The Ecological Revolution: Making Peace with the Planet [Paperback]

Before starting John Bellamy Foster's The Ecological Revolution, I had just read A New Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations by Clive Ponting. Ponting's historical account of ecological degradation is frighteningly insightful. While reminding us that humans have been destroying their environments for millennia, Ponting rightly emphasizes the threat to the biosphere as a whole posed by continued economic growth. Though he doesn't speak about it in terms of capitalism, Ponting pulls no punches when criticizing the dominant logic of economic growth and its environmental impact. Yet, what I thought was interesting, and relevant for a review of Foster's The Ecological Revolution, was that Ponting ends his illuminating history with no alternative vision, but a rather pessimistic outlook on human society's future relation with nature. Meanwhile, the goal of Foster's book is to lay the groundwork for developing an alternative vision based on the positive transcendence of capitalism.

In comparison to Foster, it is plausible that Ponting's one-sided forecast for the future of human sustainability stems from his misrepresentation of Karl Marx's environmental awareness. He clearly is in the camp, as described by Foster, of "those who contend that Marx's thought was anti-ecological from beginning to end and indistinguishable from Soviet practice" (p. 167). Therefore, despite the fact that Ponting deeply understands the scale of the modern environmental problem, he cannot see any hope past the problem, I argue, because he denies an intellectual and historical legacy that would allow him to do so. Although he emphasizes that capitalist tendencies (accumulation with inequality, uninterrupted economic growth, etc.) are the primary drivers of modern environmental degradation, Ponting RARELY calls the system by its name. I believe that these are the reasons Ponting leaves us with little hope while Foster does the opposite thus giving us hope. Not oblivious to the challenges ahead, The Ecological Revolution's hope lies in its ability to appreciate Marx's environmental insights, which then helps us put the focus specifically on capitalism's unsustainable relationship with nature.

Ironically, there are some people who say that Foster's analysis offers no hope to our understanding of the relationship between human society and the environment (See End note 3 for the Preface). But, The Ecological Revolution gives us a revolutionary environmental outlook, which is, in my opinion, inherently hopeful. The structure of the book reinforces this perspective. There are three main sections. The first section gives us an overview of the environmental problem we currently face. This is based not only on a close reading of what natural scientists have been saying about the health of the planet but also delivers a critical appraisal of environmental reform efforts which are largely based on mainstream economics.

The second section then provides the foundation for understanding the social (i.e., political-economic) causes of the planetary crisis. This is mostly based on Foster's research into Marx's environmental insights. Foster shows not only that former critics of Marx were misguided in saying that the classical political economist wore "ecological blinders". But, in fact, Marx (and Engels) examined a range of ecological issues, including deforestation, soil depletion, the division of town and country, urban pollution, and other environmental problems we continue to face today. It is also important to point out that in this section Foster distinguishes between different "Marxist" approaches to environmental sociology. For example, the second contradiction of capitalism developed by James O'Connor focuses on the ability of capitalism to undermine the environmental conditions of production upon which it depends for growth. Consequently, capitalism threatens to cut into its profits by destroying the environment. Foster disagrees with this assessment. He writes, "We should not underestimate capitalism's capacity to accumulate in the midst of the most blatant ecological destruction, to profit from environmental degradation (for example through the growth of the waste management industry)..." (p. 206).

With an understanding of the environmental crisis and the social forces driving it, the third and final section discusses the need to transition away from capitalism to socialism. But, as Foster clarifies, this revolution does not automatically entail an ecologically rational society. Rather, what is needed is "the creation of a society of associated producers rationally regulating their metabolic relation to nature, and doing so not only in accordance with their own needs but also those of future generations and life as a whole" (p. 277). Drawing on contemporary examples from Cuba, Porto Alegre(Brasil), Kerala (India), Bolivia, and Venezuela, a socialist revolution, Foster argues, needs to consciously take into account the natural world. But, in this section, Foster doesn't jump into the positive transcendence of capitalism as a possible future relationship between human society and the environment. He first discusses a more mainstream assessment of this topic as developed by the Global Scenario Group's publication The Great Transition (2002). The Great Transition highlights different ways the relationship between human society and nature may develop, even including as a future outcome what they call eco-communalism (the outcome most closely related to a Marxist political economy). Nevertheless, The Global Scenario Group sees as the only viable future an ecologically modernized version of capitalism. This group (like most environmental reform efforts) cannot envision a clear break from capitalism. They wish to simply inject a soul into the institutions (i.e., private corporations) of an otherwise soulless system.

