Preparing for Collapse: The Concerning Rise of “Eco-Survivalism”

ABSTRACT

This article raises concern about the growing embrace of “eco-survivalism”—an environmental discourse motivated by the idea of “riding out” what is seen as the inevitable collapse of the global economy and human population caused by severe environmental degradation. First, we identify this environmental discourse and differentiate it from other leading contemporary environmental discourses which are primarily motivated by the challenge of averting collapse. Second, we show how the rise and spread of eco-survivalism today is catalyzed by the growing perceived urgency of the global environmental crisis as conditioned by neoliberal capitalism. Finally, we consider some of the concerning implications of its rise, including the emergence of environmental defeatism, the depoliticization of environmental action, and the reification of socio-economic injustices (in terms of who is deemed worthy of “surviving”).

KEYWORDS:

• Eco-survivalism
• collapse
• environmental discourses
• climate change
• neo-Malthusianism

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ellen Helker-Nygren for her research support, as well as the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, for funding which made this publication possible.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Notable contributions include Waterworld (1995), The Day After Tomorrow (2004), Children of Men (2006), The Road (2009), 2012 (2012), Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012), Mad Max (2015), and The Survivalist (2015).

2 “Green Radicalism” is another one of Dryzek’s four main environmental discourses. Of course, Green radicalism has a history that goes back further than the 21st century. Green radicals such as Bookchin (1965), Gorz (1980), and O’Connor (1991) highlighted how capitalism is intrinsically tied to environmental and ecological destructions. Many important contributions to green radical thought have appeared in this journal since its launch in the 1980s.

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ottawa, for funding which made this publication possible.