Deep Green Resistance
Encyclopedia
Deep Green Resistance is a perspective emerging from the current environmental movement
that views mainstream environmental activism as being largely ineffective.
, and especially industrial civilization, is fundamentally unsustainable and must be actively dismantled in order to secure a livable future for all species on the planet. It is based largely on the concept of Deep ecology
, which recognizes the inherent worth of other life forms and features of the natural world aside from their human utility.
The movement differentiates itself from "Bright green environmentalism
", characterized by a focus on personal, technological, or government/corporate solutions, in that it holds these solutions as inadequate.
, a term that encompasses all societies that are based on industrialism, will not undergo a voluntary transformation to a sustainable way of living. This includes the dismissal of a possible success of a slow and soft shift to sustainability. Individuals in the Deep Green movement believe that industrial civilization must be forced into collapse in order to maintain as much of the living world as possible, noting that carrying capacity
is further diminished as civilization continues. The Deep Green Resistance supports an active resistance movement with the objective of accelerating the collapse of industrial civilization.
Within Deep Green theory, lifestyle or personal changes are not considered effective methods of creating meaningful change. The mainstream environmental movement is seen as being distracted by its emphasis on individual lifestyle changes and technological solutions instead of confronting systems of power and holding individuals, industries, and institutions accountable.
The founders of the Deep Green movement view technological solutions, no matter how well intentioned, as inadequate and possibly leading to accelerated ecological destruction and pollution (see Jevons paradox
). The Deep Green movement looks to pre-industrial and pre-civilization, land-based cultures as models for sustainable ways of living.
was the main organizer.
Deep Green theory draws on elements of anthropology
, phenomenology, deep ecology
and ecofeminism
.
The most prominent public advocates of Deep Green Resistance are Derrick Jensen
, Lierre Keith
, Waziyatawin, Stephanie McMillan, Jack D. Forbes
, and Aric McBay. They draw on the philosophy and writings of many authors, including Richard Manning
, Andrea Dworkin
, Peggy Reeves Sanday, David Abram
, Chellis Glendinning
, Chris Hedges
, Joseph Tainter
, John Zerzan
, Richard Heinberg
, Daniel Quinn
, Zoe Blunt and Jerry Mander
among many others.
, and Derrick Jensen
was released in May 2011, from Seven Stories Press.
and Deep Ecology
. Opponents claim that technology and social changes will exist in the future to solve the problems. They also frequently state that advocates of these concepts are merely misanthropic, destructive nihilists
and that the end of industrial civilization would pose a moral dilemma, created by the need for a reduced population and relinquishment of life-saving technologies. A common criticism is also that Deep Green Resistance does not offer a widely accepted desirable alternative concept of human lifestyle.
It may also be true that, as the environment's degradation increases, DGR's viewpoint becomes more and more the only game in town. The Earth First! / Edward Abbey perspective around monkey-wrenching and eco-tage were, arguably, a problematic way of addressing problems at that time (for an interesting display of division within the green radical movement on a previous occasion when a perspective similar to that held by DGR was popular, see the book Defending the Earth, which recounts debate between Earth First!'s David Foreman and the social ecologist Murray Bookchin, centered around statements on the part of Foreman that Bookchin deemed anti-human). Now, it is possible that the ecological inertia and the inertia of the global capitalist-industrial system means that only such methods are meaningful. Many are, and should be, discomfited by such suggestions. However, it is a long time since the Club of Rome report 'Limits to Growth', the Brundtland report, and subsequent efforts to engage international governmental and corporate support were instituted (for example the Kyoto and Rio summits under the auspices of the UN), and many would now perceive them as having failed (and, to the extent that they are argued to have been successful, many would argue that there has been a profit protecting greenwash to hide minimal actual change).
