Adrienne Buller, "The Value of a Whale: On the Illusions of Green Capitalism"

A

podcast

URL

https://newbooksnetwork.com/how-to-value-the-earth

Featuring

Adrienne Buller

On the illusions of green capitalism.

examines the fatal biases that have shaped the response of our governing institutions to climate breakdown and environmental breakdown, and asks: are the 'solutions' being proposed really solutions?

Tracing the intricate connections between financial power, economic injustice and ecological crisis, she exposes the myopic economism and market-centric thinking presently undermining a future where all life can flourish.

The problems of treating the climate crisis as one solvable by market economics.

examines what is wrong with mainstream climate and environmental governance, from carbon pricing and carbon offset markets to 'green growth', the commodification of nature and the growing influence of the finance industry on environmental policy.

The influence of the finance industry on environmental policy.

In doing so, it exposes the self-defeating logic of a response to these challenges based on creating new opportunities for profit, and a refusal to grapple with the inequalities and injustices that have created them.

The mistaken logic of fixing climate breakdown with more growth.

• Ecosystems services and natural capital. These are attempts to bring nature in to the market. Misguidedly trying to 'internalise the externalities'.
• Remind me of also e.g. Half-Earth Socialism, on the topic of deliberately keeping nature out of the market. (Interesting, Adrienne also references the book towards the end.)
• Outlines the problems with asset management firms like Blackrock and Vanguard.
• Some have the idea that markets can magically bypass the thorny issue of doing politics. Ludwig von Mises with 'one penny one vote' suggests that the market is the most democratic way of deciding that you can get.