The Belem Ecosocialist Declaration
"The world is suffering from a fever due to climate change,and the disease is the capitalist development model."-- Evo Morales, president of Bolivia, September 2007
Humanity's Choice Humanity today faces a stark choice: ecosocialism or barbarism. We need no more proof of the barbarity of capitalism, the parasiticalsystem that exploits humanity and nature alike. Its sole motor is theimperative toward profit and thus the need for constant growth. Itwastefully creates unnecessary products, squandering the environment'slimited resources and returning to it only toxins and pollutants.Under capitalism, the only measure of success is how much more is soldevery day, every week, every year - involving the creation of vastquantities of products that are directly harmful to both humans andnature, commodities that cannot be produced without spreading disease,destroying the forests that produce the oxygen we breathe, demolishingecosystems, and treating our water, air and soil like sewers for thedisposal of industrial waste. Capitalism's need for growth exists on every level, from theindividual enterprise to the system as a whole. The insatiable hungerof corporations is facilitated by imperialist expansion in search ofever greater access to natural resources, cheap labor and new markets.Capitalism has always been ecologically destructive, but in ourlifetimes these assaults on the earth have accelerated. Quantitativechange is giving way to qualitative transformation, bringing the worldto a tipping point, to the edge of disaster. A growing body ofscientific research has identified many ways in which smalltemperature increases could trigger irreversible, runaway effects -such as rapid melting of the Greenland ice sheet or the release ofmethane buried in permafrost and beneath the ocean - that would makecatastrophic climate change inevitable. Left unchecked, global warming will have devastating effects on human,animal and plant life. Crop yields will drop drastically, leading tofamine on a broad scale. Hundreds of millions of people will bedisplaced by droughts in some areas and by rising ocean levels inothers. Chaotic, unpredictable weather will become the norm. Air,water and soil will be poisoned. Epidemics of malaria, cholera andeven deadlier diseases will hit the poorest and most vulnerablemembers of every society. The impact of the ecological crisis is felt most severely by thosewhose lives have already been ravaged by imperialism in Asia, Africa,and Latin America, and indigenous peoples everywhere are especiallyvulnerable. Environmental destruction and climate change constitute anact of aggression by the rich against the poor. Ecological devastation, resulting from the insatiable need to increaseprofits, is not an accidental feature of capitalism: it is built intothe system's DNA and cannot be reformed away. Profit-orientedproduction only considers a short-term horizon in its investmentdecisions, and cannot take into account the long-term health andstability of the environment. Infinite economic expansion isincompatible with finite and fragile ecosystems, but the capitalisteconomic system cannot tolerate limits on growth; its constant need toexpand will subvert any limits that might be imposed in the name of"sustainable development." Thus the inherently unstable capitalistsystem cannot regulate its own activity, much less overcome the crisescaused by its chaotic and parasitical growth, because to do so wouldrequire setting limits upon accumulation - an unacceptable option fora system predicated upon the rule: Grow or Die! If capitalism remains the dominant social order, the best we canexpect is unbearable climate conditions, an intensification of socialcrises and the spread of the most barbaric forms of class rule, as theimperialist powers fight among themselves and with the global southfor continued control of the world's diminishing resources. At worst, human life may not survive. Capitalist Strategies for Change There is no lack of proposed strategies for contending with ecologicalruin, including the crisis of global warming looming as a result ofthe reckless increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The greatmajority of these strategies share one common feature: they aredevised by and on behalf of the dominant global system, capitalism. It is no surprise that the dominant global system which is responsiblefor the ecological crisis also sets the terms of the debate about thiscrisis, for capital commands the means of production of knowledge, asmuch as that of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Accordingly, itspoliticians, bureaucrats, economists and professors send forth anendless stream of proposals, all variations on the theme that theworld's ecological damage can be repaired without disruption of marketmechanisms and of the system of accumulation that commands the worldeconomy. But a person cannot serve two masters - the integrity of the earth andthe profitability of capitalism. One must be abandoned, and historyleaves little question about the allegiances of the vast majority ofpolicy-makers. There is every reason, therefore, to radically doubtthe capacity of established measures to check the slide to ecologicalcatastrophe. And indeed, beyond a cosmetic veneer, the reforms over the pastthirty-five years have been a monstrous failure. Isolated improvementsdo of course occur, but they are inevitably overwhelmed and swept awayby the ruthless expansion of the system and the chaotic character ofits production. One example demonstrates the failure: in the first four years of the21st Century, global carbon emissions were nearly three times as greatper annum as those of the decade of the 1990s, despite the appearanceof the Kyoto Protocols in 1997. Kyoto employs two devices: the "Cap and Trade" system of tradingpollution credits to achieve certain reductions in emissions, andprojects in the global south - the so-called "Clean DevelopmentMechanisms" - to offset emissions in the highly industrializednations. These instruments all rely upon market mechanisms, whichmeans, first of all, that atmospheric carbon dioxide becomes acommodity under the control of the same interests that created globalwarming. Polluters are not compelled to reduce their carbon emissions,but allowed to use their power over money to control the carbon marketfor their own ends, which include the devastating exploration for yetmore carbon-based fuels. Nor is there a limit to the amount ofemission credits which can be issued by compliant governments. Since verification and evaluation of results are impossible, the Kyotoregime is not only incapable of controlling emissions, it alsoprovides ample opportunities for evasion and fraud of all kinds. Aseven the Wall Street Journal put it in March, 2007, emissions trading"would make money for some very large corporations, but don't believefor a minute that this charade would do much about global warming." The Bali climate meetings in 2007 opened the way for even greaterabuses in the period ahead. Bali avoided any mention of the goals fordrastic carbon reduction put forth by the best climate science (90% by2050); it abandoned the peoples of the global south to the mercy ofcapital by giving jurisdiction over the process to the World Bank; andmade offsetting of carbon pollution even easier. In order to affirm and sustain our human future, a revolutionarytransformation is needed, where all particular struggles take part ina greater struggle against capital itself. This larger struggle cannotremain merely negative and anti-capitalist. It must announce and builda different kind of society, and this is ecosocialism. The Ecosocialist Alternative The ecosocialist movement aims to stop and to reverse the disastrousprocess of global warming in particular and of capitalist ecocide ingeneral, and to construct a radical and practical alternative to thecapitalist system. Ecosocialism is grounded in a transformed economyfounded on the non-monetary values of social justice and ecologicalbalance. It criticizes both capitalist "market ecology" andproductivist socialism, which ignored the earth's equilibrium andlimits. It redefines the path and goal of socialism within anecological and democratic framework. Ecosocialism involves a revolutionary