Eco-Fascism: A Perspective

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What is Eco-Fascism: An Brief History, and Description

The ideology of eco-fascism has deep roots in xenophobia, white supremacy and eugenics. These deep roots can be traced all the way back to the 19th Century when biology as a science was undergoing rapid growth. Darwin’s work had a huge influence on many and they applied the biological categories found in nature to society (Gilman, 2020). The idea was simple, similar to nature, our society too should conform to certain natural order. It is easy to see the politics and sentiments of those times meshed so easily with the new field of ecology (Staudenmaier & Biehl, 1996).

According to Peter Staudenmaier and Janet Biehl, a strand of ecology that blended naturalism and nationalism was synthesised in 19th Century Germany. The key points were condemnation of exploitation of nature and of economic activities that lead to such exploitation, preserving forests, woodlands, etc., xenophobic rhetoric calling for keeping the Nordic race ‘pure’, anti-urbanism and nationalism. Ernst Haeckel, a zoologist who coined the term ‘ecology’, founded a movement called Monism where social views of racial supremacy, purity and eugenics were mixed with ecology.

This view and its iterations mutated, developed and flourished in various societies and movements in Germany and influenced National Socialist ideology. The implications of it became clear during the Nazi regime where, Staudenmaier says, the application of “biological concepts to social phenomena served to justify not only the totalitarian social order,” but also justified conquering and destruction of other races and countries for the benefit of Germans.

Over in America, the environmental philosophy revolved around white people and their rights over nature. Madison Grant was a prominent figure associated with conservation and zoology and credited with creating the Bronx Zoo, preserving the American Bison and redwood trees (Newton, 2020). But, he also formulated a racial theory wherein he stated that the ‘Nordic’ races were superior and that other races were slowly overtaking them. His book “The Passing of the Great Race, or The Racial Basis of European History” influenced Adolf Hitler, and Anders Brevik, a Norwegian extremist. Grant and the circles of conservationists in 19th Century America focused on the ‘aristocratic’ qualities of nature which tied into the idea that nature should be preserved and conserved for the use of the elite (Purdy, 2015).

Moving on to the 60s and 70s, the focus shifted to overpopulation and its dangers. This preoccupation was Malthusian in nature i.e. population growth is exponential, but resources and food supplies only see linear growth (Garcia, 2020). People like Paul Ehrlich and Garrett Hardin spoke about how overpopulation could lead to mass starvation, put a strain on natural resources and lead to an eventual scarcity of resources. The solutions provided were mass sterilization, reducing food aid, diverting resources from those who were found wanting (Cagle, 2019).

Hardin’s ‘lifeboat ethics’ is a thought experiment that considers the implications of overpopulation. He argued that overpopulation was like a lifeboat where it is necessary to make decisions of whom to throw overboard so the boat still floats. According to him, a rich country amounts to a boat full of comparatively rich people while a poor country is equivalent to a boat full of comparatively poor people (Hardin, 1974) . Poor people will want to enter the boats of the rich which is when tough decisions have to be made. The implications of this are chilling since it considers that some have more of a right to safety and life over that of others.

Hard-line solutions are frequently mentioned when it comes to this flavour of environmentalism. James Lovelock, the scientist who discovered the link between chlorofluorocarbons and depletion of the ozone layer, stated that it might be necessary to put democracies on hold for a while so the climate change can be reversed. Pentti Linkola, a deep ecologist, called for authoritarian regimes that suppressed the citizens for the betterment of the environment (White, 2010; Newton, 2020).

Eco-fascism ignores the suffering of vulnerable populations that contribute the least to climate change, and also thrusts the blame upon them. It devalues certain human lives in the name of the environment. Thus, eco-fascism can be considered to be a confluence of authoritarian and fascist ideologies with environmentalism. Based on the historical antecedents and the writings on the topic, it can be considered to be the co-optation of environmentalism by people and institutions who subscribe to the ideologies of xenophobia, white supremacy, etc.

From a political standpoint, eco-fascism presents major concerns. Its xenophobic nature lends itself to anti-immigrant policies which includes turning away people from those countries that bear the brunt of climate change (Gilman, 2020). Aid to people and countries can be affected if a focus on eventual scarcity leads to hoarding behaviours. It can take the form of indigenous populations being displaced and marginalised in the name of environmental protection though they have been co-existed peacefully with nature (Byskov, 2019). Or, enforcing carbon austerity measures on countries that actually don’t produce as much pollution as wealthier countries (Gilman, 2020). The most important thing that it leads to is a narrative shift where environmental problems are automatically associated with the actions of people who are poor and people of colour.

Counter arguments to Eco – Fascism

The term eco-fascism itself can be argued as misguided and misinformed. Fascism as a political ideology rests upon certain fundamentals. Some of them are othering, populism, and focus on restoring the glory of a society, deprecating modernity, etc (Britannica, n.d.). Deep ecology, a movement that seeks to redefine human relationship with nature from one that is based on instrumental worth to inherent worth, does seek a radical reorganisation of society. But, deep ecologists argue, this demand arises from a biodiversity perspective and not for social, racial and cultural purposes with an authoritarian leadership at the top. Thus, it cannot be considered to be fascist (Orton, 2000). In other words, challenging anthropocentrism and the dominant way of relating to nature is not inherently fascist.

