Sustainability in the text 'Capital Accumulation, Sustainability & Hamilton Ontario' by E Balser is defined as generational equality in the environmental, moral, social, economic and political areas of modern society. This means that we need to live in a way that doesn't hinder the future populations chance to survive.
Capitalism is based on growth. Always expanding and accumulating more things. It’s a never ending social structure that constantly needs new things to commodify. It does this by subsuming non capitol markets or by expanding internal markets. With out growth Capitalism falls down and goes into recession, which is a ever present situation we are in.
Crisis of Capitalism is when the cycle of capitalism appears as if its going to end but then something new starts it up again and further pushes the idea of consumerism. The reinvention of capitalization each time there is a crisis only furthers the cycle of capitalization. An example of a crisis of capitalism is the environmental crisis, The capitalist world uses up the worlds resources and this is having an enormous effect on the worlds climate which could hinder future generations. This crisis instead of stopping this crisis it has merely latched onto it and furthered the cycle of capitalization. Every company is going ‘green’ but it is just a way of making the consumer feel better about buying their products/services. If the companies were to actually go ‘green’ they would shut down and not use up any more of the worlds resources. But that is not the way of the capitalist world. A new wave of ideas and technology push past these limitations of the environmental crisis preventing the ‘apocalypse for another day’.
One solution in the text is that of the Bio-fuel produced by BIOX a company. This fuel produces lower emissions for diesel engines and gives a longer lasting engine life. The bio fuel is produced from vegetables and animal fat which gives it the ‘stamp ‘of sustainability because you can grow plants and farm animals. The problem with this fuel is that is produced in large unsightly power plants. The most recent of these plants has been built in the poorest part of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It was also built on the communities green space. The plant has reduced the residents quality of life exposed them to harsh chemicals and pollutants in the air. It brings up the question of whether this sort of communal ‘sustainability’ is working if it is on the sacrifice of the poor and if so it isn’t much of a community.
The concept of sustainability has many complications when faced with interlacing with capitalism. The very idea of growth with out hindering future generations is flawed with in the current system. The worlds natural resources will not last the human race forever and unless scientists eventually find a way to make fusion power work or other techniques the worlds thirst for power will be far larger than current techniques can give. Sustainability is a communal concept which means everyone will have to be involved. This community is not very apparent in a capitalist world were there are poor and rich people. Ultimately the few rich will be making the main decisions on the environment because they have the power and influence that makes sustainability a flawed concept because there is no communal progression.
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