What is Ecosocialism?

One of the authors of the Ecosocialist Manifest, Micheal Löwy presents a view related to ecosocialism as follows:

“Ecosocialism is defined as an ecological activity and a thought stream which renders the achievements of a Marxism that is purified from productivity to own achievements”[1]

The definition of Löwy points out a critique to socialism, as mentioned in the previous sections: 'emphasize of productivity.' Actually, it is generally criticized by many ecosocialists. For instance, Quincy Saul criticizes socialism due to its insufficiency in a manner similar:

“Ecosocialism is still socialism, but it also breaks with socialism...Because as ecosocialists, unlike many socialists of the 20th century, we recognize the intrinsic value of nature. I believe that the ecosocialist vision is much more profound than the vision of 20th century socialism, because we are talking about not just transforming human relations, but about transforming them in the context of a new relationship with nature.”[2]

The definition above emphasizes to transform both human relations and relationship with nature. On the other hand, it adds vision of nature to socialist thought by accepting socialism's achievements.

On the other hand, one of the most popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia defines ecosocialism by utilizing the Ecosocialist Manifest in the following way:

“Ecosocialism is an ideology merging aspects of Marxism, socialism and/or libertarian socialism with that green politics, ecology and alter-globalization or anti-globalization.”[3]

I found the definition meaningful in terms of appearance of the scope of ecosocialism. It presents a scope to understand the location of ecosocialism in literature. Other hand, although it is not an academical source, I deem suitable to use this definition due to that Wikipedia has a power of directing to great masses.

The last one, Joel Kovel who is the other author of the Ecosocialist Manifest defines ecosocialism in this way:

“We would say that ecosocialism is that form of society animated by freely associated labor and guided by an ethic of ecological integrity such as free human beings would freely choose.”[4]

Although it is a brief, the definition as above lights a significant affair up. This affair is related to two things which seem separately before ecosocialism: emancipation of labor and emancipation of nature. Ecosocialists know that environmental deterioration and social injustice are fed from the same source. The highest goal of capitalism: “profit”. For this reason, they insist that emancipation of people and the emancipation of the earth from capital should go hand in hand. In this manner, Kovel emphasizes unity of human beings and nature against to capital with the definition above.

The General Characteristics of Ecosocialism

Ecosocialism attaches importance to use value and tries to connect exchange value to it. For example, if it was realized use value of labor, we could not mention money as equivalent to time. Exchange value of labor degrades it as a slave, but use value of it makes it free. Likewise, exchange value separates labor as labor and labor power to give a monetary value to it, but use value unites labor and labor power and renders a whole human again.

The purposes of ecosocialism are democratic control, decreasing working hours, democratic planning, common ownerhip of production tools, using renewable energy resources, social equality, domination of use value and spread globally of the stream.[5]In this context, we can say that it is a new civilization definition. However, it should be specified that there is no a pure definition of ecosocialism unlike a doctrine. It means that manifold definitions can be done in different places. This situation makes sense and will enrich it. Ecosocialism supports multitude, and Jorge Riechmann may give the best explanation related to multitude of ecosocialism:

“This project cannot reject any of the colors of the rainbow—neither the red of the anti- capitalist and egalitarian labor movement, nor the violet of the struggles for women’s liberation, nor the white of non-violent movements for peace, nor the anti-authoritarian black of the libertarians and anarchists, and evenless the green of the struggle for a just and free humanity on a habitable planet.”[6]

Decreasing working hours are explained easily because of that socialism and ecosocialism are similar in the sense of this case. Everyone who is able to work will work, therefore everyone will work less. As ownership of production tools are common, there will be no privileged class who does not have to work. This situation will provide social equality at the same time.

Using renewable energy resources are essential for a politicial stream which defines itself as a formation that much emphasis on ecology. Renewable energy is an energy sort which is obtained from sources in nature and supplemented by nature permanently. Climate changing is one of the most important factors which cause to mobilize ecosocialists. Instead of fossil energy usage, renewable energy usage points out sustainability, but not in the sense of capitalist. Maybe, as Kovel did, also we should use “sufficiency” instead of “sustainability”. Cause, the term of sustainability is still controversial in what it sustains. All in all, ecosocialist society should provide all of its energy from renewable energy resources. Especially solar energy, wind or other alternative energy resources like waves and geothermal energies. This is an approach that respects to nature, but precondition of limited consumption should be specified. Renewable energies will not be enough for habits of actual production and consumption.

