mike davis who will build the ark

Sav Ter devian

2 min read

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30-12-2024

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Who Will Build the Ark? Exploring Mike Davis's Vision of Climate Change and Collective Action

Mike Davis, the late, influential Marxist geographer and urbanist, didn't shy away from tackling humanity's most pressing challenges. His work, often characterized by its unflinching critique of capitalism and its devastating environmental consequences, frequently grappled with the looming specter of climate change. While he didn't explicitly write a book titled "Who Will Build the Ark?", his writings consistently raise this crucial question, implicitly arguing that the responsibility falls not on individual salvation but on collective, revolutionary action.

Davis's perspective on climate change wasn't merely a scientific assessment; it was deeply intertwined with his understanding of social and political structures. He viewed climate change not as an isolated environmental problem, but as a symptom of a deeply flawed system – a system that prioritizes profit over people and the planet. He saw the "ark," not as a literal vessel escaping a flood, but as a metaphor for the massive societal transformation needed to survive the ecological crisis. This transformation, he argued, couldn't be achieved through incremental adjustments or technological fixes alone.

His works, including Planet of Slums and Ecology of Fear, highlight the vulnerability of marginalized communities to environmental disasters. These populations, often disproportionately affected by pollution, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events, are precisely those who have contributed the least to the problem. For Davis, building the "ark" meant addressing these systemic inequalities and prioritizing the needs of the most vulnerable. This requires a fundamental shift in power dynamics, moving away from a capitalist system that prioritizes profit maximization to one focused on social justice and environmental sustainability.

The question "Who will build the ark?" implicitly points to the lack of leadership and the absence of sufficient collective action from existing power structures. Davis was highly critical of neoliberal policies and the failure of international agreements to meaningfully address climate change. He saw the task as falling to a global coalition of the marginalized and the concerned, a movement driven by a shared understanding of the existential threat and a commitment to radical social change.

This isn't to say Davis offered a blueprint for building this "ark." His work was more of a powerful critique, a call to action, and a warning. He challenged readers to confront the uncomfortable realities of climate change and the systemic injustices that exacerbate its impact. Building the "ark," in his vision, meant confronting these injustices head-on, fostering solidarity among the vulnerable, and demanding radical changes to our economic and political systems.

In conclusion, while Mike Davis didn't explicitly outline a detailed plan for constructing a metaphorical "ark," his writings provide a powerful framework for understanding the urgent need for collective action to address climate change. The question "Who will build the ark?" is not simply a rhetorical one; it’s a call to arms, a demand for radical transformation, and a testament to the power of collective resistance in the face of an impending ecological catastrophe. The answer, according to Davis, lies in the mobilization of those most affected and the dismantling of the systems that have created this crisis in the first place.