Morten Ougaard gave us three questions 1) Is environmental sustainability compatible

1. Green Capitalism and beyond. Prospects of socio-ecological transformationUlrich Brand --- 20 March 2014 --- --- CBS, Copenhagen Morten Ougaard gave us three questions 1) Is environmental sustainability compatible with economic and social sustainability?  2) Is green capitalism possible? If so, what will it take to achieve it? 3) What kind of transformation is required to make society environmentally sustainable?

2. Is environmental sustainability compatible with economic and social sustainability?  • What do we mean by sustainability? • To maintain biophysical conditions of life • To promote a good life for all members of (world) society; i.e. justice, democracy, economic well-being • To produce and distribute „required“ goods and services productively, under stable conditions, with good work conditions; not only for market but also non-market production / exchange / consumption • Long-lasting debate how to achieve … innovation, reduction, role of governance, social values, pioneers of change, producers, consumers etc.

3. Just somethoughts • Peter Newell: „elephant in theroom“ … capitalism • In principlereconciliation not possible: economic = capitalistsustainabilitymeanscapitalaccumulation / growthandgrowinguseofresourcesandsinks; systematiclimitstoecologicalmodernisation • Goodlivingtoday: imperial modeofliving; Fordistexperience • Myproposal: tothinkenvtlsustainabilityaspartofsocial,economicandculturaldevelopments … theoreticalconsideration

4. political ecology • nature is not external to society but its materiality constituted by society: societal nature relations • nature has its materiality which we can detect (i.e. through science, experiences) • what are the historically specific and locally uneven forms of the appropriation of nature (resources, waste, sinks)? • crucial is then: forms of production, mobility, food, living – this is linked to interests, power and domination, to grammar of capital accumulation • the forms of societal nature relations are contested  energy and food production • in this sense: ecological crisis is a socio-economic, cultural and political crisis of unintended effects of the fossilist-capitalist-imperial mode of development

5. Answertofirstquestionposedby Morten: Is environmental sustainability compatible with economic and social sustainability?  but weneedtoreflectwhatwearetalkingabout: • Environmentiscrisis-drivensocietalnaturerelations • Socialsustainabilityneedtoshape imperial modeofliving • Economicsustainability – whatkindofeconomy? Sustainablegrowthandcapitalaccumulationasmotor? I link 2nd and 3rd question

6. 2) Is green capitalism possible? If so, what will it take to achieve it? Yes, itmightbe in countries like Austria, Denmark, Germany on thewaytoit - however, depends on theveryconcept „Green capitalism“ a)as a termwhichindicates a moreorlesssuccessfulsocio-economicandpoliticaldealingwiththeecologicalcrisis(1990s – „ecologicalmodernisation“ / sustainabledevelopment; today: Green Economy) b) myusage: not a normative one but an analysishowsocietiesunderdominanceofcapitalistmodeofproductionshapepartiallytheirsocietalnaturerelations, i.e. energyproductionanduse, mobility, foodsystem, housingandclothing • howintegratedintocapitalistlogicsofproductionandliving? • selectively, againstbackgroundofgrammarofprofits, externalising, ob uneben andcombineddevelopment

7. Beginning of debate about „Green Capitalism“ • struggles/ searchprocessestoovercome multiple crisis • ecologicalcrisisandissues will bepartofit • Whatkindofstrategies? Howcanprojectsevolve? Strategies / versionsof Green Capitalism • strategiesof neoliberal competitiveness, austerity(Global Europe, Lisbon; US) • (new) neomarcantilistdevelomentalism: statecapitalism; „oilsocialism“, heavilyworldmarketoriented (China, LatinAmerica) • growingmilitarization: Columbia, Amazon, Russia • Green New Deal, Green Economy; globalist-socialdemocraticstrategy: • Progressive social-ecologicaltransformation; Left-wing NGOs, socialmovements, progressive govts in LatAmerica, different experiences; criticaldebates like those on degrowth, vivirbien, ecologicaldebt

8. Green Economy / Green Growth • different approaches: moreKeynesian (NEF, Greens), more liberal (UNEP) • crucialideaisthat „state“ shouldcreateadequateframeworkfor „markets“ – moreeconomicpolicy • emphasis on „green“ capital, efficiencyandinnovation • newspheresofcapitalaccumulation • importantproject – imaginary Tendtooverlook • dangertoconverttocapitalistmodernisationprojectofsome countries at expeseofothers • predominanceofcompetition, competitivenessandgeopolitics: naturalresourcesarepartofworldmarketcompetition (e.g. „fracking“ in U.S.) • commodificationofnature strong andproblematic

9. 3) What kind of transformation is required to make society environmentally sustainable? • tostartwith: modern societiesarecharacterisedbytransformations / transitions … smalleronesaccomodation; morecomprehensiveones, crisis-driven “The bourgeoisie cannot exist without constantly revolutionising the instruments of production, and thereby the relations of production, and with them the whole relations of society. …. Constant revolutionisingof production, uninterrupted disturbance of all social conditions, everlasting uncertainty and agitation distinguish the bourgeois epoch from all earlier ones.” • itis not about „yes / no“ oftransformation but aboutthelogicoftransformation • transformation / transitiondebateabout intentional changeofthelogic in light ofexperiences, normativity … but also ontologies

10. going beyond Green Economy: social-ecological transformation • newmodelsof well-being; attractivemodeofproductionandliving: chanceoftheactualcrisis, degrowthdebate • enhancementofsufficencytogobeyondfocusofefficiency • key: different energeticandresourcebasis; energydecentral • criticalto profit-drivenmarket (GE / GND trusts in it) • strong elementsofplanning (ofuseofresources) • democraticprocess, learning, incl. formsofproduction • participationofpeople in planning, in protection • conversionofindustries not on backsof wage-earners • whodecidestodayoverdevelopmentpath? – againstauthoritarianways

11. Ifstrategiesofsocial-ecologicaltransformationremainweak bestwecanget: progressive versionofcapitalism betterthan business-as-usual but not farreachingandprobably not stoppingecologicalcrisis • As passive revolution (A-Gramsci) through „eco-capitalist power bloc“ • „Economicviability“ at levelofcapitalcircuits (accumulationregime) anditsembededdnes (modeofregulation) • stabilityof imperial modeofliving • In parts, „greencorporatism“ (roleoftradeunions) • Project „becomesstate“ andissecuredtostatepoliciesandstructures

12. thankyouforyourattention! • take a copyof„Beautiful Green World“ – Critiqueof Green Economy • „SocioecologicalTransformations“, specialissueof Austrian Journal of Development Studies 28(3), Ed. Ulrich Brand, Birgit Daiber, 2012 … also experiencesfromLatinAmerica --- 30 DKK