Sustainable Consumption and Radical Ecological Democracy

Ashish Kothari, Kalpavriksh(translation: Doris, Wen)

可持续消费与激进生态民主

This presentation…

•The problem: overproduction & overconsumption•Roots of problem: ‘developmentality’, inequities •Towards solutions: Sustainable Consumption Line (SCL)•Framework for future: Radical Ecological Democracy

演讲内容包含：

• 问题 - 过度生产与过度消费• 问题根源 - Developmentality( 发展心态 )• 解决对策 - 可持续消费曲线（ SCL ）• 未来框架 - 激进生态民主

The problem • Ecological limits breached

– biodiversity loss, climate crisis – decline of productivity on land & water

• Continued human deprivation: – poverty, hunger, homelessness, ill-health,

joblessness (e.g. >70% Indians)

问题

• 生态极限已被突破——生物多样性丧失，气候危机——土壤及水源生产力下降• 持续的人类褫夺现象——贫困，饥饿，无家可归，疾病，失业

The problem …

• Increasing, shocking inequalities:– consumption levels, income, access

• Rich wantonly unsustainable, poor wanting same lifestyles

问题 …

• 渐增的，令人震惊的不均等现象——消费水平，收入，通路• 富者自愿 选择不可持续发展的方式，而贫者被迫或者渴望以这种方式生存发展

Roots of the problem

• Economic: ‘Developmentality’ based on economic growth fetish & consumerism

• Political: state or private corporation dominated, weak democracy

问题根源

• 经济角度 ——基于对经济增长率的迷信与消费者至

上主义的“ developmentality” （发展 心态）

• 政治角度——国营企业或私营企业占主导地位——弱势的民主政治

Roots of the problem

• Social: increasing individualisation, breakdown of the commons

• Cultural: alienation from nature, deep spiritual crisis

问题根源

• 社会角度——与日俱增的个性化——公共意识的瓦解• 文化角度——人类与自然关系的疏离——深层的精神危机

Consumption: towards solutions …

• Sustainable Consumption Line (SCL): individual and collective (community, village/city, country, humanity)

• Justification: one’s overconsumption = someone deprivation • Counterpart to minimum well-being standard (e.g. India’s

Below Poverty Line)

解决对策

• 可持续消费线（ SCL ）：针对个人针对集体（社区、乡村 / 城市、国家、人类）• 理由 : 某个人的过度消费 = 其他人的资源匮乏• 与最低健康标准相对应例如印度的绝对贫困线（ BPL ）

• Source: Kate Raworth, Oxfam

The doughnut of ‘safe & just space for humanity’“安全与合理的人类生存

空间”圆环图

Minimum socio-economic standards

最低社会经济标准

Sustainable Consumption Level

可持续消费水平

Setting the SCL

• Determining maximum individual and collective consumption of: – Energy– Water– Food– Space – Materials …

建立 SCL

• 确定个人以及群体的最大消费量：能源水资源食物空间材料……

Setting the SCL

• Complexities: – How much of what is sustainable? How to measure?

(Ecological footprint, other methods…)– How to factor in existing inequities? – How to accommodate special needs?

建立 SCL

• 复杂情况——何种资源的何种消费量是可持续的？——如何将现存的不均等作为因素计入？——如何适应特殊需求？

Implementing the SCL

• Regulatory measures, e.g. prohibitions on luxury consumption, punishing violations

• Heavy taxes on consumption beyond needs

But …

实施 SCL

• 出台监管措施例如：禁止奢侈消费 惩罚违规行为• 对超过需求量的消费高额税

• 但是……

Consumption deeply cultural …. (so) • Public awareness of impacts of overconsumption • Curbing ‘creators of demand’, esp. corporations &

corporate advertising• Culture of ‘enoughness’ & ‘voluntary simplicity’ (like

many cultures in past … aparigraha) … making it ‘cool’ to have sustainable lifestyles

消费观根植于文化之中——• 提升公众对于过度消费影响的认知• 抵制“ creators of consumption” （消费的创造

者），尤其是企业与企业广告• 宣扬诸如“ Enoughness” （满足）与“自愿朴素”

的文化观念会使可持续消费的方式成为一种风尚

Other steps…

• Upper limits to salaries • Empowering ‘source &

sink’ communities to say ‘no’ to extraction and dumping (e.g. Indian tribe vs. Vedanta mining)

其他方法：• 制定工资上限• 授权“ source & sink” （源汇）社区对开采资源和废弃物倾倒说“不”

Larger context• Sustainable consumption one part of solution … action needed on:

– Global patterns of production, ownership, control, use (e.g. food) … who controls, what production design …

– Global trade, long-distance consumption – Patterns of settlement and transportation: cities built for long-

distance travel by private car – Rich can eat expensive ‘organic’ food, poor have to eat cheap

junk

广义上——

• 可持续性消费是解决途径的一个方面，以下问题需解决：

——生产、占有、控制、使用的全球模式，例如食品与农业——全球贸易，长距离消费——定居与交通模式：为长途自驾旅行而建的城市——富有者可以食用昂贵的有机食品，而贫穷者只能吃便宜的垃圾

食品

Larger context (contd)

• Jevon’s paradox vs. technological optimism

• Inadequacy of market mechanisms (rich hiding behind the poor)

广义上——

• Jevon 悖论与科技乐观主义

• 市场机制的不足

Alternative initiatives for well-being … thousands in India

Water

CraftsShelter

Food

Energy

Governance

LivelihoodsConservation

Village revitalisation

Urban sustainability

Learning

Health

Producer companies

Similar movements in other countries

•Upsurge of people’s voices … to be part of decision-making •Promotion of peoples’ collectives and communities as third alternative to nation-state & private corporation •Ecology, social equity, justice at core of many movements

Alternative movements: Buen vivir, Degrowth, Solidarity economies, Localisation ….