DGR is one easily explicable response to a situation that many perceive as beyond control. It's members seek to fight back, and see themselves as tomorrow's freedom fighters, whilst being fully aware that the underground (perhaps willing to use physical coercion, for example) part of the movement, at least, is currently more likely to be perceived as terrorist in nature, though the overground part of the movement is more subtle, adhering to a code of conduct. In the book, the activities of an underground are signposted more than they are explicated, which is a wise move on the part of its authors. And, in fact, they seek to inform and educate on 'security' and 'warfare' whilst at the same time denying that they represent an 'underground', as this quote from their website illustrates:
"It provides an exploration of organizational structures, recruitment, security, and target selection for both aboveground and underground* action. Deep Green Resistance also discusses a culture of resistance and the crucial support role that it can play.
"Deep Green Resistance is a plan of action for anyone determined to fight for this planet—and win
"*Note: We are strictly an aboveground movement. We will not answer questions regarding anyone’s personal desire to be in or form an underground. We do this for the security of all involved with Deep Green Resistance."
Further critique from this perspective, quite strongly expressed (the article accuses DGR of 'crypto-green-fascism') can be seen on the Libcom website, for example.
Environmental movement
The environmental movement, a term that includes the conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues....
that views mainstream environmental activism as being largely ineffective.
Beliefs
The Deep Green movement believes that civilizationCivilization
Civilization is a sometimes controversial term that has been used in several related ways. Primarily, the term has been used to refer to the material and instrumental side of human cultures that are complex in terms of technology, science, and division of labor. Such civilizations are generally...
, and especially industrial civilization, is fundamentally unsustainable and must be actively dismantled in order to secure a livable future for all species on the planet. It is based largely on the concept of Deep ecology
Deep ecology
Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that recognizes an inherent worth of all living beings, regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependence of organisms within ecosystems and that of ecosystems with each other within the...
, which recognizes the inherent worth of other life forms and features of the natural world aside from their human utility.
The movement differentiates itself from "Bright green environmentalism
Bright green environmentalism
Bright green environmentalism is an ideology based on the belief that the convergence of technological change and social innovation provides the most successful path to sustainable development.-Origin and evolution of bright green thinking:...
", characterized by a focus on personal, technological, or government/corporate solutions, in that it holds these solutions as inadequate.
Tactics
The Deep Green perspective argues that the dominant cultureDominant culture
The dominant culture in a society refers to the established language, religion, behavior, values, rituals, and social customs. These traits are often the norm for the society as a whole...
, a term that encompasses all societies that are based on industrialism, will not undergo a voluntary transformation to a sustainable way of living. This includes the dismissal of a possible success of a slow and soft shift to sustainability. Individuals in the Deep Green movement believe that industrial civilization must be forced into collapse in order to maintain as much of the living world as possible, noting that carrying capacity
Carrying capacity
The carrying capacity of a biological species in an environment is the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water and other necessities available in the environment...
is further diminished as civilization continues. The Deep Green Resistance supports an active resistance movement with the objective of accelerating the collapse of industrial civilization.
Within Deep Green theory, lifestyle or personal changes are not considered effective methods of creating meaningful change. The mainstream environmental movement is seen as being distracted by its emphasis on individual lifestyle changes and technological solutions instead of confronting systems of power and holding individuals, industries, and institutions accountable.
The founders of the Deep Green movement view technological solutions, no matter how well intentioned, as inadequate and possibly leading to accelerated ecological destruction and pollution (see Jevons paradox
Jevons paradox
In economics, the Jevons paradox is the proposition that technological progress that increases the efficiency with which a resource is used, tends to increase the rate of consumption of that resource...
). The Deep Green movement looks to pre-industrial and pre-civilization, land-based cultures as models for sustainable ways of living.
Origins and advocates
The term was created by the organizers of a conference entitled "Deep Green Resistance. Confronting Industrial Culture" in April, 2007 in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Lierre KeithLierre Keith
Lierre Keith is an American writer, radical feminist, food activist, and radical environmentalist.-Biography:Keith began her public involvement in the feminist movement in high school, where she was the founding Editor of Vanessa and Iris: A Journal for Young Feminists , at Brookline High School in...
was the main organizer.
