Ecology and Socialism: Solutions to Capitalist Ecological Crisis [Paperback]

"Ecology and Socialism" by Chris Williams convincingly makes the argument that fundamental socio-economic change is necessary to avert an impending environmental and social catastrophe. Mr. Williams is a professor of physics and chemistry who has been active in the environmental struggle for decades. Understanding both the science and politics of the key environmental issues of our time, Mr. Williams' important message deserves all the attention it can get.

Mr. Williams compares and contrasts the capitalist and socialist modes of production with respect to the promise of living on a sustainable planet. On the one hand, Mr. Williams contends that capitalism is inherently hostile to the environment inasmuch as natural and human resources are sacrificed in order to satisfy the few at the top (see also How the Rich Are Destroying the Earth). On the other hand, Mr. Williams draws on recent scholarship by John Bellamy Foster and Paul Burkett to prove that the integration of human needs with the environment was critically important to Marx, who articulated a vision of a sustainable human social system living in harmony with the earth.

Putting theory to practice, Mr. Williams discusses substitutes for the corporate-controlled industries that are currently running roughshod over the planet. Through Mr. Williams' reasoned argument, we come to learn that we would be far better served by powering our homes with wind and solar power (not nuclear); by consuming locally-grown, tasty and healthy organic foods (not the poisonous kibble from inhumane CAFOs and corporate mega farms); by enforcing commonsense rules to eliminate wasteful packaging at the point of design and manufacturing (not disposal); and so on. However, implementing these changes will require us to organize and insist on a better system that puts people and the environment before profit.

With the debacle of the 2008 financial meltdown and government bailout putting the lie of capitalism in plain view, Mr. Williams' book couldn't be more timely. As the author makes abundantly clear, austerity is not inevitable; to the contrary, an eminently better way of life is within our reach.

I highly recommend this book to everyone.

As the fourth book in the "and Socialism" series (Black Liberation and Socialism; Women and Socialism: Essays on Women's Liberation; Sexuality and Socialism: History, Politics, and Theory of LGBT Liberation), this book is an absolute must read for anyone who is concerned about the fate of the environment that is quickly approaching a point of no return in terms of irreversible damage done. Chris Williams combines data from peer-reviewed scientific journals, sharp political commentary, layman's English, and a class perspective to produce a book that is engaging, readable, and damn good.

The current environmental movement is at an impasse, stuck on false panacaeas like cap-and-trade, cutting individual consumption ("live others so that others may simply live"), and outright reactionary "solutions" that revolve around some form of population control (as if the number of people on the planet was the problem rather than the nature of the relationship between said people and the planet). Williams does an excellent job debunking both of these notions with a plethora of factual information and empirical data.

The central contention of the book is that capitalism and its social relations are the root of the problem, not surplus population, individual consumers' choices, or "bad corporations." Capitalism is organized around companies making as much money as quickly as possible; if they don't, their competitors will drive them out of business. As a result, corporations have an incentive to pollute because investing in clean technologies for their business would be costly and cut into their precious profits. Furthermore, there are entire branches of industry that depend on pollution -- gas, coal, and the auto industries, to name just a few. They have a vested interest in blocking any kind of meaningful development of Green technology or any tinkering with the U.S. transportation infrastructure which is heavily car-centered. Williams also examines how various companies (like British Petroleum) have "greenwashed" their image in order to avoid actually changing their polluting ways.

The theme dominating the second half of the book is the question of what is to be done. The first chapter of this section, "Real Solutions Right Now: What We Need to Fight For," lays out a variety of achievable short-term goals that a revivified green movement could and should fight for. For example, pushing the government to make major investments in green energy would produce tens of thousands of green jobs, alleviating the unemployment problem and undermining the capitalist economy's dependence on dirty energy. This example segways with another of Williams' central points: a truly effective environmental movement needs to connect with the only social force within the capitalist system that can win real change -- the working class. He gives some examples of how green activists joined forces with unions to win stronger pollution controls in England and elsewhere, and he also does an excellent job showing how environmental degradation is a class issue. Working class people (especially blacks and other minorities) are far more likely to live in polluted areas, near landfills, etc. than middle or ruling class people, and he also takes up the plight of workers and the poor in the Global South, many of whom live in shanty towns that are far worse than the tenements of the early industrial revolution in the West.

The remaining chapters of the book focus on the longer-term solution: abolishing capitalism via a working-class revolution. He looks at the (limited) experience of the Russian workers' government after 1917 for guidance and shows how the Bolsheviks pioneered conservation efforts in their attempt to organize production based around human need rather than corporate profits. In doing so, he points out that when the party/state bureaucracy led by Stalin seized power for itself, displacing the working class, it reversed the early green policies of the Soviet era and reverted back to capitalist-style exploitation and ruin of the environment to fuel its massive, rapid industrialization drive.

Williams' book is an excellent polemic on the way forward for the environmental movement and a tremendous contribution to the project of winning an ecologically sustainable socialist society.

P.S. 3/15/11 - Williams does an excellent job taking apart the arguments of the pro-nuclear energy lobby, as well as those advanced by President Obama.

Action through networks, and not adhering to advice from government or corporate leaders, is what "Ecology and Socialism: Solutions to Capitalist Ecological Crisis" advocates as a way of saving the planet.

Author Chris Williams sees a dire future for the Earth and its inhabitants if we don't change our thinking, starting with how we consume energy. The solution, he writes, requires society-wide efforts, not just individual ones, to head off a global disaster.

This is a wide-ranging book, incorporating analysis of Marx, nuclear power plants, lightbulbs, airline workers, coal, natural time and a lot more. His main conclusion is that by shifting away from capitalism, humans will stop wasting energy and materiel on producing stuff we don't need and refocus our efforts on what we do need.

You may not agree precisely with the author's politics underlying the book but most of the environmental arguments are pretty well accepted by leading scientists these days. His solutions are drastic compared to, say, building a compost heap or lowering the thermostat a degree or two, and force us to look at exactly what we are willing to accept for ourselves and future generations.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 7 reviews  4.9 out of 5 stars