A POSTCAPITALIST PARADIGM: THE COMMON GOOD OF ...

First, we must outlaw the private ownership of what are called ‘natural
resources’: i.e. minerals, fossil energies and forests. These are the common
heritage of humanity, and cannot be appropriated by individuals and
corporations, as happens now in the capitalist market economy – in
other words, by private interests that ignore externalities and aim at
maximizing profits. A first step in a transition, then, is for countries to
recover sovereignty over their resources. Of course this does not necessarily
ensure the desired result of a healthy relationship with nature:
national enterprises often operate with the same capitalist logic, so that
State sovereignty would not necessarily imply a philosophy of respect
for nature rather than its exploitation. The internationalization of this sector
would be the next step, but only on condition that the relevant institutions
(like the United Nations and its agencies) are made really
democratic: in many cases they are still under the influence of the dominant
political and economic powers. The introduction of ecological costs
of all human activities into economic calculations is also a necessity,
making it possible to reduce these and to counter the utilitarian rationale
that excludes “externalities”: one of the reasons for the destructive nature
of capitalism.
Another aspect of the necessary prohibitions and constraints is the need
to forbid the commoditization of those elements necessary for reproducing
life, such as water and seeds. These are common goods that
must not be governed by commodity logic but should be handled in different
ways - which does not necessarily mean by the State, but under
collective control. In more concrete terms, this principle involves putting
an end to the monocultures that are preparing ‘the deserts of tomorrow’,
particularly those producing livestock feed and agrofuels. A tax on the
kilometres covered during the exportation of industrial or agricultural
products would make it possible to reduce both energy use and the contamination
of the seas. Other such measures could be proposed.
On the positive side, reserves that protect biodiversity should be extended
over more territory. The promotion of organic agriculture would
be part of this initiative, as would the improvement of peasant agricul-
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