Picture: nasa.gov

ECOLOGICAL DEBT: WHO OWES WHOM?

TRADITIONAL DEFINITIONS

extraction of natural resources

ecologically unequal terms of trade

intellectual appropriation

putting at risk the food and cultural

sovereignty

contamination of the atmosphere

chemical and nuclear weapons

Picture: thedailygreen.com , bbc.co.uk

ECOLOGICAL DEBT: “the debt accumulated by Northern, industrial countries toward Third World countries on account of resource plundering, environmental damages, and the free occupation of environmental space to deposit wastes, such as greenhouse gases, from the industrial countries” (AcciónEcológica, Ecuador, quoted in Bellamy Foster and Clark 2003,193).

“The annual ecological debt of the North, owed to the South, without even looking at the cumulative impact, is thus calculated to be at least three times the financial debt that the south currently `owes’ to the North” (Bellamy Foster and Clark 2003,196).

Third World stripped of resources

beginning in 1492

Industrialization and Big

Mac Lifestyles – disproportio

nate pollution

External Debt used as

Political Pressure

Ecological Debt

Compounding

Principal Causes of Unsustainability

RESOLUTION: INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE

RECOGNITION AND PAYMENT OF THE ECOLOGICAL DEBT

Existence of Ecological

DebtExternal Debt has

already been paid

Restore affected

areas

Cease intellectual

appropriationChange

Lifestyles

Cancel Structural Adjustment Programs

Cease lines of Credit by IMF/Worldb

ank

Cease trade that

increases ecological

debt by WTO

COMMUNITIES AND COUNTRIES TO ADOPT THE

FOLLOWING:

WHERE IS CANADA SITUATED IN THIS DEBATE?

How does ecological debt coincide with

environmental justice? What are some

Canadian examples of where ecological debt

holds true (Fort Chip/Oil industry?)

Is it possible for Canada to implement renewableenergy platform? Considering Canada’sconservative political climate, especially in Alberta, what needs to change before Canada can introduce “green” policies?

Question:

http://youtu.be/LovjRWZNgS4

LIMITS TO GROWTH/ SURVIVALIST APPROACH

THE LIMITS TO GROWTH APPROACH

Limits to Growth/Survivalists often argue for the equitable and sustainable economies.

First, raw materials and other products exported

from relatively poor countries are sold at prices

that do not include compensation for local or

global externalities.

Second, rich countries use environmental space and services disproportionately,

without payment, and without recognition of

property rights (for instance, the free use

of carbon dioxide absorption

capacities).

“The ecological debt arises from two

separate problems. These problems can

be combined in order to calculate the

ecological debt in monetary terms.”

From the Heinreich Böll Foundation:

LIMITS TO GROWTH:ACTORS AND APPROACHES

Mainly limited to those with access to power or a recognized voice- individuals without this access are hardly recognized

stocks of non-renewable resources

capacity of ecosystems to

produce renewable resources

human population as an aggregate entity whose size and growth are considered an

aspect

elites (government;

experts in modeling,

ecology, biology)

“think globally, act globally”

Measure ecological debt as a measure of both public debt

and ecological footprint:

Using the ecological footprint as a measure of ecological

debt and global overshoots, the comparison is then made

between North and South countries due to previous development and current

consumption.

THE LIMITS TO GROWTH APPROACH – ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

Limits to growth proponents do not claim to know the way for each country, but instead call for this viewpoint, and

especially the use of ecological footprints, to be used when constructing policy.

Kitzes et al. (2008) suggest 3 possible approaches to address ecological debt using ecological footprints, each

with their own benefits and problems:

1. Use of historical patterns and current baselines

2. Making national footprints proportional to national capacity

3. Equal shares per person

LIMITS TO GROWTHS SOLUTIONS

EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY

“Parts of Europe like France, Germany and even, falteringly, the UK, are patting themselves on the

back for the first, flickering signs of recovery from recession. Small glimmers of economic

growth may hearten old-style finance ministries, but they also mean going back to the days of

debt-fuelled over-consumption that got us into the problem in the first place.”

Andrew Simms, 2009

LIMITS TO GROWTH VIEWPOINT

PROMETHEAN PERSPECTIVE

● Mostly Economists (including resource extracting firms)

○ Free market economy will answer the question of ecological debt, once natural resources and common spaces are commodified.

Actors - Economists

If commodified, those who have an interest in the preservation of

ecology will work to ensure preservation.

Citizens may do so by voting for representatives with a “Green”

platform for government, by creating preservation aimed

organizations like WWF or Sierra Club.

