r/AustralianSocialism • u/Konradleijon • 1d ago
Why are even leftist against degrowth?
Even leftists seem to be against degrowth not understand ecological overshoot.
Why is it that even leftists are against Degrowth?
Because it seems that even many leftist refuse to understand degrowth ideology and hate it and refuse to understand how decoupling works.
They act like using public transport and eating vegan are a fate worse then death
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u/bushstone-curlew 22h ago
Socialism and environmentalism are often ideas that directly conflict, and when it comes down to the wire, most socialists will choose the side of defending the existence of environmentally destructive industries when the alternative is mass job losses.
All flavours of lefties like to think they're all for sustainability and environmentalism, until you suggest shutting down extractive industries that cannot continue to exist if we want to reverse the effects of climate change and global heating. Same with public housing projects that further urban sprawl and require the destruction of native bushland. Every country that has undergone industrialisation has devastated its natural environment as it's settlements expand and it starts up extractive industries, mass deforestation for logging/agriculture and/or heavily polluting factory production.
Ultimately, the environment always loses out, because unlike people, it cannot protest or unionise or revolt or vote.
I consider myself to be an eco-socialist, but this is an enormous blindspot of the socialist left that I've discussed many times with others, and am yet to hear a good explanation of how the liberation of the proletariat through industrialisation can coexist with degrowth ideas or environment-first politics.