SOCA2400 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Emission Intensity, Ecological Footprint, Degrowth
25 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
SOCA2400
Globalization, Social Justice, and Development
May 8, 2018
WEEK 9
The Ecological Footprint of Capitalism
Myth 7: Capitalism is Nature Friendly! Or… Capitalism is (can become)
Ecologically Sustainable!
Alternative: Stop Greenwashing Capitalism; Another Future is Possible
Sustainability
- The capability of an economic or social system to meet the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs
- The focus is on the economy and how to make its development sustainable
- Economy vs Ecology, Nurture vs Nature, Man vs Wild
- NOTES
o Priotiizes the economy
o Ecology and economy are different
o Rooted in misconception that nature is separate from human beings
Ecological Sustainability
- The maintenance or restoration of the composition, structure, and processes of
ecosystems
- Humanity as part of the environment
Critical questions to bear in mind
• How does capitalist globalization affect the environment?
o Sustainability
o Ecological sustainability
• How global is global warming?
o Responsibility
o Vulnerability
o Response/resilience
• Global (environmental equality)
o Not really equal
• Global environmental justice and democracy
Key Questions and Issues
• How does capitalist globalization affect the environment?
• Global environmental issues/changes vs local issues
• Globalization of environmental problems
• Sustainability
• Global (environmental) inequality
• Global environmental justice
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Major Environmental Changes – globalization of environmental changes / problems
(reality and awareness), global consciousness
1. Deforestation
2. Atmospheric pollutions
3. Climate change and natural disasters
4. Soil erosion
5. Population explosion and displacement
6. Toxic garbage
7. Fresh water and sanitation crisis
8. Energy and resource crisis
9. Biodiversity decline
10. Food and nutrition crisis
Li, Minqui
• Climate stabilization impossible without an end to economic growth
• Climate change = structural crisis of capitalism
o We need a fundamentally different social system
• So far, 0.8 C (0.2 per year), long term (4-8 C)
• Correlation and causation between world GDP and world CDE
• UNFCCC and Copenhagen Accord (Dec 2009)
o Commitment to no more than 2 C (safe line)
o If 3 C, no return point
• Paradoxically committed to endless growth
o Basic laws of capitalism → Endless accumulation
• How much time do we have?
o All greenhouse gases pre-industrial period – 280 ppm
o Hanson – 550 ppm may lead to 3 C or 6 C
o Target for safe limit – 350 ppm
▪ Currently, its 004% or 400 ppm
• Factors
o Direct emission
o Deforestation
o Land use
• To achieve 350 ppm
o Only 15 years left, 2028
o 5.5% reduction per year
o 90% by 2050
• To achieve 450 ppm
o 48 years left, 2061
• GDP is a killer
o Emission rate = GDP rate + Rate of emission intensity
o Between 1999 and 2008
▪ Emission rate = 3.5 + (-1.1) = +2.4 (not -5.5%!)
o After GFC
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
▪ Emission rate = 2.5 + (-1.1) = +1.3%
o If GDP rate of 3% for maintaining unemployment rate
▪ Intensity = -5.5 – 3 = 8.5%
▪ What technology can bring us this?
o Best technology
▪ Intensity of -2.5
▪ What GDP?
o GDP = -5.5 + 2.5 = -3.0 rate of growth
▪ Degrowth
• Capitalistic solutions
o Scarce resources
▪ If prices are right, they go up
▪ Market prefers renewable resources
o But, prices are not right
▪ War, corporate manipulations, politics, lack of infrastructural
transition
▪ Social democracy
▪ Carbon tax
o Neoliberals: Cap and trade, the carbon trading scheme
o National solutions to a global problem?
▪ No global government
▪ Declining US and rising irresponsible China
• ¼ of World Emissions
o Marx – Means of Production VS Modes of Production
• Copenhagen Conference
o Copenhagen accord
▪ US – 20% reduction by 2020
▪ EU and Japan – 25% reduction by 2020
▪ China – 5% increase per year by 2020
▪ India – 5% increase per year by 2020
▪ US, EU, Japan, China, India account for 70% of emissions
o Rest = 1% increase per year
o By 2030, only 150 billion metric tons will be left to be emitted for the rest of
the century
• Paris Agreement
o Signed by 174 countries in April 22, 2016
o Pledge and review approach
o Can only become legally binding if signed and ratified by 55 partners that
account for 55% of total emission
o Finally ratified by 111 countries
o Subject to interpretations
o Pledges are minimalistic
o Huge gap left!
• End capitalism before we are ended by capitalism
o Capitalism is such a flexible system
▪ Ecological capacity already exhausted
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Alternative: stop greenwashing capitalism; another future is possible. The capability of an economic or social system to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. The focus is on the economy and how to make its development sustainable. Economy vs ecology, nurture vs nature, man vs wild. Notes: priotiizes the economy, ecology and economy are different, rooted in misconception that nature is separate from human beings. The maintenance or restoration of the composition, structure, and processes of ecosystems. Critical questions to bear in mind: how does capitalist globalization affect the environment, sustainability, ecological sustainability, how global is global warming, responsibility, vulnerability, response/resilience, global (environmental equality, not really equal, global environmental justice and democracy. Key questions and issues: how does capitalist globalization affect the environment, global environmental issues/changes vs local issues, globalization of environmental problems, sustainability, global (environmental) inequality, global environmental justice. If gdp rate of 3% for maintaining unemployment rate.
