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Grabbing “Green”: Markets, Environmental Governance and the Materialization of Natural Capital

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Grabbing “Green”: Markets, Environmental Governance and the Materialization of Natural Capital GRABBING “GREEN”: MARKETS, ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE AND THE MATERIALIZATION OF NATURAL CAPITAL Guest Editors:1 Catherine Corson Environmental Studies, Mount Holyoke College Kenneth Iain MacDonald Department of Geography and Program in Planning, University of Toronto Benjamin Neimark Department of Political Science and Geography, Old Dominion University Abstract ‘‘green credentials’‘ are used to justify expropriation of land and resources—in specific locales. While case Over the past two decades, the incorporation of studies have begun to reveal the social and ecological market logics into environment and conservation marginalization associated with green grabs and the policy has led to a reconceptualization of “nature.” implementation of market mechanisms in particular Resulting constructs like ecosystem services and bio- sites, less attention has been paid to the systemic di- diversity derivatives, as well as finance mechanisms mensions and “logics” mobilizing these projects. Yet, like Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and the emergence of these constructs reflects a larger Forest Degradation, species banking, and carbon transformation in international environmental gover- trading, offer new avenues for accumulation and set nance—one in which the discourse of global ecology the context for new enclosures. As these practices has accommodated an ontology of natural capital, have become more apparent, geographers have been culminating in the production of what is taking shape at the forefront of interdisciplinary research that has as “The Green Economy.” The Green Economy is not highlighted the effects of “green grabs”—in which a natural or coincidental development, but is contin- gent upon, and coordinated by, actors drawn together 1 All of the authors contributed substantially to the around familiar and emergent institutions of envi- conceptualization, writing and organization of the manuscript and organization of the issue so we chose to list the authors ronmental governance. Indeed, the terrain for green alphabetically. grabbing is increasingly cultivated through relation- 1 GRABBING “GREEN” INTRODUCTION ships among international environmental policy insti- ‘credenciales verdes’ se utilizan para justificar la ex- tutions, organizations, activists, academics, and trans- propiación de tierras y recursos en lugares específicos. national capitalist and managerial classes. Mientras que los estudios de caso comienzan a mostrar la marginalización ecológica y social asociada con el This special issue of Human Geography brings saqueo verde y la implementación de los mecanismos together papers that draw on a range of theoretical del mercado en lugares particulares, el análisis acerca perspectives to investigate the systemic dimensions de las dimensiones sistémicas y la ‘lógica’ de estos and logics mobilizing green grabs and the creation proyectos ha recibido menos atención. El surgimiento of new market mechanisms. In inverting the title – de estas categorías refleja una transformación en la “grabbing green” instead of the more conventional gobernanza ambiental, en la que el discurso ecológico green grabs – we explore how “the environment” global ha acomodado la ontología del capital natural, is being used instrumentally by various actors to culminando en lo que se conoce como la ‘economía extend the potential for capital accumulation under verde’. Esta última no es consecuencia de una coin- the auspices of “being green.” Using a diversity of cidencia o de un desarrollo natural, sino que es un empirical material that spans local to global scales, fenómeno contingente y coordinado por actores en- the papers reveal the formation of the social relations trelazados por instituciones emergentes dedicadas a la and metrics that markets require to function. They gobernanza ambiental. De igual manera, la prepara- identify the “frictions” that inhibit the production of ción del contexto para el saqueo verde se cultiva cada these social relations, and they link particular cases to vez más mediante relaciones entre las instituciones the scalar configurations of power that mobilize and político-ambientales internacionales, organizaciones, give them shape. activistas, académicos y capitalistas transnacionales. Keywords: Green Grabs, Green Economy, Inter- Esta edición especial de Human Geography reúne national Environmental Governance, Enclosure, Neo- artículos que desde un amplio conjunto de perspec- liberal conservation tivas teóricas investigan las dimensiones sistémicas y la lógica que moviliza al saqueo verde y la creación El saqueo verde: Mercados, gobernanza de nuevos mecanismos de