social transformation, whichwill imply the limitation of growth and the transformation of needs bya profound shift away from quantitative and toward qualitativeeconomic criteria, an emphasis on use-value instead of exchange-value. These aims require both democratic decision-making in the economicsphere, enabling society to collectively define its goals ofinvestment and production, and the collectivization of the means ofproduction. Only collective decision-making and ownership ofproduction can offer the longer-term perspective that is necessary forthe balance and sustainability of our social and natural systems. The rejection of productivism and the shift away from quantitative andtoward qualitative economic criteria involve rethinking the nature andgoals of production and economic activity in general. Essentialcreative, non-productive and reproductive human activities, such ashouseholding, child-rearing, care, child and adult education, and thearts, will be key values in an ecosocialist economy. Clean air and water and fertile soil, as well as universal access tochemical-free food and renewable, non-polluting energy sources, arebasic human and natural rights defended by ecosocialism. Far frombeing "despotic," collective policy-making on the local, regional,national and international levels amounts to society's exercise ofcommunal freedom and responsibility. This freedom of decisionconstitutes a liberation from the alienating economic "laws" of thegrowth-oriented capitalist system. To avoid global warming and other dangers threatening human andecological survival, entire sectors of industry and agriculture mustbe suppressed, reduced, or restructured and others must be developed,while providing full employment for all. Such a radical transformationis impossible without collective control of the means of productionand democratic planning of production and exchange. Democraticdecisions on investment and technological development must replacecontrol by capitalist enterprises, investors and banks, in order toserve the long-term horizon of society's and nature's common good. The most oppressed elements of human society, the poor and indigenouspeoples, must take full part in the ecosocialist revolution, in orderto revitalize ecologically sustainable traditions and give voice tothose whom the capitalist system cannot hear. Because the peoples ofthe global south and the poor in general are the first victims ofcapitalist destruction, their struggles and demands will help definethe contours of the ecologically and economically sustainable societyin creation. Similarly, gender equality is integral to ecosocialism,and women's movements have been among the most active and vocalopponents of capitalist oppression. Other potential agents ofecosocialist revolutionary change exist in all societies. Such a process cannot begin without a revolutionary transformation ofsocial and political structures based on the active support, by themajority of the population, of an ecosocialist program. The struggleof labour - workers, farmers, the landless and the unemployed - forsocial justice is inseparable from the struggle for environmentaljustice. Capitalism, socially and ecologically exploitative andpolluting, is the enemy of nature and of labour alike. Ecosocialism proposes radical transformations in: the energy system, by replacing carbon-based fuels and biofuels withclean sources of power under community control: wind, geothermal,wave, and above all, solar power. the transportation system, by drastically reducing the use of privatetrucks and cars, replacing them with free and efficient publictransportation; present patterns of production, consumption, and building, which arebased on waste, inbuilt obsolescence, competition and pollution, byproducing only sustainable and recyclable goods and developing greenarchitecture; food production and distribution, by defending local food sovereigntyas far as this is possible, eliminating polluting industrialagribusinesses, creating sustainable agro-ecosystems and workingactively to renew soil fertility. To theorize and to work toward realizing the goal of green socialismdoes