Environmentalism of the Rich

by Peter Dauvergne

What it means for global sustainability when environmentalism is dominated by the concerns of the affluent--eco-business, eco-consumption, wilderness preservation.

Over the last fifty years, environmentalism has emerged as a clear counterforce to the environmental destruction caused by industrialization, colonialism, and globalization. Activists and policymakers have fought hard to make the earth a better place to live. But has the environmental movement actually brought about meaningful progress toward global sustainability? Signs of global "unsustainability" are everywhere, from decreasing biodiversity to scarcity of fresh water to steadily rising greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, as Peter Dauvergne points out in this provocative book, the environmental movement is increasingly dominated by the environmentalism of the rich--diverted into eco-business, eco-consumption, wilderness preservation, energy efficiency, and recycling. While it's good that, for example, Barbie dolls' packaging no longer depletes Indonesian rainforest, and that Toyota Highlanders are available as hybrids, none of this gets at the source of the current sustainability crisis. More eco-products can just mean more corporate profits, consumption, and waste.

Dauvergne examines extraction booms that leave developing countries poor and environmentally devastated--with the ruination of the South Pacific island of Nauru a case in point; the struggles against consumption inequities of courageous activists like Bruno Manser, who worked with indigenous people to try to save the rainforests of Borneo; and the manufacturing of vast markets for nondurable goods--for example, convincing parents in China that disposable diapers made for healthier and smarter babies.

Dauvergne reveals why a global political economy of ever more--more growth, more sales, more consumption--is swamping environmental gains. Environmentalism of the rich does little to bring about the sweeping institutional change necessary to make progress toward global sustainability.

Genres: Environment, Nonfiction

218 pages, Hardcover

First published September 23, 2016

About the author

Peter Dauvergne is Professor of International Relations at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of the award-winning books, Shadows in the Forest (MIT Press, 1997) and The Shadows of Consumption (MIT Press, 2008), as well as Loggers and Degradation in the Asia-Pacific (Cambridge, 2001), and (with Jane Lister) Timber (Polity, 2011). His most recent books are (with Jane Lister) Eco-Business (MIT Press, 2013) and (with Genevieve LeBaron) Protest Inc. (Polity, 2014). In addition to publishing 13 books and more than 50 refereed journal articles and book chapters, he is the founding and past editor (1999-2007) of the MIT Press journal Global Environmental Politics.

Reviews

[emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has got to be one of the best books I have ever read on environmentalism. While Dauvergne only looks at one conception of environmentalism (environmentalism of the rich), he does an excellent job of defining the idea. All of the examples are concise and the analysis of the effectiveness of this conception is phenomenal. A must-read if you are interested in environmentalism,

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

Environmentalism of the Rich addresses the risks of eNGOs and governments cooperating with powerful corporations in the global effort towards a sustainable relationship with earth systems.

The short book is evenhandedly written, and the facts and stories the author uses are well-known and internally consistent. I also appreciated the book because it avoided the innovation-and-technology-will-save-us tripe. Basically it is a (too polite?) tap on the shoulder for scientists, activists, and government agencies that we're not gaining much by using more recycled cardboard for Barbie boxes compared to the cost of giving environmental-legitimacy to the expansion of production/consumption.

"My point is not that environmentalism of the poor or anti-capitalism or anti-globalization or direct-action environmentalism offer all of the solutions to the escalating sustainability crisis. But I do believe that over the past two decades the pendulum of environmentalism has swung too far toward cooperation and reconciliation with the institutions of capitalism, and to make more of a global difference the mainstream of the environmental movement needs to pursue more transformative, ecological, and justice-oriented goals" (p.9).

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty solid book. It toed the line between horrifying readers into action without being too pessimistic about what can be done. I was pretty inspired by some of the stories in this book, and reminded that reducing waste per product isn't that helpful when advertising it helps a company sell more overall products. The one knock I have is that while the different stories and anecdotes were interesting, it was generally a little hard to follow the overarching thesis of the book about throughout the main part of the book. Definitely give it a read if you're into this sort of thing.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dauvergne's Environmentalism of the Rich is a well-researched, highly valuable text that serves as a wake-up call for the global environmental movement and it's adherents, particularly parts and environmentalists stemming from the Global North.

[Robert Geoghegan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't what I thought it was going to be. It was an interesting read, just not for me. Hopefully I'll other books on environmental issues that resonate with me more.

[Sarah Song · Rating 4 out of 5]

european imperialism is deeply embedded in environmentalism and we don’t talk about that enough!

[Renny Chua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hit with a wave of anguish, anxiety, inspiration, and awe all at once