Perhaps firms with a particular interest in nature may invest in renewable energy production.

This means that it is not any one person or persons accountable to

care for ecology.

Commodification

Actors - Government

1. Implementation of Cap and Trade

2. Separation of production from

sustainability

3. Imposing a Carbon Tax

○ Usually right-leaning conservative governments with stronger confidence in capitalism which believes nature is to be used by people.

Government Policies

~ Through this system, the poorer countries of the world are paying the ecological debtcreated by the richer countries.

~ These policies all allow rich firms who are creating this ecological debt to continue using natural resources for profit.

Problems:

Commodification assumes people have the means and knowledge to distinguish ecologically harmful acts

Commodification rewards homoeconomicus behaviour. Ignores human nature, equality and responsibility.

Cap and Trade allows rich countries to continue producing green-house gases and excavating large

areas of land.

Cap and trade disregards pollution from cars, office buildings, and small factories, etc.

Conservative governments often deny that expanding the oil industry cannot be separated from increasing

greenhouse gases and rapid climate change.

Large emitters can pay the carbon tax and still produce a large eco-footprint. Smaller emitters are penalized.

Deep Ecology and Ecological Debt

susan-proctor.com

Shift Away from Anthropocentric Arrogance

Shift to Transpersonal Ecology

Changes in Lifestyle on Behalf of the North

Self within ‘Self’

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/12/01/opinion/1248069392074/the-miracle-toilet.html

The Miracle Toilet: Cholera-Fertilizer Toilet Program

REDEFINING HOME: BIG VS. GREAT

“An animal’s home is

utilitarian, not excessive.

Animals’ homes are made of

natural materials: mud,

sticks, sod, bamboo, straw. Animals’ homes

will degrade, once abandoned,

or they will be taken over and maintained by

another animal. Animals live in

homes that breathe, that don’t poison

them.

When you see an animal shelter, you see it as part of nature, not an impenetrable barrier between that animal and the natural world.Our shelters should be constantly changing, growing, degrading, according to our needs. Shelter is transient, malleable, something that we can abandon from season to season, if our needs dictate.”

Means to Resolve Ecological Debt Through Deep Ecology

Personal Philosophical

Changes

Change in Concepts of

Markets

Tackeling Population

Growth

Shifts in Governments

and Government

al Policy

Redefine notions of Hierarchy

and Authoritaria

nism

Consumer Capitalism

CONSUMER CAPITALISM

“Capitalistic civilization dominates present age production relationships. Capitalist economy is responsible for degradation of agro-ecology (land)."Capitalism has already had its grip over our lives.

Land is increasingly becoming a secondary source of livelihood.

People’s entire lives are market based and riskier.

Farmers are forced to produce crops for industries and commerce.

CONSUMER DIVIDE: NORTH VS. SOUTH

North

• 20% of pop. Makes 86% of purchases.

• Richest fifth consumes 58% of all energy.

• Richest fifth produce 53% of carbon dioxide.

South

• The poorest fifth produces 3 percent of the total carbon dioxide.

• Souce: United Nations Development

Programme, 1998.

CONSEQUENCES OF CONSUMER CAPITALISM

“Globalization enlarges Western capital’s pool of available productive labourers, compensating to some extent for the

relative shrinkage of domestic productive capacity.”

Development at the expense of foreign workers

“To provide basic amenities to all peoples (in the next 40 years), it is estimated that the consumption of energy will increase 5

to 35 times today’s levels.”

Growth in Labor Manufacturing sectors.

CONSUMER CAPITALISM AND RESPONSIBILITY

Who Pays?

Individuals in the Global North are not expected to cut their overall consumption

Redistribution

Reduction of sources that

drive consumerism

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

Conditions for

sustainable capitalism

Higher taxes on raw materials and

outputs

Value-added tax on

environmentally friendly products

Against sustainable capitalism

Creation of new products further degrade the land

Autonomism, global

governance, decommodificatio

n of life, deglobalization of

capital

GREEN TAXES AND GREEN CONSUMERISM

“Are designed to induce consumers to make purchases that are less environmentally damaging. An alternative market based means to the same end is provision of information about the environmental impact of a good, to facilitate

green consumerism.”

THE ECOFEMINIST PERSPECTIVE

thegreenelephant.us

Without regenerative labors,

humanity couldn’t exist.

arielsalleh.info cnsjournal.org

Who are the actors in this debate?

lifepositive.com

ECOLOGICAL DEBT

Social debt

Ecological debt

Embodied debt

The North-South Divide and Ecofeminism

How does it relate to ecological debt?

school.edturtle.co.uk

FIN!!!