Idea, Sovereignty, Eco-colonialism and the Future

Abstract

This article argues that human-caused climate change reveals previously unrecognised or overlooked aspects of the liberal concept of private property. It suggests that the concept of private property facilitates the ‘climate-change relationship’, a connection between human activities, the natural world and the human consequences of climate change. Based upon this link, the article offers four reflections on private property and its role in global phenomena like climate change: first, that the ‘idea’ of private property (the popularly held belief about what it is) is a primary culprit; second, that private property is ‘sovereignty’, power over others, which gives its holders global reach; third, that because the idea informs the exercise of sovereignty, private property makes eco-colonialists of individuals; and finally, that the future of private property may require us to give greater attention both to a shift in the idea and a global focus regarding the concept. While these ruminations are preliminary and programmatic, what they necessitate is further research and a willingness to rethink and reconceive the liberal foundations of the way we live with and relate to others.

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