For those new to solarpunk, I recommend watching this insightful video on the subject.
While I find the background video clips distracting, the content offers valuable perspectives.
The video begins by contrasting certain concepts with solarpunk ideals.
Iโve included the video for you to watch, and have provided a summary of its key points below.
Concepts that Conflict With Solarpunk
The video outlined some concepts that conflict with solarpunk and why. I have transcribed these here for your reference.
Capitalism
Capitalism conflicts with solarpunk because it incentivizes individuals to extract more than they contribute, at the expense of other people and the planet. Additionally, profit motives lead to overproduction and planned obsolescence, which wastes resources.
While transitions toward sustainability can occur within the present capitalist economy,
it's largely considered incompatible in the long term with a society in which resources are consumed and replenished responsibly.
This is because capitalism is a zero-sum system. Corporations and businesses underpaying workers, including outsourcing, is how shareholders and management can rake in such huge bonuses.
Ecofascism
Ecofascism blames climate change on overpopulation and asserts that population control is a best path to prevent further climate change.
Ecofascism goes together with eugenics, which in turn is based in racism, ableism, and classism.
If you believe that reducing the population is necessary, a group of people must be selected to have their population reduced, which is eugenics.
There is no place for ecofascism in solarpunk because there's no place for racism, ableism, or classism in solarpunk.
Greenwashing.
Greenwashing is a marketing strategy companies use to make customers think their product is more environmentally
friendly than it is. This marketing tactic profits on people's desire to
protect the environment without the company putting in the money and effort
to make meaningful improvements. When you see something being marketed as green,
make sure to investigate the details and think about what is not being said.
Anarcho-primitivism.
Anarcho-primitivism is a movement towards
anarchist, pre-industrial, and often pre-agricultural ways of living.
Anarcho-primitivism asserts that social injustice was initiated or exacerbated by
agriculture and later by industrialization. Anarcho-primitivism is
the least controversial of these conflicting concepts, but often drives
debates between those who embrace technology as a tool for solving social
and environmental problems and those who embrace traditional or existing tools.
Because of the variety in style and technological development found within
solarpunk, anarcho-primitivism represents an extreme end of a spectrum in
which the dividing line is a frequent subject of friendly debate. Common
critiques of the anarcho-primitivism center around misanthropy against
humanity, romanticization of indigenous culture, and ableism.
Additionally, solarpunk is conceived as being high tech where sensible, while anarcho-primitivism demands low tech or no tech. There may be some aesthetic overlap
between the two depending on your favorite flavor of solarpunk.
Solarpunk is not primitivist.
