Introduction

The main contours of the socio-ecological crisis are described, highlighting what distinguishes it from any other form of human impact in the past. The effective capitalist causes of the socio-ecological crisis are explained. Reasons are discussed for the importance of struggling for and shifting to socialist frameworks and practices to reduce overall human impact and develop ecologically sustainable lifeways to benefit the world’s majorities, whose main living conditions depend on industrial processes organised about state institutions. Socialism is briefly introduced, along with ecosocialism, as alternative to capitalism. An outline of the book’s contents is then briefly discussed.