No way am I defending the Gates foundation, but isn’t solar punk a form of techno-optimism? It’s definitely more of an appropriate-technology ethos, but solar punk to me depends inherently on the graceful application of technology to actually serve the needs of all.
No, when I say techno-optimism is the opposite of solarpunk, I mean it.
Techno-optimism is based on the view that there will always be some lone genius that eventually invents a miracle solution thanks to the invisible hand of capitalism.
Solarpunk is based on anti-capitalism, anarchism and the view that we already have all we need to solve the climate crisis, there’s no need to sit down and wait for a billionaire to save us with his AI-powered blockchain fried air.
Use of technology is inherent in the world-view of solar punk. Solarpunks don’t advocate for a return to hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Instead we advocate for ANY political changes needed to achieve the social and environmental ends we envision. Sorry, the anarchists don’t get to own Solarpunk. There are good ideas in those camps and I advocate we adopt them. Any acceptable definition of Solarpunk is going to need to be a bit more expansive, otherwise we fall prey to the leftist trap of a circular firing squad.
Bottom-up solutions whatever they are will still be based on technology.
No way am I defending the Gates foundation, but isn’t solar punk a form of techno-optimism? It’s definitely more of an appropriate-technology ethos, but solar punk to me depends inherently on the graceful application of technology to actually serve the needs of all.
No, when I say techno-optimism is the opposite of solarpunk, I mean it.
Techno-optimism is based on the view that there will always be some lone genius that eventually invents a miracle solution thanks to the invisible hand of capitalism.
Solarpunk is based on anti-capitalism, anarchism and the view that we already have all we need to solve the climate crisis, there’s no need to sit down and wait for a billionaire to save us with his AI-powered blockchain fried air.
Use of technology is inherent in the world-view of solar punk. Solarpunks don’t advocate for a return to hunter-gatherer lifestyles. Instead we advocate for ANY political changes needed to achieve the social and environmental ends we envision. Sorry, the anarchists don’t get to own Solarpunk. There are good ideas in those camps and I advocate we adopt them. Any acceptable definition of Solarpunk is going to need to be a bit more expansive, otherwise we fall prey to the leftist trap of a circular firing squad.
Bottom-up solutions whatever they are will still be based on technology.
I never said solarpunk should reject technology entirely and advocate for primitivism.
Nor that is equal to anarchism, just based on it.