Calling back to the blame shifting nature of eco-fascism, it puts the blame on environmentalists and environmentalism while shielding corporations and political institutions. Capitalism has rebranded environmentalism into something that demands consumerism – just the green kind (White, 2010). Companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions and also for extensive environmental damage, but somehow the focus has shifted to how individuals can help the environment (Tess, 2017). Though individual contribution is important, accountability of the major polluters is more so, and it is lacking. Furthermore, capitalism as a system creates and maintains extreme disparities in societies, and profits from it. Maintaining a system that wreaks havoc on society and environment instead of making certain fundamental changes seems strange, but it is the latter that is termed fascist. Then again, this line of thinking opens up a can of worms as to who wants these changes, why they want it and how are they going to go about it.

So, are those posts about humans being the actual virus, ecofascist? The posters say no, and it is probably true. So far it seems to me that ecofascism at its most dangerous is when environmentalism is co-opted by institutions with racist, xenophobic and nationalistic agendas. But still it is necessary to keep in mind that these tweets and posts seem to inadvertently overlook the burden borne by certain marginalised communities while celebrating environmental progress.

Yes, there have been measurable improvements in various environmental aspects such as water, land, air pollution, green cover, air quality, etc during the pandemic. Yes, it is because of reduction in consumption, production and demand for material goods. But, it is necessary to understand that eco-fascist ideology might twist its way into things that we are celebrating right now, and that it might impact thinking patterns of some and maybe even policies.

This is just something to consider and to keep in mind. This is not to invalidate environmental progress, the views of experts, and environmentalism itself. This is just an attempt to explain an issue that might or might not arise in the future.



KEY TERMS

Xenophobia - fear and hatred of foreigners or anything foreign. It is narrow in nature when compared to racism which also includes meanings like race being the primary determinant of traits, belief in inherent superiority of certain races, etc

Eugenics - advocacy of belief in selective reproduction, reproductive control, etc in order to enhance certain qualities and traits in humans that are seen as ‘improving’ society. It deems certain traits as desirable and excludes people with any traits deemed to be undesirable 

White Supremacy - the belief that white people are inherently superior to all other races and therefore should be at the top of society

Deep Ecology - this movement considers that humans as a species are not inherently more important than any component in the ecosphere and calls for a radical shift in the relationship between man and nature

References

Britannica. (n.d.). Common Characteristics Of Fascist Movements. Retrieved from Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/topic/fascism/Intellectual-origins

Byskov, F. M. (2019, 10 January). Climate Change: focusing on how individuals can help is very convenient for corporations. Retrieved from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/climate-change-focusing-on-how-individuals-can-help-is-very-convenient-for-corporations-108546

Cagle, S. (2019, August 16). 'Bees, not refugees': the environmentalist roots of anti-immigrant bigotry. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/15/anti

Garcia, S. (2020, March 30). ‘We’re the virus’: The pandemic is bringing out environmentalism’s dark sideGarcia. Retrieved from Grist: https://grist.org/climate/were-the-virus-the-pandemic-is-bringing-out-environmentalisms-dark-side/

Gilman, N. (2020, February 7). The Coming of Avocado Politics. Retrieved from https://thebreakthrough.org/journal/no-12-winter-2020/avocado-politics

Hardin, G. (1974). Lifeboat Ethics: the Case Against Helping the Poor. Retrieved from Garrett Hardin Society: https://www.garretthardinsociety.org/articles/art_lifeboat_ethics_case_against_helping_poor.html

Newton, D. (2020, April 15). The Dark Side of Environmentalism: Ecofascism and COVID-19. Retrieved from Office Of Sustainability – Student Blog: https://usfblogs.usfca.edu/sustainability/2020/04/15/the-dark-side-of-environmentalism-ecofascism-and-covid-19/

Orton, D. (2000, February). Ecofascism: What is It? A Left Biocentric Analysis. Retrieved from Green Web Bulletin: http://home.ca.inter.net/~greenweb/Ecofascism.html

Purdy, J. (2015, August 13). Environmentalism's Racist History. Retrieved from The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/environmentalisms-racist-history

Staudenmaier, P., & Biehl, J. (1996). Fascist Ecology: The Green Wing of the Nazi Part and it Historical Antecedents. Retrieved from Spunk: http://www.spunk.org/texts/places/germany/sp001630/peter.html

Tess, R. (2017, July 10). Just 100 companies responsible for 71% of global emissions, study says. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change: https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2017/jul/10/100-fossil-fuel-companies-investors-responsible-71-global-emissions-cdp-study-climate-change

White, M. (2010, September 16). An Alternative to the new wave of ecofascism. Retrieved from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cif-green/2010/sep/16/authoritarianism-ecofascism-alternative

Deepika Gangadharan

Deepika did her Masters in Psychology. She is now busy handling an existential crisis or figuring out what to say next. Also a passionate proponent of the “cats are just misunderstood” agenda