Mercado. Aquí exploramos ambiental y la materialización del capital natural cómo ‘el medio ambiente’ es utilizado instrumental- mente por varios actores para extender el potencial Resumen para la acumulación del capital bajo el auspicio del concepto ‘verde’. Utilizando una variedad de material En las últimas dos décadas, la incorporación empírico que incluye la escala global, los artículos de la lógica del mercado en las políticas de medio seleccionados demuestran la formación de relacio- ambiente y conservación ha llevado a la re-conceptu- nes sociales e indicadores que los mercados requieren alización de la ‘naturaleza’. Las categorías resultantes para funcionar. Asimismo, identifican “fricciones” que de este proceso, tales como los servicios ambientales inhiben la producción de dichas relaciones sociales, y y los créditos de biodiversidad, junto con mecanis- conectan casos particulares con las configuraciones de mos financieros como la reducción de emisiones por poder a las múltiples escalas que las movilizan y les deforestación y degradación forestal, los bancos de dan forma. especies y los mercados de carbono, ofrecen nuevos caminos para la acumulación y establecen el contexto Palabras clave: Acaparacion verde, Economia para nuevos cercamientos sobre los bienes comunes. verde, Gobernancia Ambiental Internacional, Cerca- Mientras estas prácticas se intensifican, la geografía ha mientos, Conservacion segun el modelo Neoliberal. estado al frente de la investigación interdisciplinaria resaltando los efectos del ‘saqueo verde’, en los que 2 Human Geography Catherine Corson, Kenneth Iain MacDonald, Benjamin Neimark Green grabs are the dark side of the green mobilize and give them shape. In inverting the title— economy… .If market-based mechanisms are “grabbing green” instead of the more conventional to contribute to sustainable development and “green grabs” —we invoke both localized instances of the building of economies that are not only land/resource grabbing and the ways in which various green but also fair, then fostering an agenda actors are using “the environment” instrumentally to focused on distribution, equity and justice in extend the potential for accumulation. green market arrangements is vital. The substance of these papers reflects the degree to -- Melissa Leach, Director, Social, Tech- which economic and ecological epistemologies have nological and Environmental Pathways aligned within institutions of environmental gover- to Sustainability Center, Press Release nance to produce what is increasingly being called June 15, 2012 (emphasis added) “The Green Economy.” While the phrase has been in circulation for decades (Jacobs 1991), “The Green Introduction Economy” has risen to institutional prominence over the last four years and is positioned to supersede sus- If we are to foster an agenda focused on distri- tainable development as the hegemonic discourse in bution, equity and justice in green market arrange- global environmental governance (Brand 2012). With ments, there is a need to closely attend to how green promises of “green growth,” grounded in environ- grabs—the dark side of the green economy—became mental technologies, and alternative fuel economies, so prevalent. What logics have been deployed in green it recasts the environment as the driver for the global grabs? How did they achieve dominance within the in- economic recovery and introduces new opportunities stitutional contexts ostensibly meant to protect nature for capital accumulation under the auspices of “being from the rapacious effects of accumulation? And with green.” Its rapid ascent and claim to what Fairhead et what effect for emergent practices of environmen- al. (2012: 242) call, “the economy of repair” reflects a tal governance and management? Addressing these larger transformation in which the discourse of global questions requires not only analyses of grounded cases ecology has accommodated an ontology of natural where market-based mechanisms of environmental capital, recasting environmental problems as the management and conservation have been implement- result of market failures rather than specific outcomes ed—with the consequences that Leach highlights. It of market-based ideologies, practices and relations also requires close attention to the institutional and (McAfee 1999). organizational realms and the systemic dimensions through which the “logics” behind such mechanisms Defining market failure as the source of environ- secure their legitimacy and capacity to operate. mental degradation allows “solutions” to be cast in terms of “improving” market “efficiencies” through This special issue of Human Geography brings new modes of data collection and dissemination, together articles that draw on a range of theoretical valuation practices that claim to integrate externali- perspectives to investigate the systemic dimensions, ties in monetary terms, and mechanisms
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