Inequality and environment Flashcards
When was work on planetary boundaries published?
2009
What are the 2 problems with the planetary boundaries hypothesis?
- Assumes that a socially-homogenous human species is the cause of environmental pressures
- Boundaries are relatively arbitrary locally, and global population is not evenly distributed either
(Nordhaus, et al., 2012)
In what ways does space have a role in deconstructing the overpopulation arguments?
Not all environmental problems emerge in the same place as dense human populations, such as fertilisers and deforestation (Nordhaus, et al., 2012)
A v good counter argument that is geographical
Who has pointed out that material standards of living have improved but environment has got worse? What is the issue with this?
Steffen et al 2015
Not everyone has seen the same increase in material standards of living. Overlooks inequalities
When did Paul Ehrlich publish the population bomb?
1968
What is an underlying criticism of Ehrlich’s work on population growth (and neo-Malthusians in general)?
Often displays knowledge of social structures and material standards of living, yet still says that all humans are the cause (Ehrlich, 1971)
What two things do neo-Malthusians overlook?
1) Technology (for any mode of production)
2) Social metabolism of capitalism (extra energy and resources put into making commodities) (Marx)
What interesting argument does Robert Tressell make about overpopulation?
Population of Ireland plummeted, yet it didn’t stop people being poor. (i.e. even if population was cut, same exploitation of people and nature)
What are the 2 problems with the solutions proposed in Ehrlich 1971?
1) No political critique, only tech-based
2) Lands responsibility with individuals to have fewer children and to use less resources (i.e. not stopping the system)
What is a paper that nicely links material wealth to consumption and population growth
Vira 2015: More econ growth = more material consumption
Hence development is strangely methodologically impractical (although beneficial for wellbeing)
When is global population growth predicted to stabilise?
By 2100 at about 9 or 10 billion, depending on fertility rates (Vira, 2015)
When are ecological footprints genuinely useful?
When taken as an aggregate for the planet (Vira, 2015)
But need to remember its not just humans… also capitalism
What is a good source linking economic growth with consuption?
Veblen, 1899 Theory of the Leisure Class
Why is it important to study the impact of people in localised places?
“Growth is not just an overall aggregate property of the earth-economic system, but is differentially experienced, by different people and in different ways.”
“The devil lies in the detail of consumption and production”
Vira, 2015
How does poverty interact with the environment and vice-versa?
Poverty seen as the cause of environmental degradation and vice-versa. Supposedly eliminating poverty will help…
What about capitalism, though?
(c.f. Vira, 2015)
What is a simple statistic that nicely summarises how it is not overpopulation that is causing environmental degradation?
Nearly 2 billion people cannot access electricity (Malm and Hornborg 2014)
Who has shown that there is enough food in the world to feed everyone?
DeFries, et al, 2012
What is a good quote focussing on capital accumulation and reinvestment?
“The uneven accumulation of technomass visible on satellite photos of night-time lights proceeds by means of a simple algorithm: the more fossil fuels and other resources capital has dissipated today, the more it will afford to dissipate tomorrow”
(Malm and Hornborg, 2014)
What evidence is there of a “second social” phenomenon?
Population growth being the primary cause of environmental destruction. Humans reified as the cause, an abstraction away from the true cause…
(c.f. Fletcher, et al., 2014 - “SECOND SOCIAL” MY OWN TERM much like second nature)
What is troubling about Barbier (2010)’s article on poverty and environmental issues?
Assumes rural poor live in “fragile, or less favourable, environmental areas” - what about urban areas?
Very environmental deterministic and very little emphasis placed on production through capitalist markets. Blames the poor
Barbier, 2010
What was the slogan behind the world bank development conference in 2003?
“Fight against poverty” (WB 2003)
Why is it that the poor consume unsustainably?
IF we are to assume this is the case (what about the rich directly and indirectly?)…
Poor unable to invest in assets to save long-term use of environment (i.e. can’t buy a Tesla) because of structural issues - Wages forced down etc (Marxist critique)
Gray and Moseley 2005
What do Malthusians say causes poverty?
More people living in a place, reducing the availability of resources and capital per-person
(Nicely explained in Gray and Molesley, 2005)
What is a good case study for population growth and environmental pressures?
Falkenmark, 1997 on water depletion in the global south. Overpopulation and poverty seen as the causes
What source focusses on “lifestyle choices” as the causes of environmental degradation?
Sulston et al 2012
A matter of “lifestyle CHOICE”
What did Marx (1867) point of re pop growth?
“Actual limits of population” are independent of the role capital accumulation plays in creating a surplus army of workers to be exploited
Marx (1867)
What perspective has Ellis (2013) given on population growth?
A technological solution can be used because humans are not the same as many other species
Ellis 2013
He highlights that humans are social, but not economic. A Cornucopian
Who sees population as a scapegoat for capitalism?
Fletcher and colleagues 2014
Why did Malthus’ ideas re-emerge?
Geosecurity (Fletcher et al 2014). Its quite a sinister history
What does a political ecological approach do?
Unites the political economic and social with the environmental (Gray and Moseley, 2005)
How can a focus on a scapegoat overpopulation be linked to wider political economic themes?
A rationale for neoliberalism (Fletcher, et al., 2014)
What did Marx attribute to over population?
Capitalism creating a pool of reserve workers (Marx 1867; Lee, 1980)
How true is this??
What is a good point made by Lee (1980)?
Every mode of production has limits tied to population growth. It is just that capitalism sets limits far higher than the size of the population would suggest alone
Lee 1980
Capitalism is basically inefficient when it comes to the environment
What is are two good papers on biophysical feedbacks?
1) Nordhaus, et al., 2012
2) Frontier capitalism socio-ecological feedback (Staal, et al., 2020)
What did the Dasgupta review (2021) highlight?
The present prosperity globally undermines future prosperity (Dasgupta, et al., 2021)
Good links to Polanyi and tragedy of the commons
