Sustainable development and ecological modernization: A radical homocentric perspective

The commonly discussed forms of ‘strong’ sustainable development are rooted in either ecocentric or anthropocentric perspectives. Both eco-socialism and social ecology constitute anthropocentric (or ‘homocentric’) strong sustainability: being essentially humanistic but also embracing stewardship of nature, environmentally benign but centred on social justice. The bases of this development model are reviewed. Its desirability is argued from the perspective of a socialist critique of the alternative anthropocentrically-grounded version of ‘sustainability’ that is widely supported today, known as ‘ecological modernization’. It is argued that ecological modernization is at best only weakly sustainable. Indeed, contemporary Marxist readings of capitalism's inherent contradictions suggest that this development model is not sustainable at all in the long run. Global modernization, whether purportedly ‘ecological’ or not, is likely to foster continued attempts at displacement and externalization of both environmental and social costs. Current corporate reactions against both environmentalism and social democracy are therefore unsurprising. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.