VICTOR WALLIS, zendive at aol.com
Wallis is author of the new book Red-Green Revolution: The Politics and Technology of Ecosocialism. He will be speaking at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C. on Monday evening.

He writes: “The alternatives are sharply etched. The currently dominant forces, rather than join the fight against climate change, erect walls to block out its victims. By militarizing the problem, they not only draw resources away from any possible remedial steps; they also accelerate the spread of devastation.

“What other path can be chosen? That is the subject of this book. The short answer is that a radical power-shift is needed. But it’s one thing to recognize this and quite another to draw the indispensable majority into the struggle to achieve it. Part of that task consists in relating the overarching ecological goal to popular aspirations at every level. Another part consists in developing a political mechanism — a political force — that can embody and enforce the collective interest. Yet another involves discovering, explaining, advocating, and applying all the measures needed in order to slow down — and, where possible, reverse — the dangerous environmental trends. …

“The idea of a red-green revolution is not new, but its implementation becomes more urgent all the time. Ecological restoration cannot take place as long as capitalist expansionist priorities continue to dominate decision-making. Reshaping our economic priorities requires reshaping our social relations. Above all, it requires, creating governing institutions at all levels in which everyone has an active role and can be persuaded to participate.”

Wallis is professor of liberal arts at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He was written for New Political Science and Monthly Review and edited Socialism and Democracy.