183468 Weston2012.Pdf

Faculty of Humanities Curtin University Sustainability Policy Institute The Political Economy of Global Warming Delys E Weston This thesis is presented for the Degree of …Doctor of Philosophy… of Curtin University February 2012 DECLARATION To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgment has been made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. Signature: …………………………………………. DELYS WESTON Date: ………………………... ii Abstract The science is unequivocal: the Earth’s biosphere is approaching global warming tipping points which, if passed, will become irreversible, taking the planet on a trajectory to a new geological era, unsuitable for human life. The scale and timing of irreversible tipping points being passed is not definitively known. Unless however, an urgent and radical change in the direction of human activities occurs, certainly within less than a decade, wide scale catastrophe is certain. How can we stop this? There has been an absence of critically informed debate about whether the current solutions proposed by international institutions (market, technical or biofuels) will work. The thesis begins by critically examining these, arguing that the dominant political economy framework in which they are embedded, precludes real and effective alternatives. Through the prism of the South African coal and electricity sectors, the thesis is able to demonstrate some key issues relevant to global warming, such as class, power, accumulation and the metabolic rift. South Africa was chosen as it represents a microcosm of the global capitalist economy. It also reveals the contradictions of being on the front line, both in facing the consequences of global warming and in exacerbating its causes. The coal and electricity sectors provide a snapshot of conflicting class interests, of the power and pervasiveness of the capitalist system and the relevance of these to global warming. In light of the South African analysis, the thesis argues for the importance of explicit and critical theory as a framework for understanding the world and providing a basis for social change. Critical theory is the dominant framework for political economy. It enables an ecological critique of capitalism, drawing on the historical materialism of Marxism, arguing that the imperatives of capitalism’s unrestrained exploitation of the ecology and society are based in the particular social relations of production. These in turn give rise to the iii metabolic rift, global warming and a myriad of other symptoms of the crises of capitalism. It is argued that the problems of global warming cannot be solved through capitalism. This means different economic structures will need to be established. The thesis concludes by setting out the principles upon which to build future societies. These are based within the constraints of first, humans’ physical needs for survival; second, the biosphere’s capabilities; and third, the harmonious and restorative relations between humans and nature. While the purpose is not to provide a comprehensive blueprint for the future, the thesis also provides examples of where some of these principles are found currently and of where transformative changes have taken place. iv Acknowledgements Writing this thesis has been a wonderful journey for me, both intellectually and emotionally. First to have had the opportunity to do a PhD is something I have felt was a great privilege and something I have really savoured. On the journey, I have received considerable support from a very wide range of people. In particular I would like to acknowledge my supervisors, Scott Fitzgerald and Dora Marinova who have provided very sound advice and detailed feedback. I think the first piece of advice I would give to anyone about to undertake a PhD is ‘choose your supervisors well’. I did and have been most fortunate with both. I would like to say a very special thank you to Geoff Harcourt who gave me some very valuable and detailed feedback and references which helped with the development of the theory chapters. The intellectual journey has been marvellous; the emotional journey unexpectedly and stunningly enriching. I spent nine months in South Africa during the three years of working on the thesis – a country where, without fail, people were hospitable and unstintingly helpful. So many - from refugees to those living in shacks in Khayelitsha, to people hitching rides whom my husband, Gavin, and I picked up on our travels - these ordinary ‘little’ people - the unemployed, the black poor, the exploited and marginalised - were so generous and so prepared to give us a glimpse of their lives and the hardships and humiliations that they endure. v Touring the coal mines in the Limpopo for information and experiences for the thesis, we plucked two young women and their babies from the crowd of refugees from Zimbabwe on the side of the road at Messina near the border with Zim. I will never forget you – how we sang the songs of Rod Stewart as we hurtled down the freeway to an unknown fate for you in Johannesburg. The pain of your lives was unbearable. Gavin and I sat in the car and cried after we had dropped you off. Sister Sally Duigan all the way from Adelaide - to take care of AIDS orphans and the young girls and boys who graduate from being orphans to being otherwise on the streets. Your courage, your knowledge, advice and most of all your compassion, were inspiring. Thank you. Richard Spoor, the civil rights lawyer who gave so much of your time and valuable information about mining conditions for labourers – including foreign labourers. Thank you. Various activists, academics and NGOs, but especially Earthlife Africa, David Fig, David Hallowes – all generously helpful to me. All inspiring people who use their knowledge and positions to build a better South Africa. From Cape Town – a city of gross inequalities – I have many to thank. Nkwame Cedile who introduced us to Khayelitsha and to local activist groups. Tinashe Njanji – a refugee from Zimbabwe, nearly dying from tuberculosis, who survived xenophobic attacks and still joins the struggle for justice. Tinashe, now a good friend, has been sending me a constant stream of information for this thesis on current events that are often below the radar of mainstream media. There are Richard and Mowjumba and sons Nashir and Bashir from Burundi; Lorraine from Zim; and Henry from the Congo – all caught up in the xenophobic attacks of May 2008 and who continue to struggle to survive in a world which holds them captive to the violence and injustices of a system built on dispossession, exploitation and inequality. All victims of the economic policies which are so heavily criticised in this thesis and all wonderful, resilient people who have shared a part of their lives with me. To all of you, I say thank you. You gave a moral purpose to my thesis and have vi motivated me to want to try to make a contribution to changing the world in which we live. A big thank you to the director Sue Cleary - and to Di McIntyre - from the Health Economics Unit (HEU) at the University of Cape Town for so generously providing me with a computer, office space and very warm hospitality on each of my visits to Cape Town. I would like to thank everyone in the HEU for their warmth and friendship. What an extraordinary bunch of people who have so much to contribute to your various countries throughout Africa. You not only gave me such a rich education of Africa but extended to me a feeling of warmth and belonging that I will always remember. Close to home, I want to thank especially my children, Katherine, Nic and Alex, for your support, patience and encouragement during the time I have been doing the PhD. Finally, I want to thank Gavin - my husband, mentor and soul mate. I would never have started a PhD if it hadn’t been for your encouragement. It would never have been completed without your support. Since beginning on this journey, you have been so unstintingly supportive, encouraging and helpful. You have done everything from touring coal mines to providing thought- provoking conversations and been prepared - with a cup of tea at 2 o’clock in the morning - to discuss everything from global warming to Marx to urban agriculture – forever patiently. You have cooked more dinners than your fair share, accompanied me to places I would otherwise never have gone and provided me with the best opportunity of my life. Thank you. vii Acronyms AAP Australian Associated Press AGC African Global Capital AIDC Alternate Information and Development Centre AMD Acid Mine Drainage ANC African National Congress AsgiSA Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa ASPO Association for the Study of Peak Oil AU African Union BBC British Broadcasting Corporation BEE Black Economic Empowerment CCS carbon capture and storage CDM Clean Development Mechanism CER certified emissions reduction CFC Chlorofluorocarbons CMH Commission on Macroeconomics of Health CoAL Coal of Africa COSATU Council of the South African Trade Unions CTL Coal to Liquids DE Department of the Environment DEAT Department of Environment and Tourism DME Department of Minerals and Energy viii DMR Department of Minerals and Resources DRC Democratic Republic of the Congo EIA Environmental Impact Assessment EIA Energy Information Administration (U.S.) EROEI energy return on energy invested ETS Emissions Trading Scheme EU European Union

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