nomic growth was still very slow until the serious development of fossil fuels with the industrial revolution. Now capitalism is totally dependent on fossil fuels, notably oil, and treats them as though they are inexhaustible.
He suggests that there is only one realistic alternative to oil imperialism - a shift from dependence on renewable energy sources, on the radiation energy released by the sun (and its derivatives such as photovoltaic, eolicl, water, wave and biotic energy etc.), or on volcanic and geothermal energy. He argues that A society based on renewable instead of fossil energy sources must develop adequate technologies and above all social forms beyond capitalism.'
In "Nature as accumulation strategy" Neil Smith describes how a new dimension of the capitalist production of nature has transformed the social relationship with the natural world. He argues that new ecological commodities... owe their existence ... to the success of the environmental movement in the 1960s and 1970s. Legislation ... created a certain scarcity of... "allowable natural destruction" [and]... led to the development of entirely new markets in ecological "goods" and (especially) "bads":
He suggests that Green capitalism has become nothing less than a major strategy for ecological commodification, marketization Green capitalism 'has become nothing less than a major strategy for ecological commodification, marketization and financialization which radically deepens the penetration of nature by capital."
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He discusses Joel Kovel's ideas for building an ecosocialist organisation, agreeing with some aspects but concluding that Kovel overlooks some important points in his ideas for building transformative parties.
In The Limits of EcoLocalism' Greg Albo gives a fresh look at why political organisations are needed to make local campaigns effective as part of the wider battle to save the planet.
He asserts that Political organization and capacity are, in the first instance, about reproducing these struggles across time in particular places in face of forces that are unrelenting in their efforts to undermine, incorporate and isolate oppositional political alliances and to commodify any ecologies and resources withdrawn from the accumulation process."
In a plea to people who see 'the local as an ideal scale' to rethink their approach, he suggests that eco-localism has in fact gone in completely the opposite direction to what is needed: "Under neo-liberalism, eco-localism has evolved into a practical attempt to alter individual market behaviours, and to disconnect and internalize We welcome letters of up to 400 words. Longer letters may be cut for space reasons. You can email local ecologies and communities from wider struggles and political ambitions?
John Bellamy Foster, the editor of Monthly Review, criticised the editors for calling on readers to avoid "anxiety-driven catastrophism". His article indicates that he thinks the editors underestimate the threat of an actual collapse of life as we know it.
It is true that in the preface the editors point out that the existence of huge problems does not mean capitalism cannot survive them. In other words, dire environmental crisis will not automatically bring about the collapse of capitalism, and they suggest that given the inadequacy of the present left and green movements, and the dynamism (albeit unhealthy and destructive of capitalism, the system itself may well be able to continue reproducing itself for some time, albeit at huge cost to the planet and all life on it.
However the book concentrates mainly on analysing the problems caused by capitalism not on working out solutions, (though these are outlined in some essays), on the premise that in order to understand the challenges
No one can hide from climate change! August 14th to 21st 2 www.climatecamp.org.u ahead, socialists and greens need to understand precisely what deep-seated and complex processes are at work. In fact I think if you read this book you would be hard put not to draw the conclusion of that capitalism is indeed on a collision course with the biosphere, and that an absolutely unprecedented transformation of society on a world scale will be needed if there is to be any hope of saving the situation, so perhaps the gap between John Bellamy Foster and the editors of Socialist Register is not huge. The book is fascinating and serious, and I would say it is vital reading for eco-socialists. Most of the essays are quite dense, and it would have been better if the language was more accessible. Admittedly the ideas are often complex, but it is important that these ideas reach the widest possible audience. So it needs to be read with care, but if you want to get to grips with current creative Marxist analysis, buy it, or take the time to order it from your local library, which will reduce unnecessary personal consumption and make the book available to more people. SUBSCRIBE! SOCIALST RESISTANCE is a monthly marxist paper. Our subscription rate is 1 year for £12 (UK), E15 (Europe) or £20 (other overseas). For more details fill in this coupon, ticking the appropriate box and send to us at: PO Box 1109, London N4 2UU Please make cheques payable to RESISTANCE email Saturday Sept 8 London Climate camp. What next? The Upper Room, 8 Greenland Street London NW1. 2pm Saturday, September 15, London: Stop the War Coalition Day School on Afghanistan. University of London Union, Malet Street, London WC1. Speakers to be announced. Sunday September 16, Climate camp. Report back, What next? Common Place, 2325 Wharf St Leeds. 12-6pm Tuesday September 18 Birmingham Socialist Resistance Forum, Tony Foley on the Politics of James Connolly 7.30pm Bennetts Bar, Bennetts Hill Sunday Sept 23 March with a message for Labour, Unite demonstration at Labour, 1pm Bournemouth See http://www.amicustheunion.org for information re transport October 2 Birmingham Marxist Educational Women under capitalism, Sue Thomas 7.30pm Bennetts Bar, Bennetts Hill [email protected]
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