Abstract:
The belief that technical advances can solve problems of scarcity and environmental impact and enable all people to rise to high ‘living standards’ has been deeply entrenched in western culture for centuries. It has recently been boldly stated under the heading of ‘eco-modernism’ in manifesto form (ecomodernism.org) and in a book by some of the authors of the manifesto, ‘Nature Unbound: Decoupling for Conservation’. There is a strong tendency within the Left to hold this view and to assume that only the capitalist system prevents the achievement of high-tech affluence for all. In a number of articles Arena Magazine has made a valuable contribution in challenging this assumption, but it has been strongly asserted in such recent texts as Leigh Phillips’ ‘Austerity Ecology and the Collapse-Porn Addicts’.
Details / PDF:
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