Environmentalism, Economic Growth, and Political Development

Environmentalism, Economic Growth, and Political Development
Chapter in Brief
Introduction
The rising competition for economic supremacy
The need for sustainable development
The Relationship between Economy and the Environment
Economy and Society in terms of Population Growth and Environmental Conservation (Weber)
Economy and the Environmental Issues (Marx)
The environmental Conservation (Durkheim)
Ecological crisis and tragedy of culture (Simmel)
The Politics of Climate Change
Global warming and climate change (Weber)
The Politics of Climate Change (Marx)
The politics of global warming (Simmel)
The Climate change (Durkheim)
INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter, I discussed the polarization of economic resources using the four classical theorists; Weber, Marx, Simmel, and Durkheim. In this chapter, I take a step further to discuss environmentalism and what the consequences of climate change hold for the future of the society. I still focus on the four classical theorists with their theories. The topic of climate change and environmental conservation and economic growth has become a hot topic in the recent past. As nations compete to become economically vibrant and independent, they are making everything within their means to exploit the available natural resources. The issues of the economic development, public policies towards environmental conservation, and population growth have become issues that every nation on the globe is taking steps to address. Sustainable development refers to the development programs that meet the needs of the current generation while at the same time taking into consideration the needs of future generations. All human activities associated with development are directly tied to the exploitation of natural resources. Land is the primary resource and has been the ultimate source of mineral resources. All human activities such as transport, agriculture, forestry, and construction take place on land. The problem with the exploitation of these resources is that they are exhaustible. This has created a concern from scientists and the society about the future of the exhaustible resources. There has been a lot of concern on the wastes that are directly released into the atmosphere and also the impact of these wastes to the environment. Technological developments have helped the society to make tremendous developments in exploiting the resources for improving human lives. These developments are however, unparalleled with the needs of the society. The demand and greed for wealth has placed pressure on the limited resources available. Scientists have come to a consensus conclusion that human activities are responsible for environmental changing taking place at the global level. Unless the economic development activities are checked, the future generations may not have a chance to enjoy the available resources.
The Relationship between Economy and the Environment
Economics has a significant role to play on what happens to the environment, whether positive or negative. I have watched and listened to debates of economic development and the main point that often arises from these debates is the economic impacts on the environment. While it is true to argue that nature can replenish itself, the rate of replenishment is constant and is unparalleled to the rate of extraction of resources from the environment.
One of the questions that have been on my mind is “What could Marx say?” I decided to Google this question and found several answers about Karl Marx and the topic of climate change. More than two centuries ago, Marx foresaw the consequences of human activities to the environment. He foresaw that man was in a process of destroying himself through the selfish economic activities that were taking place on the natural environment. Marx was a staunch environmentalist. He argued that “man lives on nature, implying that nature is his body and there is no way that man can extricate himself from nature. Even after death, man still goes to nature and becomes part of it.” This is an enlightening statement from a classical theorist that lived in 1800s. If man was to realize that he is part of nature and any activity that destroys nature is directly destroying him, then he could lead a checked life. The primary problem that arises when man relates to nature is that it appears like a place for man to subdue it. Even the holy Bible justifies the process of subduing nature. The relationship between man and nature has therefore moved from that of mutual coexistence to that of a master and a servant. Nature is at the mercy of man.
The environment is everything that surrounds man, implying a home that man spends the best of his life. It starts from the natural resources such as rivers and forests to living things such as the wild animals. Throughout history, man has coexisted with the environment and it has been his primary source of food or sustenance. Classical theorists such as Weber and Durkheim were concerned about the reciprocity of the interaction between human beings and their environment. Environmental sociologists could argue that man has a responsibility when it comes to his interaction with the environment. This responsibility is based on the benefits that man derives from the environment. Man should reciprocate nature by taking care of it instead of dominating it. Nature has a natural way of replenishing, but the rate of replenishment is slow compared to the rate at which resources are extracted from the natural environment.
I am specifically concerned about how Weber viewed the environment from the point of energy derivation and the relationship between man and the natural resources. Weber was an enigma of environmentalism in the post-WW2 era. The recent years have witnessed activism in economic development. Third World countries are taking loans and grants from the World Bank with the goal of industrializing. Unfortunately, industrialization spells doom to the environment. The amount of wastes released from the industries as well as the rate at which the industries consume the available scarce resources is a threa...