Can the capitalist economic system deliver environmental justice?

Bell, K. (2015) Can the capitalist economic system deliver environmental justice? Environmental Research Letters, 10(12), 125017. (doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/10/12/125017)

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Abstract

Can a healthy environment for all social groups be delivered through capitalism via market mechanisms? Or is it the capitalist system, itself, that has been at the root of the environmental and social crises we now face? This letter engages with this ongoing debate by drawing on material from a wider study, 'Achieving Environmental Justice', which examined the extent, form and causes of environmental justice and injustice in a range of countries with varying depths of marketization—United States, South Korea, United Kingdom, Sweden, China, Bolivia and Cuba. The analysis described here focuses on the interview material from this mixed methods study, drawing on over 140 interviews with officials, policy makers, and civil society leaders. The letter argues that there is an apparent propensity for capitalist processes to exacerbate, rather than reduce, environmental problems and inequities though the pursuit of relentless economic growth and profit accumulation. Therefore, we should perhaps let go of efforts to resolve environmental injustice within the constraints of capitalism and, instead, build an alternative economic system that can meet human needs in the context of a harmonious and respectful relationship with nature.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Bell, Dr Karen
Authors: Bell, K.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
Journal Name:Environmental Research Letters
Publisher:IOP Publishing
ISSN:1748-9326
ISSN (Online):1748-9326
Published Online:22 December 2015
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2015 IOP Publishing Ltd
First Published:First published in Environmental Research Letters 10(12): 125017
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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