Deep Green theory draws on elements of anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, phenomenology, deep ecology
Deep ecology
Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that recognizes an inherent worth of all living beings, regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependence of organisms within ecosystems and that of ecosystems with each other within the...
and ecofeminism
Ecofeminism
Ecofeminism is a social and political movement which points to the existence of considerable common ground between environmentalism and feminism, with some currents linking deep ecology and feminism...
.
The most prominent public advocates of Deep Green Resistance are Derrick Jensen
Derrick Jensen
Derrick Jensen is an American author and environmental activist living in Crescent City, California. Jensen has published several books questioning and critiquing modern civilization and its values, including A Language Older Than Words, The Culture of Make Believe, and Endgame. He holds a B.S...
, Lierre Keith
Lierre Keith
Lierre Keith is an American writer, radical feminist, food activist, and radical environmentalist.-Biography:Keith began her public involvement in the feminist movement in high school, where she was the founding Editor of Vanessa and Iris: A Journal for Young Feminists , at Brookline High School in...
, Waziyatawin, Stephanie McMillan, Jack D. Forbes
Jack D. Forbes
Jack D. Forbes was a Native-American writer, scholar and political activist. He is best known for his book, Columbus and Other Cannibals, which has become a primary text of the Anti-civilization Movement....
, and Aric McBay. They draw on the philosophy and writings of many authors, including Richard Manning
Richard Manning
Richard Manning is an award-winning environmental author and journalist, with particular interest in the history and future of the American prairie, agriculture and poverty. He writes frequently about trauma and poverty for the National Native Children's Trauma Center based at the University of...
, Andrea Dworkin
Andrea Dworkin
Andrea Rita Dworkin was an American radical feminist and writer best known for her criticism of pornography, which she argued was linked to rape and other forms of violence against women....
, Peggy Reeves Sanday, David Abram
David Abram
David Abram is an American philosopher, cultural ecologist, and performance artist, best known for his work bridging the philosophical tradition of phenomenology with environmental and ecological issues...
, Chellis Glendinning
Chellis Glendinning
Chellis Glendinning is a European-American author of creative nonfiction, licensed psychotherapist, and political activist. She is noted as a pioneer in the field of ecopsychology, a proponent of land-based culture, and a critic of technological society, having worked with such contemporaries as...
, Chris Hedges
Chris Hedges
Christopher Lynn Hedges is an American journalist, author, and war correspondent, specializing in American and Middle Eastern politics and societies...
, Joseph Tainter
Joseph Tainter
Joseph A. Tainter is a U.S. anthropologist and historian.Tainter studied anthropology at the University of California and Northwestern University, where he received his Ph.D. in 1975. He is currently a professor in the Department of Environment and Society at Utah State University...
, John Zerzan
John Zerzan
John Zerzan is an American anarchist and primitivist philosopher and author. His works criticize agricultural civilization as inherently oppressive, and advocate drawing upon the ways of life of prehistoric humans as an inspiration for what a free society should look like...
, Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg is an American journalist and educator who has written extensively on energy, economic, and ecological issues, including oil depletion. He is the author of ten books...
, Daniel Quinn
Daniel Quinn
Daniel Quinn is an American writer described as an environmentalist. He is best known for his book Ishmael , which won the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award in 1991....
, Zoe Blunt and Jerry Mander
Jerry Mander
Jerold Irwin "Jerry" Mander is an American activist and author, best known for his 1977 book, Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television...
among many others.
Literature and references
A book titled Deep Green Resistance: Strategy to Save the Planet by Aric McBay, Lierre KeithLierre Keith
Lierre Keith is an American writer, radical feminist, food activist, and radical environmentalist.-Biography:Keith began her public involvement in the feminist movement in high school, where she was the founding Editor of Vanessa and Iris: A Journal for Young Feminists , at Brookline High School in...
, and Derrick Jensen
Derrick Jensen
Derrick Jensen is an American author and environmental activist living in Crescent City, California. Jensen has published several books questioning and critiquing modern civilization and its values, including A Language Older Than Words, The Culture of Make Believe, and Endgame. He holds a B.S...
was released in May 2011, from Seven Stories Press.
