Geography & the Environment

The Extinction Curve

Growth and Globalisation in the Climate Endgame

by John van der Velden, Rob White

Description

Global communities have arrived at a critical crossroads. The planet is heating up at a historically unprecedented rate and the ecological conditions sustaining vast species, including our own, are poised at irreversible tipping points. Time is up to avoid climate and ecological catastrophe. In such dire circumstances, 'business as usual' - and by extension 'politics as usual' - can no longer be accommodated.

The Extinction Curve charts the dynamics of the economic and social relations driving this perilous climate endgame. Recent economic crises have fractured consent over the consequences of growth and globalisation, and political fracturing is now at a defining moment. Ultra-right nationalism, shaped by the vested interests of a tiny minority at the expense of the global majority, threatens descent into a darker and more fortressed world. In contrast, enhanced progressive and environmental activism presents hope of an alternative course.
The 50-year attempt by the mainstream environmental movement to create a greener capitalism has failed to reach the required objectives. This book argues that reversing the extinction curve requires ending the growth pandemic embedded within the core of capitalism as a mode of production and consumption. It maps fresh directions for a democratic social, economic and sustainable ecological transformation in the interests of the global majority and, crucially, demonstrates how this can be achieved.

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Rights Information

All rights available.

Author Biography

John van der Velden is an independent socialist writer living in Canberra, Australia. He was a national convenor, on behalf of the Non-Aligned Caucus, in the initial multi-party Socialist Alliance. He writes on matters of political economy, class structure and the climate emergency.


 

Rob White is Distinguished Professor of Criminology at the University of Tasmania, Australia. Considered a pioneer in the field of green criminology, he has particular interest in transnational environmental crime and eco-justice. His published books include Crimes Against Nature (2008), Transnational Environmental Crime (2011), Environmental Harm (2013) and Climate Change Criminology (2018).

Emerald Publishing Ltd.

Emerald Publishing Ltd.

Emerald Publishing was founded in 1967 to champion new ideas that would advance the research and practice of business and management. Today, we continue to nurture fresh thinking in applied fields where we feel we can make a real difference, now also including health and social care, education and engineering.

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Bibliographic Information

  • Orginal LanguageEnglish
  • ISBN/Identifier 9781800438279
  • Publication Country or regionUnited Kingdom
  • FormatPaperback
  • Primary Price 27 USD
  • Pages208
  • ReadershipProfessional and Scholarly
  • Publish StatusUnpublished
  • Dimensions152 x 229 mm

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