Capitalism As If the World Matters

In this summary you will learn

• Why capitalism is not only compatible with ecological sustainability but might even be the best hope for the biosphere
• How capitalism has to change to heal poverty and environmental degradation, and to support sustainable development

getAbstract rating

Why you should read Capitalism As If the World Matters

Activist Jonathon Porritt offers the startling proposal that capitalism may provide the best solution to poverty and global environmental degradation, though his solution requires reshaping capitalism. Porritt is aware that conventional environmental activists, greens and political academics favor socialism more than capitalism. However, he takes them to task for ignoring the power and potential of such capitalist mechanisms as markets and property rights and for their naïveté in expecting voters or political leaders to embrace their dismal vision of environmental responsibility as asceticism. getAbstract finds his book more suggestive than programmatic. It meanders like a river and is sometimes directionless. The author makes his passions apparent, including anti-Americanism and scathing criticism of certain forms of Christianity. Though Porritt does not offer a detailed description of his vision or the practical steps needed to realize it, he does suggest a path toward a utopian ideal; for that hope, he deserves appropriate attention.

About the Author

Jonathon Porritt, CBE, is co-founder and Programme Director of Forum for the Future, the United Kingdom's leading sustainable development charity.