The Contradictions of Capitalism, “Greening” of Capitalism and the Lessons From Fuzhou’s Socialist Ecocivilization Construction

Abstract

ABSTRACT There is a fundamental contradiction between the valorization of capital and the environment, between the infinite pursuit of the surplus value by the former and the finitude of the latter, between the abstract nature of capital and the diversity and concreteness of nature. Capitalism has begun to deal with this contradiction and initiated the process of “greening.” This was to save capitalism rather than nature, and the application of market mechanisms obscured an alternative path of governance. As part of that alternative path, the government of Fuzhou City actively used capital to restore and improve the environment, and provided ecological goods to the public in the process. However, since the internal contradictions within capitalism always exist, in the process of using private capital for ecological improvement the Fuzhou government still has to overcome its negative effects.