The chapter provides a critique of the overly individualistic, neoliberal narrative that often permeates environmental discussions, as embodied in the oft-repeated mantra: reduce, reuse, and recycle. It argues that such a narrative is propagated by wealthy and polluting corporations as a way of distracting the public from the underlying structural causes of socio-ecological crises, namely, a rapacious, extractive capitalist economic system that exploits people and degrades our environment for the benefit of wealthy individuals and corporations. The chapter argues for a move away from the more individualized Rs of environmentalism to more radical ones that tackle the root causes of our socio-ecological crisis, rather than merely addressing symptoms. The chapter proposes that to ensure climate justice, we should focus more on three particular radical Rs of environmentalism, namely, regulation, redistribution, and reparations. In line with a community psychology approach to understanding social problems, the chapter draws on climate ethics literature, reports, and evidence to discuss the accuracy, importance, and efficacy of this more structural approach. It concludes by arguing that such a structural approach is a key part of a radical realism that takes seriously the scale of the transformation required to properly address the climate crisis and related socio-ecological crises.

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Three Radical R’s of Environmentalism: From “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” to “Regulation, Redistribution, and Reparations”

  • Alex Lenferna

摘要

The chapter provides a critique of the overly individualistic, neoliberal narrative that often permeates environmental discussions, as embodied in the oft-repeated mantra: reduce, reuse, and recycle. It argues that such a narrative is propagated by wealthy and polluting corporations as a way of distracting the public from the underlying structural causes of socio-ecological crises, namely, a rapacious, extractive capitalist economic system that exploits people and degrades our environment for the benefit of wealthy individuals and corporations. The chapter argues for a move away from the more individualized Rs of environmentalism to more radical ones that tackle the root causes of our socio-ecological crisis, rather than merely addressing symptoms. The chapter proposes that to ensure climate justice, we should focus more on three particular radical Rs of environmentalism, namely, regulation, redistribution, and reparations. In line with a community psychology approach to understanding social problems, the chapter draws on climate ethics literature, reports, and evidence to discuss the accuracy, importance, and efficacy of this more structural approach. It concludes by arguing that such a structural approach is a key part of a radical realism that takes seriously the scale of the transformation required to properly address the climate crisis and related socio-ecological crises.