up:: 067 MOC Ecological Economics
“Ecological imperialism thus presents itself most obviously in the following ways: the pillage of the resources of some countries by others and the transformation of whole ecosystems upon which states and nations depend; massive movements of population and labour that are interconnected with the extraction and transfer of resources; the exploitation of ecological vulnerabilities of societies to promote imperialist control; the dumping of ecological wastes in ways that widen the chasm between centre and periphery; and overall, the creation of a global ‘metabolic rift’ that characterizes the relation of capitalism to the environment, and at the same time limits capitalist development.”(FOSTER & CLARK, 2004, p. 187)
“Ecological imperialism relies on the plunder of the periphery while shifting the ill effects of the problems brought about by that plunder back onto the periphery as well.” (SAITŌ, 2024, Cap. 1)
Imperialismo ecológico trata-se da solução de problemas do Norte Global em detrimento da exploração do Sul Global: são soluções que utilizam recursos da periferia global, e cujas externalidades são remetidas de volta à periferia.
Há relação com Racismo Ambiental, pois são regiões mais periféricas dentro da própria periferia que tendem a ser exploradas primeiro (por falta de regulação, etc).
Naturalmente, o imperialismo ecológico é perpetrador de Ruptura Metabólica, pois trata-se da usurpação de “nutrientes” de certas regiões geográficas por outras, e.g. a retirada de guano do Peru pelo império britânico à época, para fertilizar sua agricultura.
References
- SAITŌ, Kōhei. Slow down: the degrowth manifesto. 1. ed. New York: Astra House, 2024.
- FOSTER, John Bellamy; CLARK, Brett. Ecological imperialism: The curse of capitalism. Socialist register, v. 40, 2004.