Ecological and Social Planning and Transition

Details: Published on Tuesday, 28 April 2020 23:50; Written by editor

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A Socialist Project e-bulletin ... No. 2076 ... April 29, 2020
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Ecological and Social Planning and Transition

Michael Löwy

The need for economic planning in any serious and radical process of socio-ecological transition is winning greater acceptance, in contrast to the traditional positions of the Green parties, favorable to an ecological variant of "market economy," that is, "green capitalism."

In her latest book, Naomi Klein observes that any serious reaction to the climate threat "involves recovering an art that has been relentlessly vilified during these decades of market fundamentalism: planning." This includes, in her view, industrial planning, land use planning, agricultural planning, employment planning for workers whose occupations are made obsolescent by the transition, etc. "This means bringing back the idea of planning our economies based on collective priorities rather than profitability..."

The socio-ecological transition -- toward an ecosocialist alternative -- implies public control of the principal means of production and democratic planning. Decisions concerning investment and technological change must be taken away from the banks and capitalist businesses, if we want them to serve the common good of society and respect for the... environment.