Against Climate Doomism and the Bourgeois Character of American Environmentalism with Jason W. Moore
Nov 8, 2024
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In this discussion, Jason W. Moore, an environmental historian from Binghamton University, dives into the elite-driven roots of American environmentalism, tracing it back to the post-Civil War era. He critiques mainstream movements for serving capitalist interests and highlights the impact of the professional-managerial class on climate discourse. Moore challenges climate doomism and explores how organizations like the Ford Foundation have co-opted radical efforts, emphasizing the need to recognize systemic inequalities within the environmental narrative.
Contemporary environmentalism's elite-driven origins often prioritize capitalist interests, neglecting broader systemic change and climate justice.
Mainstream environmental movements have historically reinforced power structures, sidelining marginalized voices while promoting a benign reformist agenda.
The rise of climate doomism contributes to fear-based narratives that justify authoritarian responses, distracting from systemic inequalities underpinning ecological issues.
Deep dives
Historical Roots of Environmentalism
The origins of contemporary environmentalism can be traced back to the post-Civil War era in the United States, characterized by its elite-driven agenda that often aligned with capitalist interests. Environmentalism emerged as a response to the increasing demands of a growing population and the exploitation of resources, demanding systematic management for economic progress. This form of environmentalism is noted for prioritizing the preservation of economically non-productive areas, like Yellowstone Park, which were not central to capitalist interests at the time. As a result, the movement has largely served as a tool for capitalism, suppressing more radical initiatives in favor of benign reformism that aligned with the status quo rather than directly challenging economic injustices.
Critique of Mainstream Environmentalism
Mainstream environmentalism, particularly as it evolved in the 1960s and 70s, has been criticized for adopting a benign reformist approach that often ignored the needs of labor and marginalized groups. Jason Moore describes this environmentalism as a mechanism for the professional managerial class to maintain their positions of power while projecting a virtuous image. This critique highlights that the environmentalism of that era did little to confront the broader issues of inequality and was instead co-opted by institutional forces that sought to reinforce established power dynamics. The result was an environmental discourse that favored elitist values while sidelining movements advocating for deeper systemic change and climate justice.
The Role of Foundations in Co-opting Movements
Foundations like the Ford Foundation have played a significant role in redefining and co-opting radical environmental movements by promoting a professionalized, less confrontational approach. Beginning in the 1960s, these foundations sought to neutralize radical political struggles by funding organizations that aligned with their vision of environmental management rather than class struggle. They reoriented movements away from confrontational actions, enforcing legalistic strategies through closely monitored frameworks. This shift effectively depoliticized key environmental issues, making them palatable to funders and the broader public but diluting their potential to drive transformative social change.
Fear and Crisis Rhetoric in Climate Discourse
The discourse surrounding climate change has increasingly employed language of existential threats and crisis, often leading to fear-mongering that distracts from the underlying causes of ecological deterioration. This climate doomism not only shapes public perception but serves to justify authoritarian responses and the expansion of state power through frameworks like biosecurity. Such rhetoric has been critiqued for focusing on survival and technocratic fixes rather than addressing systemic inequalities and the root economic forces fueling environmental degradation. Ultimately, this impacts democratic engagement by fostering a narrative that prioritizes elite-driven solutions over grassroots action, stifling genuine movements for climate justice.
Bourgeois Naturalism and Its Implications
Bourgeois naturalism has historically played a pivotal role in legitimizing capitalist oppression by framing certain racial and gender categories as inherently linked to nature. This ideological construct positioned marginalized groups as 'savages' or less than fully human, which justified imperialistic and oppressive acts under the guise of 'civilizing' missions. Such classifications have perpetuated social hierarchies and enabled the capitalist class to rationalize violence and exploitation while obscuring the detrimental effects of their systems. Recognizing these historical patterns is crucial in understanding the current climate crisis, as the ingrained binaries perpetuated by naturalism continue to influence how power dynamics are structured and challenged in contemporary environmental discourses.
In this interview, we are joined by friend and special co-host Casey where we are in conversation with Jason Moore discussing the historical and ideological roots of contemporary environmentalism, tracing its origins to the post-Civil War era in the United States. He argues that environmentalism has historically been an elite-driven movement, often serving the interests of capitalism by promoting resource management and conservation in ways that benefit economic growth. Moore critiques the mainstream environmentalism of the 1960s and 1970s, describing it as a form of "benign reformism" that ultimately aligned with capitalist interests and suppressed more radical elements. Moore also addresses the role of the professional-managerial class in shaping environmental discourse, particularly through the expansion of the biosecurity state and the integration of national security and big tech. He also critiques the historical and ideological underpinnings of bourgeois naturalism, which he argues has been used to justify racial and gender oppression as well as colonial-imperialism. The discussion touches on the role of foundations like the Ford Foundation in co-opting and neutralizing radical struggles. Moore problematizes climate doomism, fearmongering, and crisis rhetoric that have come to dominate climate change discourses. Jason W. Moore is an environmental historian and historical geographer at Binghamton University, where he coordinates the World-Ecology Research Collective. He is author of multiple books including Capitalism in the Web of Life. His books and essays on environmental history, capitalism, and social theory have been internationally recognized. He frequently writes about the history of capitalism in Europe, Latin America, and the United States, from the sixteenth century to the neoliberal era. Casey is a historian and organizer based in New York and Chicago. He is focused on the politics, economy, and connected histories in South Asia and the Middle East, specifically the Arab Gulf. His work focuses on questions of development, ecology, and political resistance, as well as connecting global-scale events to local diaspora communities within the US. As always, If you like what we do and want to support our ability to have more conversations like this. Please consider becoming a patron. You can do so for as little as 1 Dollar a month. We bring you these conversations totally independently with no corporate, state, or grant funding. We are going to include a set of links in the show notes to Dr. Moore’s articles that we based our conversation on. Please check those out for further information. Now, here is Jason Moore discussing some of his work! This episode is edited & produced by Aidan Elias. Music, as always, is by Televangel Links: Global Capitalism in the Great Implosion: From Planetary Superexploitation to Planetary Socialism?How to Read Capitalism in the Web of LifeOpiates of the EnvironmentalistsPower, Profit, & Promethianism, Part 1Power, Profit, & Promethianism, Part 2The Fear and the Fix
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