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Asymmetries : Conceptualizing Environmental Inequalities as Ecological Debt and Ecologically Unequal Exchange

Warlenius, Rikard LU (2017)
Abstract
In this compilation thesis, consisting of six papers and an introductory chapter, the concepts of ecological debt, climate debt, ecologically unequal exchange, and unequal carbon sink appropriation are at the centre. Their intellectual and political histories are traced to environmental justice movements, ecological economics and neo-Marxist economics. They are developed conceptually and linked together analytically using a stock-flow perspective.

Special concern is devoted to climate debt as understood by the climate justice movement. Its claims on climate debt are identified, their normative assumptions tested and climate debt is quantified as consisting of both an emission debt and an adaptation debt.

The last paper... (More)
In this compilation thesis, consisting of six papers and an introductory chapter, the concepts of ecological debt, climate debt, ecologically unequal exchange, and unequal carbon sink appropriation are at the centre. Their intellectual and political histories are traced to environmental justice movements, ecological economics and neo-Marxist economics. They are developed conceptually and linked together analytically using a stock-flow perspective.

Special concern is devoted to climate debt as understood by the climate justice movement. Its claims on climate debt are identified, their normative assumptions tested and climate debt is quantified as consisting of both an emission debt and an adaptation debt.

The last paper focus on a historical case study, where a method for measuring ecologically unequal exchange – time-space appropriation – is applied to discuss core and peripheries in the early modern world system, indicating a Sinocentric world economy.

In the introductory chapter, sections on critical realism and mixed methods research position the thesis theoretically and methodologically. The concepts at the centre of the thesis are synthesized into what is called an ecological-economic asymmetries approach. Further, the possibilities to base the approach on ecological Marxism and historical-geographical materialism are explored and a potential future research strategy sketched.
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Abstract (Swedish)
I centrum för denna sammanläggningsavhandling, som består av sex artiklar och ett introduktionskapitel, står koncepten ekologisk skuld, klimatskuld, ekologiskt ojämnt utbyte och ojämn appropriering av kolsänkor. Begreppens idéhistoria och politiska historia spåras bakåt till miljörättviserörelsen, ekologisk ekonomi och neo-marxistisk ekonomi. De utvecklas konceptuellt och länkas samman analytiskt genom ett lager-flödeperspektiv.

Särskild uppmärksamhet ägnas åt klimatskuld, så som det används av klimaträttviserörelsen. Dess uppfattningar om klimatskuld identifieras, de normativa utgångspunkterna testas och klimatskuld kvantifieras som bestående av både en utsläppsskuld och en anpassningsskuld.

Den sista texten fokuserar på... (More)
I centrum för denna sammanläggningsavhandling, som består av sex artiklar och ett introduktionskapitel, står koncepten ekologisk skuld, klimatskuld, ekologiskt ojämnt utbyte och ojämn appropriering av kolsänkor. Begreppens idéhistoria och politiska historia spåras bakåt till miljörättviserörelsen, ekologisk ekonomi och neo-marxistisk ekonomi. De utvecklas konceptuellt och länkas samman analytiskt genom ett lager-flödeperspektiv.

Särskild uppmärksamhet ägnas åt klimatskuld, så som det används av klimaträttviserörelsen. Dess uppfattningar om klimatskuld identifieras, de normativa utgångspunkterna testas och klimatskuld kvantifieras som bestående av både en utsläppsskuld och en anpassningsskuld.

Den sista texten fokuserar på en historisk fallstudie, där en metod för att mäta ekologiskt ojämnt utbyte – ”time-space appropriation” – används för att diskutera centrum och periferi i det tidigmoderna världssystemet; resultatet indikerar en sinocentrisk världsekonomi.

Avsnitt om kritisk realism och blandade metoder (”mixed methods”) i introduktionskapitlet positionerar avhandlingen teoretiskt och metodologiskt. Koncepten i centrum för avhandlingen syntetiseras ihop till vad som kallas ”ecological-economic asymmetries approach”. Vidare undersöks möjligheterna att basera denna ”approach” på ekologisk marxism och historisk-geografisk materialism, och en möjlig, framtida forskningsstrategi skisseras.
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author
supervisor
opponent
  • Professor Joan Martinez-Alier, ICTA, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
organization
alternative title
Asymmetrier : Konceptualisering av miljöorättvisor som ekologisk skuld och ekologiskt ojämnt utbyte
publishing date
type
Thesis
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Environmental justice, Ecological debt, Ecologically unequal exchange, Environmental history, Ecological Marxism, Ecological economics, World system analysis
pages
284 pages
publisher
Lund University
defense location
Världen, Geocentrum I, Sölvegatan 10, Lund
defense date
2017-02-10 13:00:00
ISBN
978-91-7753-146-3
978-91-7753-147-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
ae43bfe9-7409-450e-8949-8e9a478b53b8
date added to LUP
2017-01-10 11:46:02
date last changed
2019-08-19 15:38:43
@phdthesis{ae43bfe9-7409-450e-8949-8e9a478b53b8,
  abstract     = {{In this compilation thesis, consisting of six papers and an introductory chapter, the concepts of ecological debt, climate debt, ecologically unequal exchange, and unequal carbon sink appropriation are at the centre. Their intellectual and political histories are traced to environmental justice movements, ecological economics and neo-Marxist economics. They are developed conceptually and linked together analytically using a stock-flow perspective. <br/><br/>Special concern is devoted to climate debt as understood by the climate justice movement. Its claims on climate debt are identified, their normative assumptions tested and climate debt is quantified as consisting of both an emission debt and an adaptation debt. <br/><br/>The last paper focus on a historical case study, where a method for measuring ecologically unequal exchange – time-space appropriation – is applied to discuss core and peripheries in the early modern world system, indicating a Sinocentric world economy. <br/><br/>In the introductory chapter, sections on critical realism and mixed methods research position the thesis theoretically and methodologically. The concepts at the centre of the thesis are synthesized into what is called an ecological-economic asymmetries approach. Further, the possibilities to base the approach on ecological Marxism and historical-geographical materialism are explored and a potential future research strategy sketched. <br/>}},
  author       = {{Warlenius, Rikard}},
  isbn         = {{978-91-7753-146-3}},
  keywords     = {{Environmental justice; Ecological debt; Ecologically unequal exchange; Environmental history; Ecological Marxism; Ecological economics; World system analysis}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  publisher    = {{Lund University}},
  school       = {{Lund University}},
  title        = {{Asymmetries : Conceptualizing Environmental Inequalities as Ecological Debt and Ecologically Unequal Exchange}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/19639121/Avhandling_inkl_omslag.pdf}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}