Capitalism in the Twin Crises of Economy and Ecology: A Review of 2013 New York Left Forum

Abstract

Themed as “Mobilizing for Ecological/Economic Transformation,” the 2013 New York Left Forum was featured as being continuing, open, realistic and pertinent. Left intellects and social activists from all over the world claimed on the forum that capitalism would eventually break down; the capitalist mode of production was the real culprit of global ecological crisis; the capitalist social movement laid the foundation for revolutionary transition; and that the capitalist countries were the dominant threat to world peace. Although the New York Left Forum was an event of great significance, the organization was not clear enough, thoughts not unified enough, theory not thorough enough and action not coordinated enough. Thus we should be dialectical in analyzing the achievements of New York Left Forum.

Keywords:

• Left Forum
• capitalism
• ecological transformation
• economic transformation

Notes on Contributor

Zhang Xinning is a PhD student at the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China, and Associate Researcher at Henan Economic Ethics Research Center, Henan University of Economics and Law in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China. His research interests focus on Marxist economics.

Language edited by Kelsey Charles

Notes

¹See: www.leftforum.org/content/left-forum-2013—mobilizing-ecologicaleconomic-transformation.

²See: www.leftforum.org/content/closing-plenary-bolivian-vice-president-alvaro-garcia-linera.

³See: www.leftforum.org/content/primitive-accumulation-light-current-onslaught-austerity.

⁴See: www.leftforum.org/content/wealth-gap-women-have-we-really-come-long-way.

⁵See: www.leftforum.org/content/political-economy-us-healthcare-medical-industrial-complex-and-affordable-care-act.

⁶See: www.leftforum.org/content/noam-chomsky-0.

⁷See: www.leftforum.org/content/closing-plenary-bolivian-vice-president-alvaro-garcia-linera.

⁸See: www.leftforum.org/content/eco-capitalism-and-myths-green-economy.

⁹See: www.leftforum.org/content/climate-justice-challenges-and-prospects-emerging-movement.

¹⁰See: www.leftforum.org/content/revolutionary-project-social-ecology.

¹¹See: www.leftforum.org/content/closing-plenary-bolivian-vice-president-alvaro-garcia-linera.

¹²See: www.leftforum.org/content/electoral-politics-demobilizing-swamp-or-tactic-social-transformation.

¹³See: www.leftforum.org/content/tina-and-occupy-two-forms-meszarian-consciousness.

¹⁴See: www.leftforum.org/content/perspectives-struggles-farmworkers-and-agriculture-today.

¹⁵See: www.leftforum.org/content/noam-chomsky-0.

¹⁶See: www.leftforum.org/content/natos-catastrophic-failure-libya.