Ecological Imperialism

Today, efforts in the Global North toward green transformation to address the climate crisis and meet sustainability goals have introduced a new form of imperialism. The term “ecological imperialism” is used to describe how the green transformation in the Global North is largely made possible through the exploitation of natural resources in the Global South.

This concept highlights the tendency of wealthy countries to disregard environmental and social justice demands while pursuing their own economic interests. In this article, I will examine how a goal that appears to be 'good for everyone,' such as fighting the climate crisis, becomes part of an exploitation mechanism when formulated within the framework of existing power relations.

Ecological exploitation

To understand how green transformation efforts ironically destroy nature, it is necessary to address the concept of ecological exploitation. Ecological exploitation forms the core of the concept of ecological imperialism. It is used to describe the overuse of natural resources and ecosystems in specific regions and the unequal distribution of the resulting economic, social, and environmental costs.

While wealthy countries achieve a higher consumption level due to an imperial mode of living, the negative impacts of this consumption (such as environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, and the displacement of local communities) are often imposed on poorer countries. Ecological exploitation is a result of unsustainable patterns of production and consumption (in short, capitalism), and this process jeopardizes people’s living conditions.

The imperial mode of living

The book Imperial Mode of Living: Everyday Life and the Ecological Crisis of Capitalism by Ulrich Brand and Markus Wissen, published recently and soon to be available in Turkish, can serve as a good starting point for discussing ecological imperialism. Brand and Wissen’s concept of the "imperial mode of living" points to wealthy countries’ tendencies to consume natural resources intensively while externalizing environmental costs.

According to the authors, this mode of living is built on a production model that relies on unlimited access to natural resources and labor, a condition often realized through the exploitation of the Global South’s natural resources. Furthermore, the imperial mode of living shaped by capitalist production structures and consumption patterns is not exclusive to the Global North; it is also viewed as an “ideal lifestyle” by the upper and middle classes in the Global South.

Brand and Wissen’s approach is significant because it connects production processes, consumption habits, and lifestyles. The essence of this approach lies in the fact that the conditions necessary to sustain a particular lifestyle are dependent on the exploitation of resources from other countries. A concrete example is how the Global North sources minerals and raw materials needed for green energy solutions mainly from Global South countries, which has led to increasingly destructive or extractive mining practices in the Global South.

Extractive mining

The decarbonization goals embraced by many countries involve moving away from fossil-fuel-derived energy and adopting new energy sources. However, producing and widely using these “green” energy forms, as well as establishing industries supported by these new energy types, accelerate extractive mining practices.

For instance, rare earth elements are critical to producing renewable energy technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries. Similarly, nickel and cobalt are essential components of electric vehicle batteries, while lithium is crucial for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

These rare earth elements and other valuable minerals are often extracted through predatory mining practices, which involve low-wage labor for local people and, at times, illegal mining operations, resulting in human rights abuses and environmental destruction. Countries like Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Congo, and Indonesia often come to mind with such mining practices. However, one does not need to look far; a glance at Bahadır Özgür’s article from the other day or Vedat Örüç’s article from a few months ago can reveal the impacts of ecological imperialism in Turkey.

Eco-imperial tensions

Ecological imperialism is significant not only because it connects the imperial mode of living in the Global North with ecological exploitation practices in the Global South but also because it highlights “eco-imperial tensions.” Ulrich Brand and Markus Wissen discuss these eco-imperial tensions in detail in their paper published this year. According to the authors, this term is useful for showing how efforts to fight climate change and redistribute resources lead to new conflicts in international relations.

For example, when considering the increasing competition between the U.S., Europe, and China in electric car production, we can see that achieving decarbonization goals is not just a part of climate policy but also another facet of competition and tension among great powers. As competition between these countries intensifies, it is not hard to foresee that more aggressive policies will be pursued to access the resources needed for “green” technologies.

Market-based deadlocks

What I have discussed so far shows how a seemingly universal goal like fighting the climate crisis, which seems 'good for everyone', becomes part of an exploitation mechanism when formulated within the framework of existing power relations (and market-based solutions). However, the conclusion to be drawn from this observation is not that the goal of fighting the climate crisis is meaningless. The problem lies in how this goal is formulated “within the framework of existing power relations.” I will continue to discuss this topic in future articles.