[Marxism] Re: What is your attitude to Malthus these days?

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

> Hi Louis,
>
> I just posted here:
>
> http://www.haloscan.com/comments/lproyect/113146555105770893/?a=18443
>
> I have had some Involvement with Trotskyist groups in the past, myself.
>
> I would be interested to know with global warming, Peak Oil, looming
> environmental catastrophe etc, what is your attitude to Malthus these days?
>
> regards
>
> James Sinnamon
>
> --
> James Sinnamon
> jaymz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.candobetter.org/james

Hello, James

First of all, I no longer blog at unrepentant.blogspot.com. I moved 
to louisproyect.wordpress.com because I found it more useful.

On the question of Malthus, there are 2 ways of looking at him. To 
begin with, his solution to the problem of "overpopulation" is to 
simply weed people out. In this respect, he is the forefather of some 
mainstream environmentalists who are fixated on population control, 
especially Lester Brown at Worldwatch Institute.

That being said, it is not Malthusian to point out that humanity is 
facing the rapid depletion of certain resources such as oil. To be 
more specific, it is facing the disappearance of *cheap* oil which is 
really a problem for the accumulation of capital.

For instance, we are seeing the elimination of many important fish 
stocks, including bluefin tuna, etc. It is not just a question of not 
being able to have access to them as food. They are also important 
elements in the oceanic food chain.

Marxism has relied on a facile understanding of these matters in the 
past. For example, in a pamphlet written by American SWP leader Joe 
Hansen titled "Too Many Babies?", you can find assurances that the 
"Green Revolution" will produce enough food for everybody. 
Unfortunately, the chemicals that the "Green Revolution" requires 
have a tendency to create unbalances such as algae in the Gulf of 
Mexico that kill marine life.











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