Leading to alternative framework of well-being …

其他国家相似的运动

• 人民的声音高涨——渴望成为决策的参与者• 推行人民群体和社区使其成为民族国家与私营企业以外的第三条替代路径

• 生态、社会公平、正义是许多运动的核心

指向创造福祉的另一种架构——

Radical ecological democracy

(Radical = going to the roots, challenging the conventional) 激进指追本溯源、挑战传统。

achieving human well-being, through pathways that: – empower all citizens to participate in decision-making– ensure equitable distribution of wealth– respect the limits of the earth and the rights of nature

激进生态民主

• 通过以下途径达到人类福祉：——授权所有市民参与决策——保证财富分配的均衡——尊重地球的极限与自然的权利

Radical ecological democracy

Pillars: – A new politics– A new economics– A just society– Culture and knowledge

激进生态民主支柱- 新政策- 新经济- 社会公正- 新的知识文化与文化知识

激进生态民主

Radical Ecological Democracy: Pillar 1. A NEW POLITICS

Direct democracy: power emanating from grassroot rural and urban communities (Mendha-Lekha, India: “in Delhi is our elected government, in our village we are the government”) … swaraj (self-rule)

激进生态民主支柱一：新政策

直接民主 发动来自农村草根与城市社区的力量。（印度的

Mendha-Lekha说 : “在德里，掌权的是选举政府，在我们的村庄里，我们才是政府。”）

Pillar 1. A NEW POLITICS …

Embedded democracy, ensuring accountability of representatives / delegates at larger levels through right to recall, citizens’ charters, public hearings, social audits, right to participation

Ecoregional decision-making … political boundaries aligned with ecological and cultural ones … cutting across nation-state boundaries?

新政策 …

• 嵌入式民主 通过撤回权、公民宪章、公开听证、社会审计、参与权确保代表在更大程度上承担应尽责任

• 区域生态决策 政治分界线 与生态、文化分界线相协调

Radical Ecological Democracy:Pillar 2. A NEW ECONOMICS

Mindful of ecological limits and need for humanity to downsize its impact (‘global degrowth’)

Localisation: self-sufficiency/sovereignty in basic needs in local bioregion

Production & consumption locally controlled, linked into wider landscape relations, clear feedback loops, cradle to cradle designs

激进生态民主支柱二： 新经济

注意生态极限以及人类缩减其影响的需要（全球逆生长）

本土化：在本地生态区保证基本需要的自给自足 /独立

Pillar 2. A NEW ECONOMICS …

Facilitation of local currencies and non-monetised exchanges

Well-being indicators as alternatives to GDP: basic needs, happiness, social relations

新经济 …

本土控制生产与消费，与更广的地域相联系，明晰的反馈循环

引导本国货币流通与非货币化交换

Radical Ecological Democracy: Pillar 3. A JUST SOCIETY

Towards equity amongst:

classes; castes; women and men; ethnic groups; abled and ‘disabled’

Towards rights-based approaches, with responsibilities

激进生态民主支柱三：社会公正

平等——阶级平等——社会地位平等——男女平等——民族平等——健全人与残疾人平等基于权利的方法

Radical Ecological Democracy: Pillar 4. A NEW CULTURE OF KNOWLEDGE,

AND KNOWLEDGE OF CULTURE

Relinking with rest of nature: humans as part of nature, inherent rights of nature

Mix of best of tradition and modernity

激进生态民主支柱四：新的知识文化与文化知识

•重新连接与自然的关系：人类是自然的一部分，自然固有的权利

•融合传统与现代最好的部分

Pillar 4. A NEW CULTURE OF KNOWLEDGE, AND

KNOWLEDGE OF CULTURE

•Learning through doing and experience, not only textbooks … and from ‘barefoot’ teachers as much as from PhDs! •Democratising R&D and technological development •Opportunities for spiritual/ethical growth (not=religious fundamentalism)

新的知识文化与文化知识

•从实践与经验中学习而不仅限于书本知识，同等地向博士与赤脚老师学习

•使研究开发（ R&D ）与技术进步大众化• 精神与伦理的发展机会（并不等同于宗教性的 基要主义 ）

Values & principles….

• Diversity (of ideas, knowledge, ecologies, economies, polities, cultures…)

• Self-reliance for basics• Cooperation and ‘commons’ • Rights with responsibilities• Dignity of labour• Respect to subsistence • Qualitative pursuit of happiness• Equality and equity• Simplicity (lifestyles)• Respect for all life forms • Reciprocity and gift culture

• 多样性（观点、知识、生态、经济、文化等）

• 基础性的自力更生• 合作与“ commons”• 权力与责任• 尊重劳动• 尊重生存• 追求质的幸福• 朴素• 尊重所有的 生命• 互惠互利

价值标准与原则

Glocalisation …

•Global connections based on local self-governance and self-sufficiency

•Free exchange of cultures, ideas, knowledge, materials, and people…. Not of predatory finance and homogenous models!

•Regional and global peoples’ assemblies, reducing/balancing role of nation-state

地方特色的全球化

• 基于本地自治与自给自足的全球联系• 文化、观点、知识、材料的自由交换，但排除掠夺性金融与同质模型

• 以地区性与全球性的人民集会弱化或平衡民族国家的作用

• http://radicalecologicaldemocracy.wordpress.com

• www.alternativesindia.org

For more information….

Email: chikikothari@gmail.com

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