Meanwhile, Foster's vision, distinct from that offered by the Global Scenario Group, and even Ponting, allows us to see beyond an ecologically modernized capitalist future. One possible reason for this is his emphasis on radical critique; he seeks not only to get at the roots of the social system but also human understanding. Ponting couldn't located Marx's ecological consciousness perhaps because he didn't find Epicurus' ancient environmental insight. In the third section Foster quotes from Epicurus: "Poverty, when measured by the natural purpose of life, is great wealth; but unlimited wealth is great poverty" (p. 264). This ancient vision is antithetical to the dominant capitalist ideology today. So, a new social system is needed, which as Marx wrote, "starts with the self-government of the communities" (p. 264). This self-government needs to recognize sustainable human development, which means taking care of humans now without sacrificing the ability of future generations to do so. Only then could we say: "Nothing human is alien to me" AND "Nothing of this earth is alien to me." (p. 273).

"The Ecological Revolution" by John Bellamy Foster is an exceptional collection of essays based on works previously prepared for the Monthly Review that have been updated with substantive revisions, context and analysis. The articles are grouped into three sections that address the planetary crisis, Marx's ecology, and ecology and revolution. Together, the book offers a devastating critique of capitalism's culpability in destroying the planet and points the way towards a socialist solution as a means towards achieving a sustainable future for humanity and nature.

Mr. Foster goes far beyond the superficial analyses offered by Thomas Friedman and others who contend that a kind of 'green capitalism' can solve the ecological crisis. Mr. Foster believes that technological fixes, while desirable, are insufficient inasmuch as the Jevons Paradox warns us that increases in efficiency are typically overwhelmed by increased production. (A similar conclusion concerning the contradictions of green capitalism can be found in Peter Davaugne's excellent book The Shadows of Consumption: Consequences for the Global Environment.) Mr. Foster asserts that global warming and other environmental threats will become worse as long as human society remains organized in a way that allows the earth's resources to be over-exploited for the benefit of the privileged few.

On that point, Mr. Foster explores Marx's writing to demonstrate that Marx was keenly attuned to the relationship between humanity, nature and society; in fact, we learn how some of the early and influential proponents of ecosystems theory were either associated with or influenced by Marx. Among many insights gained through Mr. Foster's research, we come to understand how Marx's analysis of British imperialism in support of its agricultural and industrial revolutions sheds light on how the assault on nature began in earnest and how extreme inequality between nations developed. Importantly, Mr. Foster extends the analysis by concluding that the accumulated carbon debt owed today by the North to the poorer nations of the South should be acknowledged in order to help the planet move towards peace, equity and ecological sustainability.

I highly recommend this and Mr. Foster's other outstanding books, including The Great Financial Crisis, Critique of Intelligent Design, Ecology Against Capitalism, and Marx's Ecology to all progressive-minded people.

John Bellamy Foster offers a brilliant analysis of our current ecological plight, building a strong case connecting capitalism's relentless drive for accumulation with a host of environmental maladies. Foster draws on the work of the IPCC and other scientific bodies to document just how dire the situation is, and shows how the usual remedies promoted by the capitalist system--cap and trade, "better technology", efficiencies, etc.--will not be enough to reverse the damage. Foster believes that only a radical change in social relations and the replacement of capitalism with a form of socialism can halt the degradation and bring our planet back to health. His argument is sound, and backed up with valid ecological thinking. I've read several of Foster's books, and his analysis is usually spot on. (See "The Great Financial Crisis" for one of the best takes on our current economy.) Yet somehow Foster loses his way with this book, and it fails to inspire the reader with a vision for a sustainable future. Too much attention is spent trying to prove that Marx and Engels were leading ecological thinkers ahead of their time in evaluating the relationship between production and the environment. Foster's well-documented analysis makes the case quite strongly that Marx and Engels indeed were ecological-oriented, but at this point, does that really matter? Would it somehow diminish the need to take action right now if Marx hadn't been ecologically aware? Foster seems more interested in defending Marx than inspiring readers with a vision of an ecologically balanced post-capitalist future. The text of the book runs approximately 280 pages, yet Foster devotes perhaps 25 of those pages to post capitalist alternatives. If we are really at the tipping point--and Foster's work certainly makes it seem so--then more thought should be given toward how we can transition to a sustainable future rather than analyzing how "green" Marx may or may not have been. I had hoped for a manifesto pointing the way toward the future. Unfortunately, this book isn't it. Yet it is still mandatory reading for anyone concerned with the state of the planet. The current debate about global warming is limited by the need to maintain the current social relations of capitalism. Foster should be commended for stressing that we need to look beyond capitalism because much of the problem is capitalism itself. Let's hope another writer---perhaps Foster himself--will build on this intelligent piece of analysis and offer a more concrete vision of the future, along with concrete ideas as to how we can transition toward such a world.