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Eco-authoritarianism, ecological authoritarianism or authoritarian ecology is an ideology merging aspects of authoritarianism with that of green politics, ecology and alter-globalization or anti-globalization.[1] The fundamental belief in eco-authoritarian thought is the emphasis placed on sustainability and democracy’s incapability in helping humanity secure survival.[2]

Eco-authoritarians generally believe that the misgivings of non-authoritarian governmental systems are responsible for social exclusion, poverty, war, environmental degradation, and other consequences of climate change.[3] It was inspired by The Limits to Growth and its conclusion that there are physical limits to growth and that without dramatic changes in all areas of life, Earth is doomed to become uninhabitable. As such, eco-authoritarians prefer dictatorial and technocratic forms of government. As problems such as climate change continue to remain unaddressed at a global scale, voices asking for stricter measures are likely to grow louder.

Eco-authoritarianism has emerged as a viable governmental system amidst increased recognition of the tradeoffs and lack of legitimacy of unsustainable politics in a democracy. State interference is claimed to already occur in the interest of public safety in other areas – as such, eco-authoritarians do not see why this should not extend to the area of climate change. Arguments presented by eco-authoritarians even extend to the consumption of natural resources – according to members of this school of thought, fully equal access to natural resources is inevitably conducive of overexploitation. The two primary examples of eco-authoritarian systems currently in place are that of China and Bhutan.[4]

Criticism

Academic Shahar argues that from an economic perspective, eco-authoritarianism is less sensical than more liberal systems. He presents evidence for the view that positive economic indicators from countries such as China hide an actual negative ecological track record behind growth.[5] [1] SHAHAR, DAN COBY. “Rejecting Eco-Authoritarianism, Again.” Environmental Values, vol. 24, no. 3, White Horse Press, 2015, pp. 345–66, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43695234.

[2] https://www.thegovernancepost.org/2020/10/playing-with-fire-green-dreams-of-eco-authoritarianism/

[3] Fent, A. M. (2018). Dreams of Eco-Dictatorship: Senegalese Democracy in the Age of Environmental Crisis. Ufahamu: A Journal of African Studies, 40(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/F7401037785 Retrieved from https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7nz6p6t2

[4] https://theworld.org/stories/2021-01-14/green-china-where-authoritarianism-and-environmentalism-meet

[5] SHAHAR, DAN COBY. “Rejecting Eco-Authoritarianism, Again.” Environmental Values, vol. 24, no. 3, White Horse Press, 2015, pp. 345–66, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43695234.

Mingming Li's research indicates that China's environmental policies have better benefitted from ecoauthoritarian principles.