Raphael ThysSolarpunk & Post-Capitalism
Source: own design, vector graphics from Pixabay
The world right now appears to be on the verge of some fundamental shift. A devastating war is raging, revolutions and civil unrest are spreading across the globe, an increasing number of people are struggling to afford basic necessities, and the next hunger crisis could claim millions of lives.
In times like these, it is critical to remember that this is not a natural state of the world. Capitalism, the system that has led to this situation, is not eternal; we created it. Therefore, we, the people, also have the ability to change it. The ruling quasi-oligarchy will do everything it can to prevent this from happening. They will go to any length to conserve their wealth and power. It will fall on us to take it from them. No ruling system has ever been abolished without a revolution.
There is hope. One political movement, in particular, is built on this so very human emotion. In an age of increasing darkness and lack of community and compassion, Solarpunk offers hope. We have already discussed what Solarpunk is exactly, how it can change the world for the better, and its political implications and systems. You can catch up with this reading list:
An Introduction to Solarpunk
5 stories
In this article, we will look at potential economic systems that could support a Solarpunk society — specifically anarchist principles, Fully Automated Luxury Communism, and a resource-based economy — and how they differ from the capitalist model. We will also discuss how a Solarpunk society can sustainably produce energy and feed itself. In an upcoming article, we will then talk about transportation, housing, education, work, research, art, culture, and the role of diversity in a Solarpunk world.
Eco-anarchist ideology
To recap from previous articles: a Solarpunk society would reject the current quasi-democratic system of capitalist rule. Instead, it would adhere to fundamental anarchist principles of community, mutual aid, decentralization, freedom, and ecological self-sustainability. You can read more about these anarchist ideals and forms of organization here:
A Beginner’s Guide to Anarchism
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Solarpunk is not some liberal interpretation of green capitalism or social democracy, both of which aim to ‘improve’ the current system and make it more sustainable or socially just. The current system cannot be saved; it is so deeply flawed that there is no coming back. It has devastated our planet’s ecosystems, impoverished or killed millions and billions of people (this is no exaggeration or dramatization), sustained hunger and disease, caused wars, and produced the wealthiest people in human history.
No, Solarpunk is much more radical than that. It is fundamentally anti-capitalist and rejects the current system of exploitation almost in its entirety.
Solarpunk and anarchist ideals seem a natural fit. Source: own design, vector graphics from Pixabay
There are numerous approaches and possibilities regarding the economics of a Solarpunk society. As previously stated, anarchist forms of organization, such as non-hierarchical communes, when combined with the futuristic aspects of Solarpunk and the associated high levels of technological sophistication appear to be the ideologically most compatible approach.
In essence, this would imply self-sustaining and self-governing communes based on the aforementioned ideals of cooperation, mutual aid, and sustainability, as well as a rejection of all forms of exploitative and power-exerting hierarchies.
Solarpunk, by this definition, is synonymous with a type of technological eco-anarchism. There are, however, other possibilities as well.
‘Fully Automated Luxury Communism’ and a resource-based economy
Solarpunk is also closely related to the ideologies of Fully Automated Luxury Communism (FALC), as defined by Aaron Bastani (an introduction to FALC can be found here), and a resource-based economy (RBE).
Fully Automated Luxury Communism (FALC) and a resource-based economy (RBE) could be the economic systems of the future. Source: own design, vector graphics from Wikimedia Commons and Pixabay
At their core, both approaches see technological progress as humanity’s salvation, bringing an end to all forms of avoidable suffering and resource scarcity. Both FALC and RBE assert that in the near future, humanity will be able to provide a comfortable, or even luxurious, existence for everyone on the planet. Automation is viewed as a goal to strive for, rather than a threat. It would mean the end of all forced labor, allowing us to pursue our interests and passions.
An abundance of energy
This transition to a post-scarcity society would be supported by sustainable technologies and forms of energy production. Solar cells, for example, have the potential to render all other forms of energy production obsolete once they become sufficiently cheap and efficient. Solar energy also does not necessitate centralized authority and distribution, but can instead be used by communities to become self-sufficient and self-sustaining.
This can be supported by other sustainable technologies such as wind turbines, hydropower, or even fusion reactors. All of those could, in theory, be utilized to make communities or even individual households entirely independent in terms of energy.
Food for thought
Even more important than energy, however, is food production. While we still think of energy production as a highly centralized endeavor — coal or nuclear plants, for example, provide energy for a large area and multiple cities and communities — food production could be localized with much more ease. Although our highly globalized economic system has led us to believe that some regions are inherently dependent on food exports from other parts of the world, food production has historically been in the hands of local farmers and cooperations.
These localized economies were largely based on sustainable lifestyles, rejecting soil-degrading monocultures and the excessive use of pesticides and the like. To produce food on the same land for decades, if not generations, one must ensure that the soil can sustain continuous production.
Localized, independent, and sustainable agriculture has been the norm for centuries. Source: own design, vector graphics and background from Pixabay (edited)
This makes the use of diverse crops (and thus diverse nutrition), the protection of forests and other ecosystems, and a diet based primarily on plants not an economic impediment, but a necessity. Never before in human history have we consumed as much meat as we do today. Large swaths of land are used solely to feed cattle — a highly inefficient use of resources and energy. A significant portion of that land could be used to feed humans, to feed us.
By decentralizing energy and food production, we could significantly reduce the capacity for exploitation and extortion by which malevolent parties exert power over others and enrich themselves. In this sense, FALC and RBE directly convert to anarchist Solarpunk ideals.