Criticism
Major opposition against Deep Green Resistance is similar to that of anarcho-primitivismAnarcho-primitivism
Anarcho-primitivism is an anarchist critique of the origins and progress of civilization. According to anarcho-primitivism, the shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural subsistence gave rise to social stratification, coercion, and alienation...
and Deep Ecology
Deep ecology
Deep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that recognizes an inherent worth of all living beings, regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependence of organisms within ecosystems and that of ecosystems with each other within the...
. Opponents claim that technology and social changes will exist in the future to solve the problems. They also frequently state that advocates of these concepts are merely misanthropic, destructive nihilists
Nihilism
Nihilism is the philosophical doctrine suggesting the negation of one or more putatively meaningful aspects of life. Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value...
and that the end of industrial civilization would pose a moral dilemma, created by the need for a reduced population and relinquishment of life-saving technologies. A common criticism is also that Deep Green Resistance does not offer a widely accepted desirable alternative concept of human lifestyle.
It may also be true that, as the environment's degradation increases, DGR's viewpoint becomes more and more the only game in town. The Earth First! / Edward Abbey perspective around monkey-wrenching and eco-tage were, arguably, a problematic way of addressing problems at that time (for an interesting display of division within the green radical movement on a previous occasion when a perspective similar to that held by DGR was popular, see the book Defending the Earth, which recounts debate between Earth First!'s David Foreman and the social ecologist Murray Bookchin, centered around statements on the part of Foreman that Bookchin deemed anti-human). Now, it is possible that the ecological inertia and the inertia of the global capitalist-industrial system means that only such methods are meaningful. Many are, and should be, discomfited by such suggestions. However, it is a long time since the Club of Rome report 'Limits to Growth', the Brundtland report, and subsequent efforts to engage international governmental and corporate support were instituted (for example the Kyoto and Rio summits under the auspices of the UN), and many would now perceive them as having failed (and, to the extent that they are argued to have been successful, many would argue that there has been a profit protecting greenwash to hide minimal actual change).
DGR is one easily explicable response to a situation that many perceive as beyond control. It's members seek to fight back, and see themselves as tomorrow's freedom fighters, whilst being fully aware that the underground (perhaps willing to use physical coercion, for example) part of the movement, at least, is currently more likely to be perceived as terrorist in nature, though the overground part of the movement is more subtle, adhering to a code of conduct. In the book, the activities of an underground are signposted more than they are explicated, which is a wise move on the part of its authors. And, in fact, they seek to inform and educate on 'security' and 'warfare' whilst at the same time denying that they represent an 'underground', as this quote from their website illustrates:
"It provides an exploration of organizational structures, recruitment, security, and target selection for both aboveground and underground* action. Deep Green Resistance also discusses a culture of resistance and the crucial support role that it can play.
"Deep Green Resistance is a plan of action for anyone determined to fight for this planet—and win
"*Note: We are strictly an aboveground movement. We will not answer questions regarding anyone’s personal desire to be in or form an underground. We do this for the security of all involved with Deep Green Resistance."
Further critique from this perspective, quite strongly expressed (the article accuses DGR of 'crypto-green-fascism') can be seen on the Libcom website, for example.
See also
- anarcho-primitivismAnarcho-primitivismAnarcho-primitivism is an anarchist critique of the origins and progress of civilization. According to anarcho-primitivism, the shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural subsistence gave rise to social stratification, coercion, and alienation...
- Deep EcologyDeep ecologyDeep ecology is a contemporary ecological philosophy that recognizes an inherent worth of all living beings, regardless of their instrumental utility to human needs. The philosophy emphasizes the interdependence of organisms within ecosystems and that of ecosystems with each other within the...
- green anarchismGreen anarchismGreen anarchism, or ecoanarchism, is a school of thought within anarchism which puts a particular emphasis on environmental issues. An important early influence was the thought of the American anarchist Henry David Thoreau and his book Walden...
- radical environmentalismRadical environmentalismRadical environmentalism, is a grassroots branch of the larger environmental movement that emerged out of an ecocentrism-based frustration with the co-option of mainstream environmentalism...