment (the former of the two questions). The article appears to assume and argue against the latter.