As things stand, it is the case that to prevent the collapse of the economy --and therefore civilization itself-- there really is a 'need' for constant, unending economic growth, an imperative to produce and consume ever more stuff. More technically, in every nation output must be maximized in order to maximize employment, total income, and the collection of taxes (at whatever rates exist). It has now become completely obvious, however, that for civilization to survive, much less thrive, humanity must find a way to transcend that 'imperative'.

There is a way to achieve de-growth with only positive effects. That is, there would be no trade-offs or burdens to be apportioned within society. Total output (GDP) would be governed by demographics--and only that. There would be no unemployment or poverty at any level of total output and no taxes or public debt. There would be no limit on income/wealth and no costs imposed on any employer. Those are not the only benefits. [For the record, I am the author of the proposal, with an M.A. in economics: political economy (with a focus in money/distributive justice).]

If curious, "A Most Beneficial Economic Change" is a "2 min read" here in Medium with links to more articles about the proposal (from slightly different economic angles)--nothing I publish here behind the paywall.