Red and Green
The New Politics of the Environment
Weston, Joe (ed.)
Publisher: Pluto Press
Year Published: 1986
Pages: 181pp ISBN: 0-7453-01479
Library of Congress Number: HC79.E5 Dewey: 320
Resource Type: Book
Cx Number: CX11520
In order for green politics to work, we need to develop a total policy for the environment, a social policy which views capitalist industry as the destroyer of the world we live in.
Abstract:
Edited by Joe Weston, Red and Green: The New Politics of the Environment is a collection of articles written by authors from various disciplines commenting on the political atmosphere of environmentalism in 1980s Great Britain. Aside from discussing the role of environmentalism in politics, Red and Green makes a larger claim, "in order for Green politics to work, we need to develop a total policy for the environment, a social policy which views capitalist industry as the destroyer of the world we live in."
Split into two sections, the first part of the book redefines environmentalism and its political relationships. The second section attempts to build 'social environmentalism', looking toward the labour movement and unions to build and spread positive environmental solutions for industries and daily life. Furthermore, "This book is an attempt to move beyond the destructive "I'm more green than you debate of modern environmentalism. It is an attempt to begin the development of a concern for the environment which is much more than a narrow, though important, concern for 'nature'."
Using socialist principles to redefine environmentalism, Red and Green attempts to create a politics which is much more relevant to the environmental movement than the green party platform. Weston points out "the environment is not just 'nature' or ecology, but the social, political and economic environment which envelops us all, whether we live in shanty towns, inner cities or desert villages." The authors call for social action and radical change to address and tackle environmental issues that threaten the wellbeing of the planet, nature and mankind. Red and Green provides an excellent source merging the ideas of environmentalism and social action.
[Abstract by William Stevenson]
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