Periodical Series: Ruin or Revolution?

 “Against Doomsday Scenarios – What is to Be Done Now?” Interview with John Bellamy Foster.  Monthly Review, Vol. 73, Dec. 2021

J.B. Foster is the multi-talented author of at least 3 books on Marxism and ecology – Marx and the Earth – an Anti-Critique, The Ecological Revolution and The Robbery of Nature – Capitalism and the Ecological Rift.  They are all reviewed in the blog below.  In this article he is interviewed about the tack to take today in regards to the increasing damage wrought by climate change and global warming.  He understands that the fight must start under capitalism, immediately.  

Unfortunately, Foster starts off with 5 scenarios for climate change, 3 of which are ‘apocalyptic,’ rendering human life on the planet dubious.  The other 2 – holding the line at 1.5 or 2.0 Centigrade - can only be achieved through global ecological or eco-socialist revolutions…  Even with that conditions would be dire and adaptation needed.  In a way, he's not really dealing with the headline he chose...

Foster critiques Michael Mann, a climate scientist who understands climate change, but nevertheless defends Joe Biden and capitalism against mild Social-Democratic critics like Naomi Klein and Bernie Sanders - opposing the Green New Deal from the right for instance. Mann opposes anyone who says the social system needs to be changed or scrapped as a ‘doomsayer’ and a ‘defeatist.’  Foster quotes Marx about how scientists (like Mann) are out of their league when dealing with social problems.

As to questions:

1.    Foster favors the Anthropocene as the name of the present geologic period, which started in the late 1940s, not the ‘Capitalocene‘ as suggested by some. Climate change will continue even after a social revolution against capital.  He does suggest the first age of the Anthropocene should be called ‘the Capitalinian.’  

2.   Foster agrees with ‘degrowth’ as a qualitative strategy changing the relations of production, but not as a ‘quantitative’ strategy of less production and less consumerism, seeing that as impossible in this economy.  Some advocates of ‘degrowth’ who see it as a way to fight climate change believe it can happen within capitalism.  He prefers the term ‘eco-socialism’ but understands that the term ‘degrowth’ take semi-direct aim at capital accumulation, which is the real target.

3.   Foster doesn’t see a phrase like ‘the rights of nature’ as making much sense. 

4.   Foster understands that property destruction, sabotage and illegal acts will be used in the climate fight.  It is unavoidable, as is turmoil one way or the other. He does not address the issue of violence against perpetrators, nor the upheaval required for an eco-socialist revolution.  

5.    Foster’s solution to the situation is not very specific as to demands.  He is aware that the coming ‘leaked’ Part III Report from the IPCC will call for significant changes in the world economy.  It calls for low energy strategies, changes to soil and forestry use and opposes geo-engineering, nuclear power and bogus ‘carbon capture’ schemes as unworkable. Part III will advocate climate strikes, a just transition, environmental justice, a prohibition on coal plants and pipelines, fossil fuels to stay in the ground and an expansion of public transport.

In Foster’s arguments, he cites Cuba as being the most ecologic society in the world at present – after it was cut off from Russian oil. He stands for the rights of animals, not as exploitable machines, but as friends. He also points out that climate change is only one of a number of biological crises – ocean acidification, species die-offs, soil depletion, chemical and air pollution, environmental racism, etc.  Lastly, he thinks eco-socialism can set up the whole world at the living level of present day Italy.  With that, I would disagree.  I think the target is closer to the start of the Anthropocene and the ‘great acceleration’ in the late 1940s in the U.S. – before the car and commodity culture took off.  For one thing, Italy, in spite of its excellent train system, has the 13th most cars per capita in the world. 

Lastly Foster quotes Marx about Ireland, speaking of how the English ruined Irish soil – seeing the situation then as a choice between ‘ruin and revolution.’  He seeks to ‘accelerate history’ with an ‘environmental proletariat’ for an eco-socialist revolution.  I’m not sure what an ‘environmental proletariat is, but perhaps he means a proletariat that is imbued with an environmental understanding. For him, the next age in the Anthropocene could then be called ‘the Communian.’

Monthly Review and many other left magazines, journals and newspapers are available at May Day.

Prior blog reviews on this subject, use blog search box at upper left, with these terms, to investigate our 15 year archive:  “The Ministry for the Future,” “Marx and the Earth – an Anti-Critique,” “The Ecological Revolution,” & “The Robbery of Nature – Capitalism and the Ecological Rift” (last 3 by Foster); “The Sixth Extinction,” “The Burning Case for a Green New Deal” & “This Changes Everything” (both by Klein); “A Redder Shade of Green,” "Anthropocene or Capitalocene" or references to ‘eco-socialism’ or "Monthly Review."

And I got it at May Day Books!

Red Frog

2/22/22 at 2:22 EST