Revolution of Green Economy for the Sustainable Development of Neoliberal Capitalism

This paper examines the rapidly developing discourse of a green economy depending on green development. It illustrates the contradictions and disputes inherent in this discourse, like the misconception of separating growth from the ecosystem, pollution and consumption of resources. Using key conceptual frameworks from both Polanyi and Gramsci, the paper argues that the green economy discourse may be viewed as a Gramscian “passive revolution” whereby the powerful sustainable development discourse, swallowed up by cultural hegemony, is covered in the global environmental context, development and economic crises. The “neoliberalization of nature” or, in other words, nature privatization, marketing and commodification, similar to the fictitious commodities of Polanyi, continues and intensifies with green growth strategies. Developing the economy and accompanying green growth strategies divert attention away from sustainability's political and social dimensions and social and global justice issues. In this way, the industrial capitalism's inexorable march or “sustainable development” is preserved. This paper demonstrates the claim of the development of green economy with the help of the civil society against the nature of neoliberalisation.