Political Ideologies and the Anthropocene Crisis

Through a critical discussion of political ideologies, Political Ideologies and the Anthropocene Crisis seeks to extricate the values of contending traditions – freedom, equality, justice, community, tradition, welfare, family, happiness, sustainability, peace, regeneration of nature etc. – from assumptions of inevitable progress. The Anthropocene epoch is responsible for an impending crisis encompassing global warming, mass species extinctions, environmental degradation and, as a likely consequence, declining quality of life, social disruption and even societal collapse. Significantly responsible for liberal democracies' failure to act decisively in the face of these existential threats are the political ideologies that have dominated Western modernity: liberalism/neoliberalism, Marxism, socialism/social democracy and, paradoxically, even conservatism. These ideologies must be freed from their faith in guaranteed progress and limitless economic expansion. At the same time, whilst green ideology clearly addresses the ecological crisis, its broad agenda risks alienating adherents of rival ideologies. Contention between the diverse values associated with these ideologies is indispensable to any liberal democratic response to the crisis, provided it is grounded in a shared, scientifically informed commitment to the preservation and restoration of nature. Political Ideologies and the Anthropocene Crisis will be of great interest to students and scholars of political science and environmental studies, as well as activists, policymakers and professionals interested in the Anthropocene/environmental crisis and its ideological context.

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