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Discussion begins on
Second Ecosocialist Manifesto

At the founding Ecosocialist International Network meeting in Paris last October Ian Angus, Joel Kovel and Michael Lowy were delegated to draft a Second Ecosocialist Manifesto.

They have now finished the draft and have submitted it for open international discussion. It can be downloaded in PDF form from the Ecosocialist International Network website:

We will have French and Spanish texts available soon, and will gladly receive and post translations into other languages.

After the discussion, the draft will be returned to the 3 authors for a final drafting which will take into account the feedback from the group. The final text will be then submitted to vote at the upcoming EIN meeting in Belem, Brazil in January 2009.

The process will be guided by a subcommittee of the EIN steering committee, composed of Danielle Follett (France), Pedro Ivo (Brazil), Beatriz Leandro (Brazil), Roxanne Mitralias (Greece), and Judith Watson (Britain).

The initial discussion will take place on the EIN yahoogroup mailing list. It is open to anyone who wishes to participate. Instructions on how to join the list are on the Contact page. When contributing to the discussion on the manifesto, please indicate this in the subject heading of the message.

We plan to extend the discussion process on a wiki which is now being set up, but please submit your comments on the mailing list first. The deadline for comments is July 1.

We hope this discussion is rich and constructive, and will produce a text that we can all adopt.

First International Ecosocialist Meeting

(This official announcement was issued following the international meeting of ecosocialists in Paris, October 7-8, 2007)

[espanol]

On October 7th and 8th 2007, a group of ecological activists from thirteen countries met in Paris to inaugurate the Ecosocialist International Network. The Ecosocialist Manifesto, written some years ago by Joel Kovel and Michael Löwy, was the starting point for this initiative. “Ecosocialism is a word that does not yet appear in any dictionary,” said one of the conveners of the event, “yet we believe that it represents the single best hope for healing the planet and saving society from ecological devastation.”

More than 60 activists from Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States belonging to various political parties and ecological movements took part in this meeting. It was decided to organize a larger ecosocialist international conference on January 2009, in association with the next World Social Forum in Brazil.

The conference elected a coordinating committee which will help to develop the network in its opening phase; its members are:

  • Ian Angus (Canada)

  • Pedro Ivo Batista (Brazil)

  • Jane Ennis (Britain)

  • Sarah Farrow (Britain)

  • Danielle Follett (USA/France)

  • Vincent Gay (France)

  • Joel Kovel (USA)

  • Beatriz Leandro (Brazil)

  • Michael Löwy (France/Brazil)

  • Laura Maffei (Argentina)

  • George Mitralias (Greece)

  • Jonathan Neale (Britain)

  • Tracy Nguyen (Britain)

  • Ariel Salleh (Australia)

  • Eros Sana (France)

  • Derek Wall (Britain)

The committee intends also to incorporate members from China, India, Africa, Oceania and Eastern Europe.

Ecosocialists believe that the driving force of the ecological crisis is the ruthless pressure of the capitalist system to expand, in a process which destroys not only the integrity of nature but also the ecological basis of human survival. They therefore reject pseudo-solutions that only adjust the system, and seek basic changes in society and its relationship to nature.

Ecosocialism is a dynamic synthesis between ‘red” and ‘green’ approaches. It has no fixed blueprints for transforming society and takes a critical viewpoint toward the experiences made in the name of socialism during the last century.

Ecosocialists are united in the belief that if we are to have a worthwhile future, the whole world needs to come together to drive capitalism from the stage and create an alternative society based on principles of social and environmental justice as well as popular participation. Thus the network sees itself as enabling communication and solidarity among the ever-increasing numbers of people and organizations who are coming to this realization.

For further information, please consult www.EcosocialistNetwork.org.

Red ecosocialista internacional

El 7 y 8 de octubre de 2007, un grupo de militantes ecologistas de trece países se encontró en París para inaugurar la Red Ecosocialista Internacional. El Manifiesto Ecosocialista Internacional, escrito hace unos años por Joël Kovel y Michael Löwy, fue el punto de partida de esta iniciativa. ' Ecosocialismo' es una palabra que no aparece todavía en ningún diccionario, declaró uno de los promotores del evento, pero creemos que éste representa la única y mejor esperanza para la recuperación del planeta y para la salvación de la sociedad de la devastación ecológica".

Más de 60 militantes de Argentina, Australia, Bélgica, Brasil, Canadá, Chipre, Francia, Grecia, Italia, Suiza, Reino Unido y los Estados Unidos, pertenecientes a partidos políticos y a movimientos ecologistas diversos, participó en la reunión. Decidieron organizar una gran conferencia ecosocialista internacional en enero de 2009, ligada al próximo Foro Social Mundial en Brasil.

Los participantes eligieron un comité de coordinación que se hará cargo de desarrollar la red en su fase inicial. Los miembros de éste son: Ian Angus

(Canadá), Pedro Ivo Batista (Brasil), Jane Ennis (Reino Unido), Sarah Farrow (Reino Unido), Danielle Follett (Estado-Unis/France) Vincent Gay (Francia), Joël Kovel (Estados Unidos), Beatriz Leandro

(Brasil), Michael Löwy (France/Brésil), Laura Maffei (Argentina), George Mitralias (Grecia), Jonathan Neale (Reino Unido), Tracy Nguyen (Reino Unido) Ariel Salleh (Australia), Eros Sana (Francia) y Derek Wall (Reino Unido). El comité tiene también la intención de incorporar a miembros de China, India, Africa, Oceania y Europa del Este.

Los ecosocialistas creen que la fuerza motriz detrás de la crisis ecológica es la presión despiadado del sistema capitalista hacia la expansión, un proceso que no sólo destruyó la integridad de la naturaleza sino también la base ecológica de la supervivencia humana. Por eso rechazan las soluciones parciales que sólo ajustan al sistema, y buscan cambios fundamentales en la sociedad y en su relación con la naturaleza.

El ecosocialismo es una síntesis dinámica de las aproximaciones "rojas" y "verdes". No tiene un plan fijo para la transformación de la sociedad y adopta un punto de vista crítico hacia las experiencias realizadas en nombre del socialismo durante el último siglo.

Los ecosocialistas tienen en común la convicción de que la creación de un futuro habitable requiere que el mundo entero trabaje junto en la eliminación del capitalismo y la construcción de una sociedad alternativa, fundada en los principios de la justicia social y ambiental así como en la participación popular. Por consiguiente, la la red se propone facilitar la comunicación y la solidaridad entre las personas y organizaciones siempre más numerosas que compartan esta perspectiva.

Para más de información, ver www.ecosocialistnetwork.org.