Environmental education (EE) often discusses individual pro-environmental behaviors and single-issue problems, without addressing the economic pressures of capitalism that contribute to environmental issues. In this paper, the researcher dissected three reasons that the capitalist system is incompatible with environmental wellbeing using the COVID-19 global pandemic as a case study. The researcher then presented ecosocialism as an alternative system to replace capitalism, defining four foundational concepts of this system. What follows is the researcher's argument and personal belief.
The researcher named three reasons capitalism is incompatible with the environment, which they defined as the worship of profit, the presumption of unlimited growth, and the commodification of nature. First, capitalism emphasizes the false dualism between humans and nonhuman nature and considers economic profit to be more valuable than human or nonhuman wellbeing. The benefits of profits are privatized to capitalists, while the burdens are borne socially by humans and nonhuman nature. Second, capitalism defines success by growth, but does not acknowledge that natural systems have limits to growth. Trying to derive infinite growth from finite resources will inevitably collapse; however, capitalists rarely experience the direct negative impacts of these collapses. Third, capitalism commodifies nature by seeing flora and fauna as mere resources to be harvested. The researcher argued that capitalism is the primary cause of modern pandemics, through deforestation and animal agriculture. Deforestation, which often makes way for agriculture, ranching, and lumber extraction, brings humans into contact with undisturbed forests and novel pathogens. Industrial animal agriculture houses 90% of all farmed animals in concentrated animal feeding lots (CAFOs), which harm animal welfare, cause pollution that harms humans, and serve as the ideal environment for cultivating new zoonotic diseases. Conventional fixes encourage environmental regulations and other ways to reduce the negative impacts of capitalism, but cannot address the underlying issues of profit, growth, and commodification.
A founding document in EE, the 1977 Tbilisi Report, did not mention the economy or capitalism as a cause of environmental harms. The researcher argued that because EE does not typically address capitalism, it is complicit in the continued dominance of a system that causes environmental degradation. Education is a state apparatus that encourages students to occupy a role in capitalism, denying alternative ways of life. EE grew out of this system, and therefore inherits its faults.
As an alternative to capitalism, the researcher defined ecosocialism as a new system, which prioritizes mutual nonhuman and human prosperity. Ecosocialism should be distinct from previous authoritarian socialist regimes, which caused environmental degradation. This system includes universal health care and social programs to protect vulnerable populations, such as those who were most impacted by COVID-19. Under capitalism, non-Indigenous people took land from Indigenous populations and transformed it, causing massive environmental destruction. However, ecosocialism would replenish Indigenous sovereignty and culture.
The researcher named four foundational concepts to define ecosocialism: 1) justice; 2) solidarity; 3) consumption; and 4) technology. Justice is defined as addressing inequities of power among environmental (human) and ecological (nonhuman) issues. Solidarity is defined as reciprocity and responsibility between humans and nonhumans. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuba demonstrated solidarity by allowing a quarantined cruise ship to dock and sent aid to many countries despite Cuba's own limited resources. Consumption is defined as permitting consumers to make ethical choices and engage with various stages of the product lifecycle. Finally, technology is used as a crutch in capitalism to address wide-reaching problems. The researcher stated that ecosocialism must recognize that technology is not a magic solution, but a product of its geopolitical circumstances. For example, the COVID-19 vaccines are defined by the political circumstances around their production, use, and withholding.
This article had one fundamental limitation as a political argument by one scholar not based on new research or meta-analysis. This article is therefore subject to all manner of personal biases.
The researcher concluded capitalism thrives by convincing the masses that there is no alternative way of life, despite disasters caused by capitalism such as the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher suggested that instead of the term "Anthropocene,” we use "Capitalocene” to refer to our current era, as that term more aptly names the cause of environmental degradation, instead of implicating all humans equally. The researcher suggested EE practitioners incorporate ecosocialism into their pedagogy to alleviate the capitalist influence on society.
The Bottom Line
Environmental education (EE) often discusses individual pro-environmental behaviors and single-issue problems, without addressing the economic pressures of capitalism that contribute to environmental problems. The researcher named three reasons capitalism is incompatible with the environment which they defined as the worship of profit, the presumption of unlimited growth, and the commodification of nature. The researcher concluded capitalism thrives by convincing the masses that there is no alternative way of life, and, as an alternative to capitalism, the researcher defined ecosocialism as a new system which prioritizes mutual nonhuman and human prosperity. The researcher suggested EE practitioners incorporate ecosocialism into their pedagogy to alleviate the capitalist influence on society.
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