WHEN IN MANCHESTER
Sustainability, Class, and Hegemony: A Critical Book Review of Environmentalism of the Rich by Peter Dauvergne
After almost half a century since the wake of environmentalism, the Anthropocene today bears witness to a rapidly expanding economy and, consequently, depleting environmental conditions. In such a view, Dauvergne’s book, titled Environmentalism of the Rich, questions the shift in the power relations of environmentalism and the significance of environmentalism in its diverse manifestations towards attaining global (un)sustainability. The epitome of Dauvergne’s contribution towards environmentalism in this book accounts for three focal arguments in uncovering how and why environmentalism of the rich has become an embodiment of ‘big D-development’.
First, Dauvergne unearths a Western historical materialist account of the colonial underpinnings of the global economy and, subsequently, environmental extractivism present today. Through such a lens, Dauvergne presents the environmental injustice of the global economy due to the rising dominance of large multinational companies in environmentalism movements in recent years, referred to as environmentalism of the rich. In turn, he argues for the increasingly capitalistic orientation of environmentalism as the rise of eco-business that further justifies irresponsible production and overconsumption.
Second, Dauvergne stresses the globality of environmentalism, noting that while environmentalism of the rich has contributed to a proliferation of contextual successes, it has yet to address the politics of capital accumulation significant in both driving and inhibiting global sustainability.
Third, Dauvergne notes that the very nuance encircling environmentalism in its entirety has endowed the various manifestations of grassroot and collective environmental movements. However, much of the progress has either been repressed, lack the strategic political coordination necessary for structural change, or have sought means that are detrimental towards addressing environmental issues altogether.
That said, this critical review focuses on the first two of Dauvergne’s arguments mentioned above, both of which will significantly underwrite to the quintessence of Dauvergne’s contribution towards environmentalism literature.
First, this critical review applauds Dauvergne’s use of a historical materialist approach to understand the environmentalism of the rich. Dauvergne explicitly illustrates a comprehensive narrative on the underlying politics and severity of global economy on environmental exhaustion. Moreover, his narrative also implies that a historical materialist approach to environmentalism can be used to understand a broad spectrum of the extractive economy, ranging from 19th century colonised Hebrides to the production of Barbie dolls in post-independent Indonesia, thereby broadening the scope of knowledge.
However, at times the perspective accounts for a broad environmentalism scope as Dauvergne alternately refers to various environmentalism ideals to be addressed by environmentalism of the rich. For instance, these include reducing ecological footprint (p.54), addressing wasteful consumption (p.133), challenging the ecological imperialism of unsustainability (p.137), and reducing extreme inequalities (p.150). Nevertheless, while these ideals entail different dimensions and means of environmentalism, the interchangeability of the use of these ideals reinforces Dauvergne’s acknowledgement of the blurring streams of environmentalism and thereby the indistinct expectations that environmentalism of the rich should fulfil.
Second, Dauvergne makes clear in his last chapter that current environmentalism efforts in all its diversity, including eco-certification, environmental prizes, and grassroot advocacy have proven to be insignificant means to overcome the politics of capitalist growth and environmental destruction. Sequentially, he suggests in the alteration of the irresponsible lifestyle underpinning reckless consumption as a global means to enhance global sustainability as he puts consumers at centre stage. Albeit such suggestion serves of fundamental essence towards environmentalism, this suggestion invites for further questioning on why environmentalism should rely solely on lifestyle and consumption changes.
It is also evident of Dauvergne’s silence in addressing ways to enhance current progress of small, proliferated successes in the environmentalism of the rich coupled with symbiotic relations with transnational policies at hand, environmentalism of the poor, and involvement of non-state actors. At times the book mentions the role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as prominent actors in current state-business partnerships in environmentalism, with emphasis on the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Adversely, Dauvergne’s book is in debt to further elaboration of how other non-state actors, including civil society organisations, can act as political agencies mediating transnational environmental programs and local successes.
Looking from a broader perspective, the two discussions of Dauvergne’s main arguments highlight how his narratives challenge the elite’s increasing hegemony in pursuing environmentalism. While sources such as Forbes 100 remains a questionable academic source for representing growing elite influence on environmentalism, Dauvergne nonetheless reinforces the growing inequalities and environmental injustices that need to be addressed by states, NGOs, companies, and, most importantly, consumers.
Such interpretation implies that Dauvergne’s contribution is essential in expanding not only the knowledge of environmentalism but additionally, Gramsci’s theory on hegemony that stems from an environmental context. More specifically, through this book, Dauvergne successfully introduces the various actors, sectors, and circumstances previously overlooked or depoliticised within the environmental hegemony and environmentalism all together. However, to further upon Dauvergne’s arguments, this critical review stresses the need for a coherent and realistic goal of environmentalism of the rich necessary for structural transformation and eventual manifestation of “little d-development”. Also, this critical review suggests that achieving such imperative also necessitates a more encompassing solution on the proliferation and politicisation of nonstate actors linking of both environmentalism of the rich and environmentalism of the poor.
To conclude, this critical review has discerned the implications of Dauvergne’s conception of environmentalism of the rich and the book’s overall contribution towards broader knowledge bases in environmentalism and Gramscian hegemony. Despite the book’s complex context, Dauvergne has put forth a light read for all reader levels that explore the complexity of continuous underperforming outcomes of environmentalism.
Essentially, Dauvergne’s utmost contribution is how the book manages to put the readers, as everyday consumers, on the hot seat of environmentalism. Since the beginning, the book has easily persuaded the readers to think more profoundly in terms of why countries have become so dependent on the extractive global economy and why current environmental efforts have yet to address the core issues of environmental injustice. Thus, it is imperative to note that Dauvernge’s book serves as a convincing invitation for readers to think carefully and question the further environmental, economic, and political repercussions of their day to day consumption.
As part of the series ‘When in Manchester’, this piece was originally an assignment the author completed for the course Critical Environmental Politics at the University of Manchester (2019).
