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Flashcards in Eco Marxism Deck (12)
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1
Q

What are marxists opinions on ecological modernisation?

A
  • EM hasn’t taken off but even if it did it wouldn’t be useful
  • Green capitalism is not possible
2
Q

What is the Treadmill of Production?

A

The fact that capitalism can never stop growing, and if it does there is an economic crisis

Ecological modernisation ignores this- they want better technologies and processes but don’t acknowledge that the type of growth they’re talking about would need to be ceaseless and exponential

3
Q

What is surplus value

A

New value created by labour in production process- the profit made between labour and reselling

4
Q

What is the jobless growth contradiction of capitalism?

A

Replacing workers with machines can mean- better efficiency= less jobs= people can’t buy goods

So economy needs to keep coming up with more sectors

5
Q

What is the logic of the treadmill?

A

Exponential speeding- the more you make the more you need to make

Therefore: eco-marxists will say sustainability can never be achieved in this system

6
Q

What is Jevon’s paradox?

A

• as you increase efficiency of resource use, the more people use it
ie coal in england, then the smog
• So efficiency is wiped out by increased volume use

7
Q

What is the Treadmill as a political imperative?

A

• Ceaseless exponential growth common political objective

8
Q

When is overshoot dat in 2017?

A

August 1st

9
Q

What are the components of the treadmill of consumption

A
  • Useless demand
  • Consumer capitalism- demand manipulated to promote sale of commodities- detaching demand vs needs
  • Built-in obsolescence- huge enviro impact
  • False needs
  • Conspicuous consumption- equating consumption w prestige
  • False needs and political stability- “raising our living standards”
10
Q

What is a degrowth economy?

A

downscaling production/ consumption
1. Consumerism is spiritual junk food that reduces well-being
2. Well-being increased by things capitalism cant make- art, love
3. Not everything valuable is profitable
4. Resources are finite
5. Economic growth is a means not an ends- should focus on well-being not profit
o Decentralised, democratic, self-organising process to allocate resources
• Reduction of growth
• Democratic decision-marking
• Open, localised and connected economies

11
Q

What is a steady state economy?

A

o Constant stock of physical wealth and population
o Gov body promotes vitality and durability of these
o Extract renewable resources at a rate no faster than they can be regenerated
o Consume non-ren no faster than they can be replaced by science
o Generate waste at a rate no faster than it can be safely bio-degraded

12
Q

What is eco-socialism?

A

o Economy valuing use-value over exchange-value
• Looking at ‘real-need’ over profit
o Goal: develop logic of a change to current order and develop steps towards it