Ecosocialism offers ecological units and affinity groups to keep capital in a limited area, to prevent over-accumulation, to increase importance of use value.[7] Small local life units are required so that communities are able to decide own production and consumption. No matter at what level, it is needed units that able to keep their life in own hands, societies that decide itself to own life. It means 'autonomy' virtually and significant of ecosocialism. It is a political formula with an ecological socialist practice to avoid of capitalist destruction. In other words, ecosocialism is an ecologic and autonomist socialism. The people who lives a spesific area should decide own decisions about their environment under ecosocialism. Decisions are not taken by politicians or market, is taken by society with democratic planning processes, namely it can be mentioned a direct democracy. Thus, responsibility should be divided to every members of society. In the other words, every members of society will take some responsibilities about nature. In doing so, individuals and society share responsibility towards each other in ecosocialism.

Organic farms, political parties, a group who is anti-neoliberal and cooperatives can be given as some samples to ecological units. These unities will resist against to capital, grow up, engage each other and will create to continental of ecosocialism[8]. However, all these things cannot realize itself. Joel Kovel says that an international ecosocialist party is required to pioneer reforms and to teach autonomy ways to society. It should be based on resistance communities[9]. The delegations that come from resistance communities will compose to activist staff of the party and the party will be supported from the inside by party members in an independent way. By the same token, every action of the party will be open to the public. Transparency is momentous for this.

Ecosocialism declares that every activity that has possibility for destroying of commodity form should be developed. An ecosocialist party serves this intention. On the other hand, private ownership in capitalism, state ownership in Soviet Russia are alienating perpetrators, they serve to commodity form. Preventing from the state that is against to society (like Soviet Russia), it is significant to set up an alternative party before the ecosocialist revolution[10]. This party as far as democratizes to the state before the revolution and then it supplies democratic developing. It can be arrived to ecosocialism in this way. Surely, it requires emancipation of working class and nature and keep this situation on. That's why organization of working class, fostering cooperation, increasing solidarity and sharing, producing just real needs are required for an equal and sustainable life. And totally it means ecosocialism.

Ecosocialism is a revolutionary alternative. It is required to change all of the economic structures, the system of production, the consumption formworks, the energy resources and the transportation systems in the world scale. This is a radical changing and a new civilization definition as I said before.

Under ecosocialism, prices of commodities are determined according to ecological, political and sociological criteria. The prices are not determined according to supply and demand like mainstream economy. Cause use value is preferential, it is about qualifications. Moreover, production process, re-producing conditions (individual, social and natural), laborer and nature are taken into account and social justice is intended.

Another thing is about transportation. Ecosocialism encourages less car, more train and more bike and betrays its intention. After the revolution and workers come together a common ownership of fabrics, we can guess steering for ecosocialist production. It means producing more trains or high efficiency buses (instead of private cars) for society in the sense of tranportation. In doing so, it will be used less fossil fuels and get a more sustainable transportation system.

Reflection

Marx says that a socialist revolution can be projected, when we arrive the limits of world market in Grundrisse. So, he thought more advanced society in socialism in the sense of technology and other parameters of it. After globalization, has not still capital reached to its limits?

Capitalism that is based on accumulation of capital brings together unlimited production and consumption. It means over using of natural resources and destruction on both humanity and nature. It is not sustainable. Ecosocialism mentions to end exploitation and accumulation, stopping the destruction, resisting consumerism, protecting ecosystems, respecting resource limits, fostering cooperation and sharing, developing human potential and expanding democratic decision making as an alternative civilization. Unlike real socialism, it supports to the limited productions. Thus, protecting ecosystem can be possible in ecosocialism. On the other hand, it aims to foster cooperation and sharing not to need more products. In other words, both less production and same or more welfare.

Capital is a objectification relations. It objectifies everything it needs and it has two staminal stillages to survive and it obtained these stillages itself by commodificating humanity and nature: labor and nature as an input. Capital is fostered from commodificated labor and nature. In other words, its power is based on its commodification ability. If emancipation of nature would be possible as addition to emancipation of working class in socialism, it means that capitalism would deprive from vital foots to proceed. Therefore, it can be said that ecosocialism puts forth a significant addition to socialism on the way to revolution.

It can be given 'free media workers' as a sample to emancipation of workers class. Surely, this movement should be international. In order to get rid of slavery that is created by exchange value of labor, international work sharing should be draped over[11]. It is just possible if working class can organize between each other. If all that is solid melts into air under the management of capitalism, organisation of labor will solidify something that is steam. Namely, things that is alienated before takes its original position in the natural circle[12].

It can be given 'Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO)' as another sample related to workers class. GEO is an organization which works for democratic participation, emancipation of workers, community ownership, social and economic justice, and ecological sustainability in USA.[13] Although they don't define themselves as an ecosocialist organisation, we can find something easily their publications about ecosocialist criteria.[14]For instance, Jackson is writing about their organisation in following way:

“...More and more we are realizing the deep connections between demanding ecological priorities, social justice, democracy at work, more paths to collective ownership, and alternative ways of producing and distributing goods and services.”

