Charles Derber’s Critique of Capitalist Ecology and its Contemporary Enlightenment

【Abstract】As a professor of sociology at Boston College， Charles Derber criticized the anti-ecological nature of contemporary capitalism from the perspective of the production mode of asset doctrine and the nature of the capitalist system.It provides a path choice for the world to get out of the dilemma of ecological crisis.Combined with Derber’s capitalist ecological criticism thought， it has important enlightenment significance to the construction of socialist ecological civilization in the new era of our country.

【Key words】Charles Derber; Capitalist; Ecological Criticism; Contemporary Enlightenment

I. Introduction

Charles Derber is professor of Sociology at Boston College. He is now committed to helping unify the labor， peace， and environmental movements as an unstoppable force for social justice. Derber’s critique of capitalist ecology is mainly concentrated in his book greed to green. In his introduction to the book， Derber clearly pointed out that “Capitalism’s Time Bomb and the Fierce Urgency of Now”， and he argued that capitalism is the most important social roots of the ecological crisis today. Therefore， the analysis of Derber’s ecological thought not only provides a realistic path to the improvement of capitalist regime and the solution to global environmental problems， but also has great significance to the construction of socialist ecological civilization in the new era of China.

II. Capitalism is the Institutional Gene of Ecological Crisis

Derber deeply revealed the capitalist regime and the ecological crisis， Transcend-

ing the ecological crisis as the “time bomb” of capitalism. Derber believes that overcoming the dilemma of ecological crisis is the delay of “Time Bomb”. On the contrary， if the ecological crisis is not taken seriously， the pointer of “Time Bomb” will get faster and faster and shorter than the setting time. With the current situation， “The climate time bomb is moving potentially out of our control because we are living in a socioeconomic system that relentlessly shrinks our time horizons and paralyzes our will to act on future common needs.”

The mode of production of capitalism is the main roots of ecological crisis. The accumulation of capitalism， Karl Marx notes， contains a trend of polarization: one is the accumulation of surplus value in the hands of capitalists and the other is the accumulation of the proletariat which creates these wealth. But， in addition to emphasizing the destructive nature of capitalism， Derber also stressed that capital accumulation in capitalism is also heavily combined with climate change. “Capitalists exploit the environment， while exploiting the workers. To be treated like workers. capitalists see nature as a resource for conquering and squeezing profits.We have seen that all space， including land and wasteland， can be exploited. There is not even time to imagine the long-term consequences of destroying the environment. “Slavoj ?i?ek agrees it. In capitalist society， not only workers are subjected to the structural violence of capital， but also the nature on which human life depends is controlled by the logic of capital.

Capitalism is the institutional gene of ecological crisis.In Derber’s view， the root cause of climate change is not limited to the particularity of capitalist mode of production， but rather the whole capitalist system， including politics， culture and society， which together consumes natural capital in order to grab short-term personal benefits. “ In looking at capitalism， we are not focused on economic issues alone. capitalism has economic， political and cultural(including social-psychological) subsystem. All are crucial in giving rise to climate change， and all require change. Together， they create a society that is materialistic， profit driven， consumerist， competitive， short-term focused， and inclined toward excess. All are toxic for the environment and are at the heart of the the climate change crisis.”

III. Choosing the Path to get out of the Dilemma of the Ecological Crisis

The capitalist system must be systematically improved.The capitalist system is the main source of economic poverty and environmental deterioration. If we want to solve the global warming problem and break the barrier of ecological environment problem， we must carry on a revolution on capital market， politics and culture. In other words， “ The solutions to global warming cannot happen without rapid systemic change in our capitalist order.”

Call for the global environmental movement. Climate change has gradually become a global disaster. In this case， capitalist countries can not solve the crisis of climate change alone， can only be achieved through a large-scale global grassroots movement. In Derber’s view， these progressive movements can use many of the same visions and strategies to stop climate change that they have used with some success on other issues.

Establishment of a global green regime.With global warming， the problem of war cannot be solved locally but globally， and new mandatory security treaties and a shift from national sovereignty to United Nations and international governance must be called for. All this will depend on a drastically reform of the global environmental protection system. For example， limiting and taxing greenhouse gases globally， Carbon emissions from each country and major energy producers are then rapidly enforced and curtailed globally， as well as shifting to clean energy globally as quickly as possible.

IV. Contemporary Enlightenment

To deal with the harmonious relationship between economic development and ecological environment protection. In Derber’s theory of ecological criticism of capitalism， Capitalist mode of production is the main cause of climate change.Therefore， only by properly dealing with the relationship between economic development and environmental protection， can we develop productive forces more effectively， liberate productive forces， and realize the Synchronous development of economic efficiency and ecological protection.

Adhere to the basic socialist system and promote the structural reform of ecological civilization. In the view of Derber， ecological crisis is the institutional gene of capitalism. If we want to solve ecological problems， it is necessary to reform the capitalist system. Essentially， the Socialist system has adhered consistently to the people-centered development thinking， Released the Capitalist system of capital-centered confinement， which is the necessary way to harmonious coexistence between man and nature. This enlightens us that we must unswervingly adhere to the basic socialist system and take effective measures to vigorously promote the structural reform of the construction of ecological civilization.

References:

[1]Charles Derber.Greed to green[M].New York:Routlesge.2016.

[2]Charles Derber.Marx’s Ghost:Midnight Conversation on Changing the World[M].New York:Paradigm Publishers.2012.

[3]汪行福.當(dāng)代資本主義批判[J].國外理論動態(tài)，2014(1).