Preparing for Collapse: The Concerning Rise of “Eco-Survivalism”

Abstract

This article raises concern about the growing embrace of “eco-survivalism”—an environmental discourse motivated by the idea of “riding out” what is seen as the inevitable collapse of the global economy and human population caused by severe environmental degradation. First, we identify this environmental discourse and differentiate it from other leading contemporary environmental discourses which are primarily motivated by the challenge of averting collapse. Second, we show how the rise and spread of eco-survivalism today is catalyzed by the growing perceived urgency of the global environmental crisis as conditioned by neoliberal capitalism. Finally, we consider some of the concerning implications of its rise, including the emergence of environmental defeatism, the depoliticization of environmental action, and the reification of socio-economic injustices (in terms of who is deemed worthy of “surviving”).