The Ecosocialist Resources column is published at irregular intervals. It features links to new articles, reports, talks and videos that are relevant to Climate & Capitalism’s mission and goals.
Inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement, or that we agree with everything (or even anything!) the item says.
If you read or write an article that might be appropriate for this column, please post your suggestion in the Climate and Capitalism Facebook group.
- Can Markets Stop Climate Change?“Can we trade our way out of our climate difficulties? Can market mechanisms deal with a problem of such scale and urgency?” By Renfrey Clarke from Green Left Weekly (Australia) August 9, 2008 Internationally, as in Australia, governments forced to promise climate change action have generally promoted market-based carbon abatement schemes, mostly of the “cap and trade” variety. ...---READ-->>
- Irish newspaper looks at capitalism as a threat to the environment“Bring the relationship between capitalism and climate change into mainstream debate” This article appeared on August 9 in the World View column in the Irish Times, Ireland’s leading (and usually pro-business) daily newspaper. Thanks to Justin O’Hagan for drawing it to our attention. Capitalism as a Threat to the Environment by Paul Gillespie “Contemporary capitalism and a habitable planet ...---READ-->>
- Climate Change Threatens Brazil’s Food CropsEven moderate rises in temperatures would cause significant damage to food production By Jonathan Wheatley Financial Times August 10, 2008 Brazil’s soya exports could slump by more than a quarter over the next 12 years as a result of climate change, according to a study to be presented at an agribusiness conference opening in São ...---READ-->>
- The truth is, we're fighting for survivalAmid the trivial political squabbles, a stark truth lies hidden: humanity is staring global catastrophe in the face By Joss Garman From The Guardian August 8, 2008 Up to 4 billion people left without water. Up to 5 billion at risk of flooding. Half a billion left hungry as agricultural yields decline by 15-35% ...---READ-->>
- 'Markets have failed miserably even to recognize climate change'A liberal journal argues that market solutions won’t do the job In Canada, as elsewhere in the world, all of the major political parties favour “market solutions” to global warming. The Conservatives propose efficiency objectives. The Liberals want a carbon tax. The New Democrats argue for cap-and-trade. The differences are minor — all are based on ...---READ-->>
- Australian Climate Activists Plan Week of ProtestsA call for a national week of protest action beginning September 21 We need urgent action on climate change! Climate change is already occurring, much faster than the world’s scientists have predicted. Recent data including the very real possibility of the arctic sea-ice melting by September this year demonstrate that this is a climate emergency. We are concerned ...---READ-->>
- Stop Global Warming–Change the WorldJonathan Neale. Stop Global Warming – Change the World. Bookmarks Publications, London, 2008. £11.99 Reviewed by Roy Wilkes Two years ago, George Monbiot published Heat, a ground-breaking book which armed a generation of activists with the technical and scientific know how to fight climate change. Jonathan Neale’s new book starts in a similar vein, by explaining ...---READ-->>
- Interested in a Canadian Ecosocialist Network?Cy Gonick, editor of the magazine Canadian Dimension, is setting up a listserv (egroup) for Canadians to discuss issues related to organizing an ecosocialist network in Canada. One of the goals will be to discuss Canadian participation in the Ecosocialist International Network meeting that is planned for next January in Brazil. Readers in Canada who wish ...---READ-->>
- First Nation's Lawsuit Could Shut Down the Tar Sands“If the Beaver Lake Cree win clearly in this case, it could mean an end to development on their territory” By Tom Sandborn From TheTyee.ca, July 28, 2008 Jack Woodward and the Beaver Lake Cree aim to change Canadian law — and their success likely would throw a huge wrench into Alberta’s tar-sands oil production. The suit pits ...---READ-->>
- Activists Invade Tar Sands Pollution SiteBanners raised over Syncrude’s poisonous tailings pond Greenpeace Canada activists entered Syncrude’s Aurora North Tar Sands facility early on July 24, erecting a banner that transformed the opening of a tailings pond pipe into the “mouth” of a giant skull, spewing toxic sludge into the same tailings pond that earlier this year killed 500 migrating ducks. Activists ...---READ-->>
- Three Important Books for EcosocialistsMust-have additions to your library Three new books, from three different continents. We may publish full reviews in the future if our workload allows. But don’t wait: all three are important resources for activists. Because they are new and not to be found in most bookstores, we’ve suggested places where you can order them. Climate Code Red: ...---READ-->>
- Landless Workers Movement (MST) of Brazil Under AttackNoted Dominican friar and activist Frei Betto denounces the criminalization of the social movements that once swept Lula into the Brazilian presidency. by Frei Betto One of the great attributes of Lula’s government is the non-criminalizing of social movements which were repressed during Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s government even by calling in army troops. If Lula were ...---READ-->>
- Ottawa Buries Another Climate Change Report“Human Health in a Changing Climate” Gets Harper’s “Low-Profile” Treatment Canada’s federal government, like its good friends in the ...---READ-->>
- Stuffed and Starved: Snapping the Power of AgribusinessA review of Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World’s Food System, by Raj Patel. (Harper Collins, Toronto, 2007) Review by Leo Zeilig Leo Zeilig is a socialist activist in Johannesburg. He is a post-doctoral fellow in the Centre for Sociological Research, University of Johannesburg. This review was published in LINKS: International ...---READ-->>
- Ecosocialism: Working Towards a DefinitionPublished in the hope of stirring some conversation By Jasper Richardson Jasper Richardson is a member of the Green Party of England and Wales. He submitted this article to Climate and Capitalism in order to “stir some conversation.” Comments are encouraged. A recent public meeting in London entitled ‘ecosocialism’, featuring prominent speakers from Socialist Resistance, Left ...---READ-->>
- Indigenous Community in Argentina Votes to Ban Canadian MineFrom Intercontinental Cry The Indigenous Municipality of Tilcara, in northern Argentina’s Quebrada de Humahuaca district, has ratified legislation that prohibits open-pit metal mining, as well as the storage, use, sale, production, extraction and transportation of dangerous substances used in the mining process. Tilcara announced its decision on July 8, in the final days of a popular assembly ...---READ-->>
- Cuba Offers Unused Land to Small FarmersAs part of a drive to increase food production and reduce imports, the Cuban government announced a new plan for distribution of idle land to small farmers and cooperatives throughout the island. The focus will be on land near urban areas, so that city-dwellers will not have to travel long distances to reach their farms, ...---READ-->>
- Demography and Women's RightsThis email is from John Riddell, co-editor of Socialist Voice. He has given permission to republish it here. He stresses that these are informal notes, not a worked out article or analysis. The June 29 New York Times Magazine features a significant article on population trends, entitled No Baby? Discussion of demography is notoriously beset by racists, ...---READ-->>
- Agrofuel Company Violently Represses Indigenous Communities In GuatemalaRights Action calls for protests against Inter-American Development Bank policies that fund agrofuel monoculture The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) is promoting and funding agrofuel monocultures across Latin America. This is being done under the Bank’s Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Initiative, even though agrofuel monocultures are clearly unsustainable and make climate change considerably worse. $3 billion ...---READ-->>
- For a Union Response to Capitalist Climate Change Plans‘The trade union movement urgently needs to develop its own positions on how to fight global warming’ by Tim Gooden From Green Left Weekly, July 12, 2008 Related Reading: Australian Government Considers Pro-Business Carbon Trading Plan Right at the beginning of his draft report on climate change, Professor Ross Garnaut points out that global warming can’t be beaten unless an ...---READ-->>