not mean that we should not also fight for concrete and urgentreforms right now. Without any illusions about "clean capitalism," wemust work to impose on the powers that be - governments, corporations,international institutions - some elementary but essential immediatechanges: drastic and enforceable reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases, development of clean energy sources, provision of an extensive free public transportation system, progressive replacement of trucks by trains, creation of pollution clean-up programs, elimination of nuclear energy, and war spending. These and similar demands are at the heart of the agenda of the GlobalJustice movement and the World Social Forums, which have promoted,since Seattle in 1999, the convergence of social and environmentalmovements in a common struggle against the capitalist system. Environmental devastation will not be stopped in conference rooms andtreaty negotiations: only mass action can make a difference. Urban andrural workers, peoples of the global south and indigenous peopleseverywhere are at the forefront of this struggle against environmentaland social injustice, fighting exploitative and pollutingmultinationals, poisonous and disenfranchising agribusinesses,invasive genetically modified seeds, biofuels that only aggravate thecurrent food crisis. We must further these social-environmentalmovements and build solidarity between anticapitalist ecologicalmobilizations in the North and the South. This Ecosocialist Declaration is a call to action. The entrenchedruling classes are powerful, yet the capitalist system reveals itselfevery day more financially and ideologically bankrupt, unable toovercome the economic, ecological, social, food and other crises itengenders. And the forces of radical opposition are alive and vital.On all levels, local, regional and international, we are fighting tocreate an alternative system based in social and ecological justice. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LA LISTA DE FIRMAS NO ESTÁ COMPLETA. PARA FRIMAR DIRIGIRSE A ecosocialism@gmail.com(To add your name to the list of signatories, email your name andcountry of residence to ecosocialism@gmail.com) We, the undersigned, endorse the analysis and political perspectivesoutlined in the Belem Ecosocialist Declaration, and support theestablishment and building of an Ecosocialist International Network. Aotearoa/New Zealand: Joe Carolan, Dr. Greg Kleis Australia: Richard Bergin, Jamie Brown, Simon Butler, Ben Courtice,Felicity Crombach, Peter Cummins, Duroyan Fertl, Jepke Goudsmit, StuHarrison, Dave Kimble, Serge Leroyer, Günter Minnerup, John Rice,Larissa Roberts, Stuart Rosewarne, Terry Townsend Bangla Desh: Mohammad Basir-ul Haq Sinha Belgium: Daniel Tanuro Brazil: Pedro Ivo Batista, Luiz Felipe Bergmann, Ricardo Framil Filho,Edson Carneiro Indio, Beatriz Leandro, Ivonaldo Leite, André Lima,Roberto Souza Santos, Thierry Thomas, Carolina Kors Tiberio, Sirio López Velasco Canada, Quebec: Greg Albo, Robert Albritton, Paul Anderson, Ian Angus,Roger Annis, Chris Arsenault, Charles-Antoine Bachand, Jean-ClaudeBalu, Rick Barsky, José Bazin, John R Bell, Shannon Bell, John L.Bencze, Karl Beveridge, Geoff Bickerton, David Camfield, William K.Carroll, John Clarke, Bill Clennett, Carole Condé, Phil Cournoyer,Paul R. Craik, Steve D'Arcy, Susan Kent Davidson, Diane Delaney,Kathleen Donovan, Joseph Dubonnet, Susan E. Ferren, Richard Fidler,Blair Fix, Darrel Furlotte, Larry Gambone, Cy Gonick, TrevorGoodger-Hill, Joyce A. Green, Dave Greenfield, Ricardo Grinspun, JohnGrogan, Dr. J. Robert Groves, Adam Hanieh, Trevor Harrison, HenryHeller, Evert Hoogers, Anton Oscar Iorga, Sean Isaacs, DarleneJuschka, Michael A. Lebowitz, Ian B. McKenna, Vincent Mosco, DanMurray, Sam Noumoff, Derrick O'Keefe, Joseph Roberts, Sheila Roberts,Leo Panitch, Tomislav Peric, Ursula Pflug, Roger Rashi, John Riddell,Herman Rosenfeld, Rhoda Rosenfeld, Laina Rutledge, John Ryan, KanchanSarker, Bob Sass, Scott Schneider, Sid Shniad, Debra Scott, JohnSharkey, John Shavluk, Dr. Christopher A. Shaw, Michael Stewart, DebraTacium, Paul Francis Thompson, David Tremblay, Jesse