How is sustainability defined in the text?
According to Erin Balser, ‘Capital Accumulation, Sustainability’: Sustainability is a social environmental and economic concept, which is moral and would thrive in a perfect world to create sustainable lifestyles for all. It is the idea of meeting the needs the current generation through production of certain commodities without compromising the world for the future. Conversely sustainability has not been accomplished for the reason that it requires all individuals cooperate but in our current societies sustainability has been largely left to individuals or technology. Poor communities are often harmed by the concept because full consideration is not always given to their circumstances, whether it is to do with the location of ‘sustainable’ plants and their impact on local people from pollutants or whether what is produced is beyond their means to afford.
What are the main characteristics or tendencies of Capitalism?
A major tendency of capitalization results in instability, due to the continuous need of the affluent and/or large businesses to generate extra value through the unremitting creation of products. Where some believed that capitalism would result in everyone being better off the converse has resulted, resulting in greater levels of inequality for poor, as the market determines their wages. “A precondition of production based on capital is therefore the production of a constantly widening sphere of circulation, whether the sphere is directly expanded or whether more points within it are created as points of production”.
Define a 'crisis of Capitalism'. Offer an example:
The crisis theory is the pattern of economic boom leading to a bust, which is
a recession or depression.
An example of ‘crisis in capitalism’ is the current recession, which is controlled by the elites for their own enrichment whilst consumerism and wage slavery prosper, and overproduction is everywhere whilst things are losing their value.
What solutions have been offered to the sustainability question? Are these successful or realistic? - If not why are they flawed?
Paul Hawken proposes four ways people can become environmentally responsible:
- Increase the use and distribution area of the resource rather than constantly reproduce.
- Exchange damaging production for biologically inspired production, which will not bring damage to the environment.
- Move away from the business representation of the production and instead look at how the product can provide a service in what it does.
- Reinvest in natural and human capital.
These aims are idealistic; none the less they would not integrate with the stance of civilization unless there is wholehearted commitment by everyone the world over to change the mindset.
Is the concept of sustainability compatible with Capitalism?
Sustainability is not compatible with capitalism because principles of each oppose each other. Capital business is the root of the crisis releasing fumes for example in some productions, which are harmful the environment. The idea of creating biologically inspired products defeats the object of sustainability, as the products would commonly be shipped to reach the destination where customers would buy resulting in damaging fumes/by products being released through transit. Whether buying an eco-friendly product or a damaging product it is inevitable, the world is giving into the vicious cycle that is capitalism, which will persist for as long as manufactured products are consumed.
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