The Ecological Rift: Capitalism's War on the Earth was not a biography or memoir, but was rather the narrative of human civilization's progress towards a major ecological collapse. The book is comprised of essays by John Bellamy Foster, Brett Clark and Richard York about where we went wrong as a civilization, what the impacts are, and finally how a society should look if it is to circumvent the catastrophe that would be a major environmental tragedy. After reading the novel I learned much about the history of the ecological crisis we live in today, beginning with imperialism, the European nitrogen crisis in the 19th century and the industrial revolution all the way up to the present day. In addition to this I gained more knowledge about the science behind the crisis. The Ecological Rift spends plenty of time on the nitrogen cycle and the dangers of fertilizers as well as sterile reforestation among other things. What I admired most about book however was the authors' refusal to back down from their assertion that there is a fundamental flaw intrinsic of the nature of capitalism that will always bring harm to the natural world. The endless treadmill of consumption as they call it, will never cease to use up natural capital in order to produce exchange values instead of use values which the periphery of empires are in such desperate need of. The market, which traditional economists find so infallible, will never create a demand for ecological reforms, for the masses have been conditioned into a perpetual state of consumption. In order for humanity to transition to a sustainable way of life, this cycle must be broken. Production for the sake of production must be stopped and the workers must take it upon themselves to make ecologically responsible decisions.
1. How much time do we as humans have to make a pivotal change in our relationship with nature before some disastrous event unfolds?
Nobody can say for sure how much time exactly we have, but we do understand this: The ecological crisis can be modeled by what is referred to as a polyhedron, or a cube-like 3-dimensional figure as opposed to a sphere. A sphere can be pushed or rolled in one direction or another with minimal effort from a particular direction. A polyhedron is harder to move, requiring a massive force (consumption) to tip the figure in one direction or another. Right now we are teetering on the edge of the cube, and it is imperative that we tip it back to the way it was before industrial capitalism if we are to last much longer as a civilization.
2. What kinds of material hardships would have to be endured in order to make a major change in our interaction with nature?
There does not necessarily have to be "material hardships" in this process because production does not need to end. There does however need to be a shift in production from mostly exchange values to use values, meaning less commodities and more necessities.
3. Why have our governmental institutions failed to affect change in ecological issues?
The institutions that govern us now are intended to protect the status quo of industrial capitalism. They are self-serving, for-profit entities even if not at surface value.
4. What will society look like if we are successful in restructuring the economy and its relationship with natural capital?
The book does not give a specific model of government or human interaction to replace our current institutions. The Ecological Rift focuses almost entirely on economics and sociology and implies that in order for the ecological crisis to end, industrial capitalism should be replaced by a biocentric form of socialism with values of feminism an anti-imperialism. The power of government should belong to the workers and they should conduct it in a democratic manner. The authors also explained that there exists a sociological rift which has alienated humanity from nature. In order for tangible reforms to begin, the rift will need to be closed, brining humanity closer to nature once again.
5. What will the world look like after a serious ecological disaster?
Already we are seeing a decline in biodiversity on a global scale. The rate of extinction has multiplied exponentially since the birth of industrial capitalism. In addition the polar ice caps have already begun to dwindle at an alarming rate, even in the last 20 years. We can only assume that these trends will continue if there is not a drastic alteration in the way production is conducted. Further outcomes may include the loss of coastal cities, towns, capital etc... to rising sea levels, the release of greenhouse gases from melting tundra and the dying clear-cutting of old-growth forests and jungles which sustain the majority of biodiversity on the planet.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7351218-the-ecological-rift
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