Article by Eric Worrell
The conversation informed the writings of far-left Indian philosopher Amitav Ghosh.
Climate change has deep historical roots – Amitav Ghosh explores how capitalism and colonialism adapt
Published: 5:00 pm (AEST) on August 30, 2024
Amitav Ghosh is an internationally renowned author who has published 20 books of historical fiction and non-fiction. The Indian thinker and writer has written extensively on the legacies of colonialism, violence and extractivism. His best-known work explores colonial migration, globalization, and commercial violence and conquest against the backdrop of the opium trade of the 1800s.
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Julia Taylor: In Ghosh's recent nonfiction book, The Curse of Nutmeg: A Parable for a Planet in Crisis, he uses his storytelling abilities to outline the roots of climate change within imperialism and capitalism, two systems of power and oppression. .
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Capitalism is the dominant economic system in which ownership of the means of production (industry) is private. The private sector is driven by profit and growth, which relies on the burning of fossil fuels.
Ghosh makes clear that violence and environmental destruction are key to capitalism, just as they were key to colonialism.
Imran Walodia: Ghosh asks us to think more deeply about the role of conquest and violence in shaping the planetary crises we face. and the need to reshape our economic and social relations to combat climate change. He does this with remarkable acuity and clarity in another work of nonfiction, “The Great Confusion.” In the book, he attempts to explain our failure to address the urgency of climate change. He asks very forcefully whether the current generation is insane because of its inability to grasp the scale, violence and urgency of climate change.
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Read more: https://theconversation.com/climate-change-has-deep-historical-roots-amitav-ghosh-explores-how-capitalism-and-colonialism-fit-in-237586
Amitav Ghosh does not give examples of perfect societies that have overcome the evils of capitalism, which is a shame because history is full of examples of countries that have abolished capitalism – the Killing Fields of Cambodia, the Gulags of the Soviet Union Concentration camps, the Great Famine in China are all hallmarks of countries that refuse rewards.
Perhaps these are good examples of green governance – population control in action. For enterprising Venezuelans scouring trash cans for food, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better example of the green ideal of reducing food waste.
Ghosh seems happy with a bit of personal capitalism, although who knows, maybe all the profits will be donated to a good cause. Ghosh's book is available through the University of Chicago Press, starting at $17.99. Or you could see Ghosh speaking at a series of public talks in South Africa next week.
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