Niki Chalusi > Recent Status Updates

Eco-modernism claims technology is neutral and green growth can decouple economic expansion from environmental harm. This chapter argues it sustains capitalism, displacing smallholders and shifting ecological burdens to the Global South. Bastani’s lab meat and decoupling theories are critiqued as misleading. Climate justice is ignored, and techno-fixes like carbon capture are unrealistic.

The Green Transition exploits land for capitalist gains, using schemes like Half-Earth conservation, biofuels, and carbon markets to enclose nature. Industrial agriculture is favored over agroecology, driven by corporate profit, not sustainability. Climate debt is ignored, while military spending is protected. Instead of reducing energy use, elites push techno-fixes that preserve hierarchies and control.

The mainstream Green Transition commodifies nature and secures profits for private investors using public funds. The Global South remains financially dependent, as climate policies reinforce corporate control. Carbon markets and REDD+ privatize nature under green colonialism. The so-called social market economy protects capitalism, turning workers into “mini-capitalists” while governments absorb financial risks.