The general lack of awareness among the public, the popular press and politicians of the challenges posed by the so-called ‘nine planetary boundaries’ is a source of great concern. To paraphrase Greta Thunberg, with all the available data, ‘it is difficult to believe either in general ignorance or in wilful disregard by those who could make changes’.
An introduction to green socialism
It was therefore heartening to come across a new publication entitled ‘Metabolic Rifts: Capitalism’s Assault on the Earth System’, by Ian Angus, editor of the online ecosocialist journal, ‘Climate and Capitalism’ and who has written a number of books on the subject.
There are numerous easily accessible online reviews of the book and interviews with the author, who has received deserved praise from well-known writers and academics in the field. This is just about the best-written and most accessible introduction to environmentalism and green socialism one could hope to come across. For those who know little, it is an excellent introduction; for those more knowledgeable, it is a fine, concise summary of all the arguments.
To give details of the nine boundaries here would be inappropriate – space does not permit, and the information is well covered by this book and elsewhere – but it is important to stress that the relationship between humanity and its tiny environment is a seriously under-discussed subject. Most people are aware of the extent and the causes of climate change and global heating, but that is just one of the nine, and the other eight deserve similar attention.
Anatomy of the book
The book is divided into four parts, and each part has between two and six chapters on specific subjects ranging from individual environmental topics to the lives and works of individual writers. The four parts are titled: ‘The Discovery and Rediscovery of Metabolic Rift’, ‘The Universal Metabolism of Nature’, ‘Capital Versus the Earth System’ and ‘The Fight for Survival’.
The general format of each chapter remains constant throughout. Angus proposes a simple idea or concept and then refers extensively to other authorities through carefully selected quotations and references. The book is a pleasure to read either from start to finish or as a reference to be dipped into for individual topics.
Angus devotes some space to what may be called the environmental rehabilitation of Karl Marx. Rightly or wrongly, the twentieth century generally associated Marxist thought and theory with a kind of industrial brutalism. It held that the emancipation of the people of Earth (the workers rather than the capitalists) would happen through extensive industrial production with the profits accruing to the producers, but with little regard for the environmental consequences. This was an attitude generally lumped under the heading of Stalinism.
Metabolic rifts
Such an analysis has always been incorrect and, because of misunderstandings, and, as Angus demonstrates, mistranslations, the ecological credentials of Marx and his contemporaries such as Friedrich Engels have been significantly misrepresented. Marx was strongly influenced by the work of the German chemist Justus von Liebig, who first drew attention to the ‘rift’ being imposed on the long-term nitrogen and phosphorus cycles of traditional farming.
As people moved from farms into the new urban factory complexes, the result was both soil nutrient depletion and gross urban pollution, as waste products which ought to have been returned to the soil were instead simply dumped in rivers and oceans. Marx developed Liebig’s ideas, and a true reading of his works from nearly two centuries ago clearly demonstrates his awareness of the disruption in the relationship between human society and the natural systems on which it depends – what would later be described as the ‘metabolic rift’.
Summary of Angus’s work
The greater part of Ian Angus’s work is analytical and descriptive, but his personal opinions come across clearly in his final chapters, particularly Chapter 16 entitled, ‘We Only Want the Earth’. For example, he asserts, “But we are ruled by capitalism’s anti-ecological logic.” He explains this point by saying, “Commodities must be sold, profits must be made, capital must accumulate. Short-term corporate gains are more important than long-term social losses. Capitalism, in short, is incompatible with the maintenance of the conditions that have made human civilisation possible for more than ten thousand years.”
To repeat my first point: lack of awareness of the needs of our planet is deeply concerning. If part of the blame for this lies with the inaccessibility of formal scientific reporting, then Ian Angus has gone some considerable way towards redressing the omission.
For further reading, Ian Angus frequently offers quotations from two writers, Fred Magdoff and John Bellamy Foster, and clearly admires their work. This prompts the thought that ‘Metabolic Rifts’ would ideally be read in conjunction with ‘What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know about Capitalism‘, written jointly by those two authors and published about 15 years ago, also by Monthly Review Press.
Bylines Network Gazette is out!
The latest Bylines Network Gazette is out now. Become a Friend of Bylines Network or upgrade to a paid Substack subscription, and you will get access to a vital collection of citizen articles and stories.
Journalism by the people, for the people.
