İklim değişikliğinin ekonomi politiği: Marksist ekoloji ve The Flood

Yıl 2022, Sayı: 31, 1420 - 1433, 21.12.2022

İbrahim Koç

https://doi.org/10.29000/rumelide.1222299

Öz

Marksist ekoloji ve ekososyalizm düşüncesi, üretkenliği takıntı haline getiren ve sürekli büyümeyi hedefleyen bir ekonomik sistemin, diğer bir deyişle, dünya gezegeninin sınırlı ekosistemleri içinde sınırsız büyümeyi teşvik eden bir sistemin, en nihayetinde kaynakların tümüyle tükenmesine ve sistemlerin işlevsiz hale gelmesine neden olacağı varsayımından hareket eder. Kirlilik, küresel ısınma, ormansızlaşma, nesli tükenmekte olan hayvanlar ve doğal kaynakların tükenmesi gibi çevre sorunlarının, ekonomik faaliyetlerin üzerinde durulması gereken doğrudan sonuçları olduğu ileri sürülmektedir. Bu bağlamda The Flood'ın Marksist eko-eleştirel okuması, aşırı yağışlar, kuraklık ve nesli tükenmekte olan canlı türleri gibi iklim krizine işaret eden belirtiler ile romandaki şehir devleti yönetiminin yürüttüğü emperyalist savaşlar, sömürge faaliyetleri ya da yozlaşmış politikacıların popülist davranışları arasında yakın bir ilişki olduğunu gösterir. Tüm bunları yaparken yazarın, çevre sorunlarının toplum üzerindeki etkisini göstermek için gerçek hayatta yaşanmış kimi olaylarından yararlandığı açıkça görülebilir. Böylece The Flood, okuyucusuna, doğayı sonu gelmeyen bir hammadde deposu olarak gören ve doğal çevrenin bütünlüğünün ve refahının sürdürülebilirliğinin önünde büyük bir engel teşkil eden modern endüstriyel kapitalizm anlayışının örneklerini sunmaktadır. Bu roman aynı zamanda, geleneksel olmayan sonu sayesinde, büyük bir çevre felaketi yaşanması durumunda kapitalist sistemin temel dinamiklerinde gerçekleşebilecek bir değişiklik olasılığını sorgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Marxism; ecocriticism; Maggie Gee; The Flood, Marxism, ecocriticism, Maggie Gee, The Flood

Economy politics of climate change: Marxist ecology and The Flood

Öz

According to the presuppositions of Marxist ecology and ecosocialist philosophy, an economic system that is obsessed with productivity and seeks continuous growth, in other words, a system that encourages unlimited growth within the limited ecosystems of planet Earth, will eventually lead to the exhaustion of the resources and dysfunction of the system. Environmental problems such as pollution, global warming, deforestation, endangered animals and depletion of natural resources can be determined to be the direct results of economic activities which should be the main issue of focus. In this regard a Marxist ecocritical reading of The Flood finds close links between the traces of climate crisis, such as extreme precipitation, drought or endangered species and the economic, political and military preferences of the City administration, such as imperialist wars, colonial activities and populist behaviours of corrupted politicians. While doing this, the author has obviously benefited from some real-life events to show the impact of environmental problems on society. Therefore, The Flood offers its reader examples of modern understanding of industrial capitalism that sees nature as an endless store of raw materials and that still poses a major obstacle to the sustainability of the integrity and well-being of the natural environment. Thanks to its nonconventional ending, the novel also questions the possibility of a change in the fundamental dynamics of capitalism in the case of a major environmental disaster.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Marxism, ecocriticism, Maggie Gee, The Flood

Kaynakça

• Barras, C. (2016). Why Cities are Unleashing Birds of Prey into their Skies?, documentary, 4 October, BBC Earth Britain Special Series, viewed 28 September 2020, <http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161003-why-cities-are-unleashing-birds-of-prey-into-their-skies>
• BBC News. (2003). Europe and Iraq: Who stands where?, review, 29 January, viewed 20 January 2018, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2698153.stm>
• Bradshaw, D. (1994) ‘Biographical Introduction’, in Huxley A (wr.), The Devils of Loudun, Vintage Books, London, pp. i-xv.
• Buhaug, H. (2016). ‘Climate Change and Conflict: Taking Stock’, Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy, Vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 331–38.
• Durrell, G. (1986). ‘Introduction’ in Durrell, L (wr.), State of the Ark, Random House, London, pp. i-ix.
• Dyer, G. (2010). Climate Wars: The Fight for Survival as the World Overheats, Oxford: Oneworld Publications.
• Garrard, G. (2004). Ecocriticism, London: Routledge.
• Gee, M. (2005). The Flood. London: Saqi
• George, H. (2006). Progress and Poverty. New York: Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
• Haag-Wackernagel, D & Geigenfeind, I. (2008). ‘Protecting Buildings against Feral Pigeons’, European Journal of Wildlife Research, vol. 54, pp. 715-21.
• Hatzenbuehler, RL. (1976). ‘The War Hawks and the Question of Congressional Leadership in 1812’, Pacific Historical Review, Vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 1–22.
• Kelso, P. (2001). Trafalgar Square pigeons put to flight, news report, 8 February, The Guardian International Edition, viewed 28 September 2020, <https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/feb/08/london.livingstone>
• Kılıç, MÖ. (2013). Maggie Gee: Writing the Condition-of-England Novel. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
• Levy, M. (2015). How Climate Change is Making our World More Violent & Less Secure, Simon Fraser University, viewed 16 October 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8f3qmHCKB0>
• Löwy, M. (2002). ‘From Marx to Ecosocialism’, translated by K.P. Mosely, Capitalism Nature Socialism, Vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 121-33.
• Löwy, M. (2005). ‘What is ecosocialism?’, translated by E. Canepa, Capitalism Nature Socialism, Vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 15-24.
• Powers, J. (2015). Climate Change Is the ‘Mother of All Risks' to National Security, article, 6 November, Time Magazine, viewed 15 October 2020, <https://time.com/4101903/climate-change- national-security/>
• Ray, AJ. (2009). Hudson's Bay Company, article, 2 April, The Canadian Encyclopedia, viewed 16 February 2020, <https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/hudsons-bay-company>
• Smith, A. (1976). An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations Volume I. Indiana: Liberty Press.
• Spinoni, J & Vogt, J & Naumann, G & Barbosa, P & Dosio, A & (2018). ‘Will drought events become more frequent and severe in Europe?’, International Journal of Climatology, Vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 1718- 36.
• Vignieri, S, & Fahrenkamp-Uppenbrink, J. (2017). ‘Ecosystem Earth’, Science, Vol. 356, no. 6335, pp. 258–9.