Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.11, 2014

 

An Analysis of Global Climate Control from the Viewpoint of Political Economy

(Abstract)

 

Xie Fusheng, Cheng Han and Li An

 

Western economists have put forward two different theories for the causes, progress and effect of climate change and provided the corresponding solutions. Mainstream economic theory holds that climate change is the result of an externality produced by greenhouse gas emissions, and proposes to control it mainly through market measures and geo-engineering. Unorthodox economists hold that climate change is the systemic result of the developmental mode of the global capitalist economy and is a problem that mainstream solutions are quite unable to address; market-based climate control under neoliberalism will increase the conflict between society, the economy and the environment. Research rebuilding the framework of political economy on the basis of overseas Marxist economic studies shows that the global nature of climate change determines that its control requires global action. This produces “Marxist-like” mass movements in the capitalist system, movements that can unite the participation of capital groups that adhere to sustainable development and the existing movement for global climate control. This is a viable way of achieving mass-based climate control.