Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Further Reading

The book I have selected for my senior 20 research is The Ecological Rift: Capitalism's War on the Earth. I chose this book because I noticed that John Bellamy Foster, one of the most prominent ecosocialists, was involved with the writing of this text. The book is an analysis of how capitalism has negatively affected ecology and sent the world's ecosystems into a perpetual state of decline. The Ecological Rift addresses issues such as climate change and dwindling biodiversity, focusing on how the capitalist economy has led to these conditions. The authors speculate on what can and will happen in terms of ecological catastrophes if our interactions as humans with the Earth are not altered. They also explain how they would propose to rectify said conditions through a socialist lens.

After reading The Ecological Rift: Capitalism's War on the Earth, I would like to have answers to the following questions:

1. How much time do we as humans have to make a pivotal change in our relationship with nature before some disastrous event unfolds?

2. What kinds of material hardships would have to be endured in order to make a major change in our interaction with nature?

3. Why have our governmental institutions failed to affect change in ecological issues?

4. What will society look like if we are successful in restructuring the economy and its relationship with natural capital?

5. What will the world look like after a serious ecological disaster?