Ideas for a Sustainable Future: An Introduction

‘Sustainability’ is neither new nor an old concept of critical inquiry. It evolved in response to ecological challenges and environmental crisis of dominant economic systems shaped by capitalism in early nineteenth century (Magdoff & Foster, What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know About Capitalism, NYU Press, 2011). The inherent perilous nature of capitalist system has produced social, economic, cultural, and political processes and systems, where few controlled and exploited people and the planet. The alienation of human beings and alienation of nature (Foster, Marx’s Ecology: Materialism and Nature, Monthly Review Press, 2000) is the direct outcome, which led to an uneven and unsustainable world, where commodification is central to the processes of production and reproduction the pyramid of profit. It is within this context, ‘sustainability’ emerged as if it is a panacea for all ills of capitalism. With the idea of ‘sustainability’ increasing as a dominant discourse increasing its prevalence across all sectors and sections of our social, economic, cultural, and political life.