The Radical Imperative

Abstract

The global ecological crisis, rapidly approaching a point of no return, threatens planetary survival at a time when countervailing forces have so far been unable to resist, much less overturn, the powerfully destructive forces at work. The crisis intersects with, and reinforces, virtually every challenge human beings face, from chaotic weather patterns to the depletion of natural resources, the spread of poverty worldwide, the erosion of public infrastructure, impending agricultural disasters, and the likelihood of widening military conflict. The underlying cause is globalized corporate power, now hell-bent on commodifying and dominating every community, workplace, cultural space, and natural habitat on the planet. Fragile ecosystems face increasing threats while the ruling interests and their propagandists justify the perpetual growth machine as vital to social progress and material prosperity. Although warfare between and within nations has long appeared as a normal state of global affairs, perhaps the most devastating war is the one being waged by humans against nature. Opposition to the looming global catastrophe can make little headway until it breaks the tightening hold of a power structure that valorizes nothing so much as the limitless pursuit of wealth, resources, and hegemony on a world scale—and the time is growing short.