Journal Title/Source
Capitalism, Nature, Socialism
Publication Date
2020
Volume
32
Issue (if applicable)
2
Page Numbers
77-94
DOI (if applicable)
10.1080/10455752.2020.1775860
Document Type
Journal Article
Department
Sociology and Anthropology
Abstract
The increasing urgency of the current climate crisis has been accompanied by a growing desire for constructive answers on how to confront the situation effectively and meaningfully. Yet, the pace of global climate change (GCC) continues to accelerate more rapidly than societal, institutional, and individual responses can be formed. The gap between increasingly sophisticated knowledge of objective biophysical threat, on the one hand, and our ability to transform society in accordance with this awareness, on the other hand, highlights the importance of ideology. Ideological barriers have become a major stumbling block for climate change activists and researchers. Focusing on the recent U.S. House Resolution for a Green New Deal, this paper examines how the U.S. political establishment ignores the underlying dynamic of capital and its drive toward ecological devastation and the hollowing out of labor. Given the urgent political task posed by GCC, the paper considers the potential of work time reduction (WTR) as a strategy for overcoming capitalism. The paper concludes by discussing the importance of critical theory.
Recommended Citation
Stoner, Alex, "Critical Reflections on America’s Green New Deal: Capital, Labor, and the Dynamics of Contemporary Social Change" (2020). Journal Articles. 459.
https://commons.nmu.edu/facwork_journalarticles/459
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