The outdated ideas of capitalism and nation-states
Post-scarcity, however, would affect all industries and services, not just energy and food production. Consider an entirely self-sufficient city that produces more than enough resources for all of its inhabitants. Instead of pursuing profits and the doctrine of infinite growth, such a community could abandon capitalist principles, which require (artificial) scarcity to price goods and sell them at a margin, altogether. The capitalist organizational system will then appear as archaic as feudalism does today. Money itself will be rendered meaningless.
The end of capitalism and nationalism. Source: own design, background picture from Pixabay
Even the very concept of a nation-state with centralized control and power crumbles at the prospect of this new world of post-scarcity and decentralization.
Why would a self-sustaining community submit to the authority and whims of a remote entity? After all, the people who are affected are the ones who can make the best-informed decisions for themselves. However, it is precisely these ideas of self-determination and freedom that make the entire concept so dangerous.
Change is a dangerous idea
Some argue that we don’t need new grandiose technological innovations to overcome scarcity; that we already have the means to provide resource security and comfort for all. What is lacking is the political will to do so.
And, indeed, that does appear to be the most significant obstacle to any kind of political and economic revolution. For some, the concept of a free society devoid of exploitation and the exercise of power over others appears to be the very definition of dystopia.
One could argue that it is natural for humans to submit to some kind of higher power, whether religious or capitalist in nature — that we want someone or something to rule over us, to take away the responsibilities and difficulties related to self-determination and freedom. It makes life easier.
However, there are many things that are supposedly ‘natural’ for humans that we actively try to avoid. Violence, for example, could be argued to be an inherent part of the human condition. After all, even in nature, violence is ubiquitous. Still, we as a society agreed at some point to prevent violence and punish those who engage in it. Why then can’t we agree that the presumably natural desire for authority is detrimental to both individual happiness and society as a whole?
One part of the answer is that those in power today will do everything they can to prevent such an idea from gaining traction. Liberty and the ability to decide how you want to live your life are not profitable. There would be no one to rule over.
Power is an abstract concept. It comes to life when we collectively decide that it is real. As soon as the majority rejects it, it loses all meaning.
Money and wealth are imaginary numbers stored in computers or on paper; military power is directly dependent on the availability and willingness of individual soldiers — individual humans — to die for some abstract notion of nationalism or a constructed piece of propaganda (such as the US delivering ‘democracy’ to the rest of the world, while subjugating the Global South and extracting oil and other resources).
The circus comes to an end
The capitalist system of exploitation and infinite growth is not sustainable. It never has been. Source: own design, background picture from Pixabay
Since the days of colonization and slavery, the Western World has established a system that gives it more or less direct control over the planet’s resources. This system, through institutions like the IMF, the World Bank, the WTO, the UN Security Council, the G7, or the direct threat of economic and military interventions, feeds and sustains itself by exploiting the Global South — for example via neoliberal structural adjustment programs and debt mechanisms imposed by the IMF and the World Bank — and creating artificial resource scarcities that allow profits.
It seems the only way to change can happen is when the provision of ‘bread and circuses’ falls apart. In other words, when people are deprived of basic necessities and the means by which their anger and unhappiness are channeled towards superficial distractions.
Hungry people are angry people. Alert and vigilant people are dangerous people. This increases the potential for civil unrest and radical political upheaval.
There is no doubt that any threat to capitalist operations will be met with severe military consequences. The machine has never been more powerful and pervasive. To avoid a fascist dystopia, the rage and anger must be directed toward those responsible for it. For too long, change has meant the replacement of one system of exploitation for another.
Hello there. I hope you found this essay interesting. As a schoolteacher, I strive to inspire future generations. They will be the ones to inherit this planet, and they will have to do something meaningful with it. All generations before have failed.
You can directly support me and my work on Patreon or Ko-fi. Any help would be greatly appreciated! You can also become a Medium member or you can check out my bookstore. Every little bit helps. Subscribe so you never miss a new article and join the movement!
If you want to further educate yourself, I recommend the following books as a starting point (I receive commissions for purchases made through the following links — thank you for your support):
- The Divide by Jason Hickel — A disturbing account of the inner workings and consequences of the capitalist system, and how it causes and sustains inequality, poverty, and hunger.
- Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber — In this book anthropologist and convinced anarchist David Graeber explains how most jobs are complete and utter bullshit, perpetuated by a system bent on extracting wealth from the producing classes.
- Fully Automated Luxury Communism by Aaron Bastani — A thorough examination of current technological developments and how they will lead to a post-scarcity world. To reap the benefits, we must abolish capitalism.
You can also check out this reading list, full of articles on the capitalist dystopia we created for ourselves:
Capitalist Dystopia
16 stories
Sources and further reading
- Anarchism Subreddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Anarchism/
- Bastani, A. (2019). Fully Automated Luxury Communism. Verso Books.
- David Graeber. What is Anarchism? https://1000littlehammers.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/graeber_what_anarchism_screen.pdf
- Hickel, J. (2017). The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions. Random House.
- Resource Based Economy: A new vision for humanity. https://www.resourcebasedeconomy.org/
- Solarpunk subreddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/solarpunk/
- The Anarchist Library. What Is Anarchism? An Introduction. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/donald-rooum-and-freedom-press-ed-what-is-anarchism-an-introduction
- Wikipedia. Anarchism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism