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ECOLOGICAL DEBT: WHO OWES WHOM?
TRADITIONAL DEFINITIONS
extraction of natural resources
ecologically unequal terms of trade
intellectual appropriation
putting at risk the food and cultural
sovereignty
contamination of the atmosphere
chemical and nuclear weapons
Picture: thedailygreen.com , bbc.co.uk
ECOLOGICAL DEBT: “the debt accumulated by Northern, industrial countries toward Third World countries on account of resource plundering, environmental damages, and the free occupation of environmental space to deposit wastes, such as greenhouse gases, from the industrial countries” (AcciónEcológica, Ecuador, quoted in Bellamy Foster and Clark 2003,193).
“The annual ecological debt of the North, owed to the South, without even looking at the cumulative impact, is thus calculated to be at least three times the financial debt that the south currently `owes’ to the North” (Bellamy Foster and Clark 2003,196).
Third World stripped of resources
beginning in 1492
Industrialization and Big
Mac Lifestyles – disproportio
nate pollution
External Debt used as
Political Pressure
Ecological Debt
Compounding
Principal Causes of Unsustainability
RESOLUTION: INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE
RECOGNITION AND PAYMENT OF THE ECOLOGICAL DEBT
Existence of Ecological
DebtExternal Debt has
already been paid
Restore affected
areas
Cease intellectual
appropriationChange
Lifestyles
Cancel Structural Adjustment Programs
Cease lines of Credit by IMF/Worldb
ank
Cease trade that
increases ecological
debt by WTO
COMMUNITIES AND COUNTRIES TO ADOPT THE
FOLLOWING:
WHERE IS CANADA SITUATED IN THIS DEBATE?
How does ecological debt coincide with
environmental justice? What are some
Canadian examples of where ecological debt
holds true (Fort Chip/Oil industry?)
Is it possible for Canada to implement renewableenergy platform? Considering Canada’sconservative political climate, especially in Alberta, what needs to change before Canada can introduce “green” policies?
Question:
LIMITS TO GROWTH/ SURVIVALIST APPROACH
THE LIMITS TO GROWTH APPROACH
Limits to Growth/Survivalists often argue for the equitable and sustainable economies.
First, raw materials and other products exported
from relatively poor countries are sold at prices
that do not include compensation for local or
global externalities.
Second, rich countries use environmental space and services disproportionately,
without payment, and without recognition of
property rights (for instance, the free use
of carbon dioxide absorption
capacities).
“The ecological debt arises from two
separate problems. These problems can
be combined in order to calculate the
ecological debt in monetary terms.”
From the Heinreich Böll Foundation:
LIMITS TO GROWTH:ACTORS AND APPROACHES
Mainly limited to those with access to power or a recognized voice- individuals without this access are hardly recognized
stocks of non-renewable resources
capacity of ecosystems to
produce renewable resources
human population as an aggregate entity whose size and growth are considered an
aspect
elites (government;
experts in modeling,
ecology, biology)
“think globally, act globally”
Measure ecological debt as a measure of both public debt
and ecological footprint:
Using the ecological footprint as a measure of ecological
debt and global overshoots, the comparison is then made
between North and South countries due to previous development and current
consumption.
THE LIMITS TO GROWTH APPROACH – ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
Limits to growth proponents do not claim to know the way for each country, but instead call for this viewpoint, and
especially the use of ecological footprints, to be used when constructing policy.
Kitzes et al. (2008) suggest 3 possible approaches to address ecological debt using ecological footprints, each
with their own benefits and problems:
1. Use of historical patterns and current baselines
2. Making national footprints proportional to national capacity
3. Equal shares per person
LIMITS TO GROWTHS SOLUTIONS
EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY
“Parts of Europe like France, Germany and even, falteringly, the UK, are patting themselves on the
back for the first, flickering signs of recovery from recession. Small glimmers of economic
growth may hearten old-style finance ministries, but they also mean going back to the days of
debt-fuelled over-consumption that got us into the problem in the first place.”
Andrew Simms, 2009
LIMITS TO GROWTH VIEWPOINT
PROMETHEAN PERSPECTIVE
● Mostly Economists (including resource extracting firms)
○ Free market economy will answer the question of ecological debt, once natural resources and common spaces are commodified.
Actors - Economists
If commodified, those who have an interest in the preservation of
ecology will work to ensure preservation.
Citizens may do so by voting for representatives with a “Green”
platform for government, by creating preservation aimed
organizations like WWF or Sierra Club.
Perhaps firms with a particular interest in nature may invest in renewable energy production.
This means that it is not any one person or persons accountable to
care for ecology.
Commodification
Actors - Government
1. Implementation of Cap and Trade
2. Separation of production from
sustainability
3. Imposing a Carbon Tax
○ Usually right-leaning conservative governments with stronger confidence in capitalism which believes nature is to be used by people.
Government Policies
~ Through this system, the poorer countries of the world are paying the ecological debtcreated by the richer countries.
~ These policies all allow rich firms who are creating this ecological debt to continue using natural resources for profit.
Problems:
Commodification assumes people have the means and knowledge to distinguish ecologically harmful acts
Commodification rewards homoeconomicus behaviour. Ignores human nature, equality and responsibility.
Cap and Trade allows rich countries to continue producing green-house gases and excavating large
areas of land.
Cap and trade disregards pollution from cars, office buildings, and small factories, etc.
Conservative governments often deny that expanding the oil industry cannot be separated from increasing
greenhouse gases and rapid climate change.
Large emitters can pay the carbon tax and still produce a large eco-footprint. Smaller emitters are penalized.
Deep Ecology and Ecological Debt
susan-proctor.com
Shift Away from Anthropocentric Arrogance
Shift to Transpersonal Ecology
Changes in Lifestyle on Behalf of the North
Self within ‘Self’
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/12/01/opinion/1248069392074/the-miracle-toilet.html
The Miracle Toilet: Cholera-Fertilizer Toilet Program
REDEFINING HOME: BIG VS. GREAT
“An animal’s home is
utilitarian, not excessive.
Animals’ homes are made of
natural materials: mud,
sticks, sod, bamboo, straw. Animals’ homes
will degrade, once abandoned,
or they will be taken over and maintained by
another animal. Animals live in
homes that breathe, that don’t poison
them.
When you see an animal shelter, you see it as part of nature, not an impenetrable barrier between that animal and the natural world.Our shelters should be constantly changing, growing, degrading, according to our needs. Shelter is transient, malleable, something that we can abandon from season to season, if our needs dictate.”
Means to Resolve Ecological Debt Through Deep Ecology
Personal Philosophical
Changes
Change in Concepts of
Markets
Tackeling Population
Growth
Shifts in Governments
and Government
al Policy
Redefine notions of Hierarchy
and Authoritaria
nism
Consumer Capitalism
CONSUMER CAPITALISM
“Capitalistic civilization dominates present age production relationships. Capitalist economy is responsible for degradation of agro-ecology (land)."Capitalism has already had its grip over our lives.
Land is increasingly becoming a secondary source of livelihood.
People’s entire lives are market based and riskier.
Farmers are forced to produce crops for industries and commerce.
CONSUMER DIVIDE: NORTH VS. SOUTH
North
• 20% of pop. Makes 86% of purchases.
• Richest fifth consumes 58% of all energy.
• Richest fifth produce 53% of carbon dioxide.
South
• The poorest fifth produces 3 percent of the total carbon dioxide.
• Souce: United Nations Development
Programme, 1998.
CONSEQUENCES OF CONSUMER CAPITALISM
“Globalization enlarges Western capital’s pool of available productive labourers, compensating to some extent for the
relative shrinkage of domestic productive capacity.”
Development at the expense of foreign workers
“To provide basic amenities to all peoples (in the next 40 years), it is estimated that the consumption of energy will increase 5
to 35 times today’s levels.”
Growth in Labor Manufacturing sectors.
CONSUMER CAPITALISM AND RESPONSIBILITY
Who Pays?
Individuals in the Global North are not expected to cut their overall consumption
Redistribution
Reduction of sources that
drive consumerism
SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS
Conditions for
sustainable capitalism
Higher taxes on raw materials and
outputs
Value-added tax on
environmentally friendly products
Against sustainable capitalism
Creation of new products further degrade the land
Autonomism, global
governance, decommodificatio
n of life, deglobalization of
capital
GREEN TAXES AND GREEN CONSUMERISM
“Are designed to induce consumers to make purchases that are less environmentally damaging. An alternative market based means to the same end is provision of information about the environmental impact of a good, to facilitate
green consumerism.”
THE ECOFEMINIST PERSPECTIVE
thegreenelephant.us
Without regenerative labors,
humanity couldn’t exist.
arielsalleh.info cnsjournal.org
Who are the actors in this debate?
lifepositive.com
ECOLOGICAL DEBT
Social debt
Ecological debt
Embodied debt
The North-South Divide and Ecofeminism
How does it relate to ecological debt?
school.edturtle.co.uk
FIN!!!