They are working for creating a new alternative against to capitalism in USA where is the castle of capitalism. However, it should not be seen as illogical. Cause new alternatives create their conditions inside from previous one, and people who live in USA feel the destruction of capitalism to the bone. Therefore, it should not be surprised to their exertion and I should add that it is important in terms of being a sample to the nature and worker movements. In addition, they are open to every other worker and nature organisation for solidarity. Other hand, they has own newsletter (monthly) and many important membership(national and international) related to cooperatives.

On the other side, I desire to draw attention to the following: Is it possible an ecological revolution without socialism? At this point, O'Conner presents a Marxist approach. He says that with the great changes on materially producing style, capital able to capitalize to nature, in this way, the material conditions of the current struggle of green movement is able to disappear.[15] In my view, he is completely right about this case. Cause, in the capitalist past, development on materially producing style altered workers struggle. They were struggling about working for 8 hours before the development on materially producing, and then they started to struggle about increasing in wages(from the exploitation of absolute surplus value to the exploitation of relative surplus value, but the exploitation is stabil.) I mean, if a development on materially producing caused to find a solution about ecological problems, as mentioned above, the material conditions of the current struggle of green movement would disappear. It can be called eco-capitalism, and the struggle of ecology cannot be against to capitalism anymore. Capitalism converts it in its own favor as usual. At this point, ecosocialism becomes more meaningful. Since, it units the stuggle of workers and ecology movement. In this way, ecology movement is based on the Marxist analysis of capitalism, and works for the emancipation of labor and nature under ecosocialism.

According to ecosocialism, revolution does not only to come by changing relation of ownership and relation of production. The structure of productive forces and the apparatus of production should be changed. For instance, capitalist production is based on fossil fuels. If an ecosocialist revolution will realize, as it is mentioned previous sections, renewable energy resources should take instead of fossil fuels. Intercalarily, ecosocialists define to revolution as re-organising styles of production and consumption according to real needs[16]. Moreover, it is pointed out that decision of producing is given in a democratic way by society. M.Albert presents a method related to participatory decision making[17]. He uses computers for this, but surely new methods can be improved.

As different from socialism, energy resources should change completely under ecosocialism. A socialist stream which claims to have a ecological sensibility should not use non-reneweble energy. In this reason, ecosocialism advises solar energy instead of fossil one. Other hand, some countries(especially social welfare countries) begin to use solar energy is as a reneweble energy resource last years. However, in my view, it should be eveluated in “clean” capitalism decisively because of the stabilization of current system.

Production is planned by society democratically and is insisted on long term planning (not short term) in ecosocialism. However, Löwy says that planning never cause contradiction about managing themselves at own production unit of workers. Citizens decide to transform an auto fabric to train or bus fabric, but the workers who work there decide to manage inside. Planned production prevents over production and long term planning is important for sustainability due to take into account nature. On the other hand, the democratical planning can be an answer against to despotism claims about ecosocialism. In addition, the production of goods and services purports their use values under ecosocialism. To produce just for use values might sound strange, but it must be one of the satisfying experiences due to being away from alienation that is the disease of our age.

References:

[1] Lövy, M., 2001, p.25 [2] Saul, Q., 2014, The Transition to Ecosocialism,[online] Available at: <http://ecosocialisthorizons.com/2014/10/the-transition-to-ecosocialism/> [Accessed 20 June 2016]. [3] Ecosocialism, Wikipedia, [online] Available at:<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eco-socialism#Ecosocialist_International_Network_.28EIN.29_and_other_international_eco-socialist_organisations> [Accessed 29 May 2016]. [4] Kovel, J.,2011, The Future Will Be Ecosocialist – Because Without Ecosocialism There Will Be No Future,[online] Available at:<http://ecosocialisthorizons.com/2011/11/the-future-is-ecosocialist/ > [Accessed 20 June 2016]. [5] Lövy, M., 2001, p.26 [6] Löwy,M., 2005 [7] Kovel, J, 2002, p.282 [8] Kovel, J, 2002, p.282 [9] Kovel, J., 2002, p.293 [10] Kovel, J., 2002, p.304 [11] Kovel, J, 2002, p.289 [12] Kovel, J, 2002, p.291 [13] Further information is available at: http://www.geo.coop/about [14] Jackson, M., 2015, Cooperative/Solidarity Economics and Advancing the Development of Worker Co-ops, Grassroots Economic Organizing (GEO), [online] Available at:<http://www.geo.coop/story/cooperativesolidarity-economics-and-advancing-development-worker-co-ops > [Accessed 01 June 2012]. [15] O'Conner, James(2000), Marksizm ve Ekoloji, Ankara: Öteki Yayınları, p.24 [16] Needs that not produce with advertisements of capitalism. [17] Albert, M., 1991, Looking Forward Participatory Economics for the Twenty First Century, trans.O. Akınhay, Istanbul: Ayrıntı Published, 1994