Vorst, BernadetteL. Wagner, Len Wallace, John W. Warnock, Larry Watt, Barry Weisleder,Ian Whyte, Michael Wolfe, Paul York Cyprus: Julian Saurin Denmark: Pelle Andersen-Harild, Ellen Brun, Jacques Hersh, PederHvelplund, Kjeld A. Larsen, Johannes Lund, Karolina Boroch Naess,Petter Naess, Teresa Naess England, Scotland, Wales: Tobias Abse, Keith Ames-Rook, Keith Baker,Jane Burd, Katie Buse, Dr. Michael Calderbank, Ross Carbutt, JamesDoran, Ian Drummond, Jane Susanna Ennis, Nick Foster, Paul Frost, JayGinn, Dr Joseph Healy, Dave Hewitt, Stuart Jeffery, Jane Kelly, AaronKiely, Richard Kuper, David McBain, Sharon McMaster, Elaine Morrison,Jamie Murray, Brian Orr, Andy Player, Matt Sellwood, Mike Shaughnessy,Andrew Stevens, Sally Thompson, Sean Thompson, Payam Torabi, NormanTraub, Mike Tucker, Derek Wall, Roy Wilkes France: Nadège Edwards, Vincent Gay, Richard Greeman, Michel Husson,Mohammed Taleb, Danielle Follett, Michael Löwy Germany: Frieder Otto Wolf Greece: Mesrop Abelyan, Spyros Diamantidis, Anneta Galtsioti,Krystalia Galtsioti, Giannis Galtsiotis. Konstantina Georga, DimitrisGeorgas, Kostas Giannakakis, Manolis Kapadais, Andonis Krinis, AmjadMohammad, Georgia Nikopolidou, Takis Pantazidis, Tasos Pantazidis,Eleni Pantazidou, Katerina Pantazidou, Mohammed Es Sabiani India: Debashis Chatterjee, Debal Deb, S. Susan Deborah, Mita Dutta,Merlin Franco, Saroj Giri, C E Karunakaran, Partha Majumdar,D.V.Natarajan, Babu lal Sharma Indonesia: Pius Ginting Ireland: Louis P. Burns aka Lugh, Domhnall Ó Cobhthaigh, Vincent Doherty Italy: Guido Dalla Casa, Moreno Esposto Kenya: Arege Douglas Malta: Michael Briguglio Mexico: David Barkin, Gerardo Renique Netherlands: Suzanne de Kuyper, Peter Waterman Panama: Sebastián Calderón Bentin Perú: Hugo Blanco Portugal: Ricardo Coelho, Ronaldo Fonseca, Ângelo Novo Romania: Luisa Abram, Stella Dicu. Mario Festila Serbia: Dragoslav Danilovic South Africa: Rasigan Maharajh, Trevor Ngwane, Berend Schuitema Spain: Mauricio Blechman, Francisco Fernández Amador, Alberto Iglesias Lorenz Turkey: Ertugrul Akcaoglu, Nevra Akdemir, Levent Gürsel Alev, BinnurAloglu, Ecehan Balta, Emre Baturay Altinok, Ugur Arigun, Arca Atay,Baris Avci, Erol Bayrakdar, Foti Benlisoy, Stefo Benlisoy, ElifBozkurt, Emel Budak, Ozgur Bulut. Nurgül Çanak, Esin Candan, BilgeContepe, Kadir Dadan, Fügen Dede, Yalim Dilek, Sinan Eden, HuseyinEren, Fuat Ercan, Basak Ergüder, Bulent Erkeskin, Firat Genç, EmineGirgin, Canan Güldal, Ercan Gülen, Ibrahim Gundogdu, Kutlay Gürcihan,Muharrem Hunerli, Taha Karaman, Filiz Kerestecioglu, Tarkan Kilic,Özgür Müftüoglu, Evin Nas, Sebnem Oguz, Kazim Özaslan, Merthan Özcan,Recep Özkan, Ali Murat Ozdemir, Senem Pehlivanoglu, Özge Savas, HasanSen, Ahmet Hamdi Seringen, Yavuz Selim Sertbas, Eren DenizTol-Gokturk, Dr. Ethem Torunoglu, Eylem Tuncaelli, Kemal Tuncaelli,Feriha Tugran, Mehmet Türkay, Derya Ülker, Tanay Sidki Uyar, SanemYardimci, Ertan Yilmaz, Gaye Yilmaz, Selim Yilmaz, Burçak Yilmazok,Gökçen Özdemir, Hatice Yaşar, Kasim Yeter, Eylem Ozen Yorukoglu, SemihYuksel, Kizilca Yurur USA: Anatole Anton, Matthew Brown, Joaquín Bustelo, Tim Casebolt, SuhaChari, Andrew P. Cheramie, Stan Cox, Kevin Danaher, Dr. Lenore J.Daniels, Jennifer Dignazio, Daniel Faber, Hunter Gray [Hunter Bear],Craig Brozefsky, John Clark, Scott Davis, W. Alexander Durnan, PhilGasper, Dayne Goodwin, Sarah Grey, Anthony Gronowicz, TimoteoJeffries, Eric W. Koch, Bill Koehnlein, Joel Kovel, Ed Laing, LarryLambert, Saul Landau, James Lauderdale, Mark A. Lause, Richard Levins,Kevin Lewis, Timothy Norbert Malczynski, David Marcial, Michael SethMartin, Stefan Mattessich, Bill McCormick, Coleman E. McFarland, FredMecklenburg, William Meurer, Curtis Moore, Simeon Newman, Tony Nizzi,Wren Osborn, Dr. Marie-Claire Picher, Louis Proyect, Linda Ray, KatRickenbacker, Eugene Rodriguez, Christian Roselund, Kevin Ruffe, DavidSchwartzman, Javier Sethness, Barry Sheppard, Roger Sheppard, LaurenceH. Shoup, James Smith, Mark E. Smith, Red Son, Anna Marie Stenberg,Carl Stilwell, Ted Stolze, Idell Elaine Vogel, Richard Vogel, SamWaite, Venezuela: Jesus Pirela, Cesar Aponte Rivero, Gustavo Fernández Zimbabwe: Chen Chimutengwende
