Analysis of Neoliberalism and Climate Change Policy

This essay explores the complex relationship between neoliberalism and climate change policy. It begins by defining neoliberalism as a set of political and economic ideas that prioritize free market competition and individual responsibility. The essay argues that neoliberalism, while offering potential solutions through depoliticization and individual action, presents challenges in addressing climate change due to its emphasis on limited governmental regulation and public expenditure. It examines how neoliberal policies, such as those promoted by international organizations, can hinder effective responses to global warming by reducing funds for environmental initiatives and relying on individual actions rather than collective responsibility. The essay also discusses the limitations of neoliberalism in developing countries, where rapid industrialization and economic growth often overshadow environmental concerns. Ultimately, the essay questions the effectiveness of neoliberalism in achieving meaningful climate change mitigation, highlighting the need for a more balanced approach that considers both individual and societal responsibilities, as well as the role of governmental regulations and international cooperation.

Running Head: Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism
Essay
System04104
5/2/2019

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Neoliberalism and Climate Change policy
Climate change is a major concern all over the world and it requires global initiative
to reduce the carbon emission and other air pollutions which are the major causes behind
climate change. It requires a depoliticise decision from the countries where all world unites
against the actions which cause climate change. Neoliberalism is a way that helps the world
to depoliticise the issues and promotes the individual responsibility to take corrective actions
on the climate change issue. Neoliberalism is a set of political and economic ideas and
practices that helps a country to find a solution to the problems without any pressure or
regulation. Neoliberalism does not force any country, individual, or organisation to take any
step against climate change or any issue rather it gives full freedom to take action to control
the pollution and climate change issue in particular region or country. Neoliberalism focuses
on the value of free market competition. Neoliberalism is different from liberalism, but the
root of these two belongs to same 19th and 20th-century liberalisation initiatives of free trade
practices and giving free hand to labours (Bracking, 2015). However, the role of
neoliberalism in climate change is very crucial as it provides policies and frameworks to
different countries and rejecting the concept of capitalism where endless growth and wealth
creation intention of countries does not focus on climate change issues. As we all know,
countries all over the world are uniting over the climate change issue and adopt various
policies and strategies to control the world pollution. It requires self-interest free regulation
and implementation of strategies in all country. Neoliberalism provides political and
economic ideas that help to reduce the effect of climate change. The neoliberalism is just like
leissez faire liberalism. Fieldman argues, “The neoliberalism system adopted by different
countries produces defencelessness to climate changes and well debilitates effective
responses” (Carmody & Owusu, 2016).
The neoliberalism policy supports public and private sector organisations to take the
corrective initiative to control on climate change issue and reduces pollution without ant
governmental control or regulation. It provides freedom to entire
organisations/society/community within a country to take any action to control the climate
change issue and pollution control with self-responsibility (Ciplet & Roberts, 2017). The
government expects that people and organisations understand their roles to eliminate
environmental issues in the country. No government imposes ant bonds or regulation on any

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entity, organisation, or individual. The government does not care how much social damage
happens from the action or from this decision. One of the great examples of it is to provide
greater openness and freedom to people to take steps to reduce the impact of climate change.
However, the more difficulty in neoliberalism is to measure the impact, as it is not controlled
by any entity or government (Andrade, 2016). The various international community and
groups give freedom to all the countries to take the economic and political decisions to
control the pollution in the country. However, the main problem is that it supports cutting
public expenditure funds to reduce environmental pollution and issues. The government does
not focus on providing funds or financial resources to reduce pollution, rather it depends on
them how they can reduce it. It is totally a laissez-faire type of liberalism that has some
advantages and some disadvantages for society. The other key thing is that if the government
follows the Neoliberalism, then it reduces the regulation and strictness that might help to
reduce the climate change issue and pollution in the area. The government totally depends on
what people and organisations do to reduce pollution and reduce the climate change effect
(Dunlap & McCright, 2015).
The concept of neoliberalism focuses on individual responsibility towards climate
change rather than social responsibility. The neoliberalism concept eliminates the concept of
"public good" and "community" and replacing its individual responsibility to take the
corrective action to solve the problem. The major environmental protection groups like
UNFCCC and UNEP promoted the neoliberalism approach in various countries (Parr, 2015).
These organisations proposed this practice to solve the issue of global warming and financial
issues in the world. The main purpose is to promote this strategy is to reduce the funds and
financial help, which was given to different countries to reduce the pollution issues and
implement proper policies to control the emission rate (Lukacs, 2017).
The concept of neo-liberalism is mainly focussing on individual responsibility to take
actions against carbon emission, minimise the fossil fuel consumption, planting trees, and
taking all the steps that reduce the effect of greenhouse gases and climate change issues on
the earth. However, the fossil fuel corporations have nothing to do with it and these
corporations rendering these efforts extraneous. Large numbers of companies are responsible
for fossil fuel emission and polluting environment for their benefit and maximising the profit.
The matter is that what if the government will not regulate them with strict environmental
laws. Every people and organisation in days is thinking about their self-growth and

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development. The same concept applies to every country that every country wants to become
a developed country. Is this self-interest of organisation and nation making the neoliberalism
policy effective in future? The answer is no. One of the great examples of it is China, where
the Chinese government never cares about the pollution rate and they are continuing polluting
the atmosphere behind their fast growth and development (Taylor Aiken, Middlemiss, Sallu,
& Hauxwell‐Baldwin, 2017).
The freedom of this type of country to pollute and the fixation on a feeble lifestyle
response will never be effective. The neoliberalism might be the result of ideological wars
among the nations because those countries which were fighting to reduce the carbon emission
from 40-50 years. The world should think about it again and it is not too late to reverse this
decision. The neoliberalism can be applied only in those countries or nations, which are
developed because they can control their growth and development to some extent, but how
this neoliberalism strategy can be successful in developing countries, which are continually
focusing on manufacturing and emitting a huge amount of pollution. It is still a serious
question for the whole world.

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References
Andrade, P. A. (2016). The government of nature: Post-neoliberal environmental governance
in Bolivia and Ecuador. In Environmental Governance in Latin America (pp. 113-
136). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Bracking, S. (2015). The anti‐politics of climate finance: the creation and performativity of
the green climate fund. Antipode, 47(2), 281-302.
Carmody, P., & Owusu, F. Y. (2016). Neoliberalism, urbanization and change in Africa: The
political economy of heterotopias. Journal of African Development, 18(18), 61.
Ciplet, D., & Roberts, J. T. (2017). Climate change and the transition to neoliberal
environmental governance. Global environmental change, 46, 148-156.
Dunlap, R. E., & McCright, A. M. (2015). Challenging climate change. Climate change and
society: Sociological perspectives, 300.
Lukacs, M. (2017). Neoliberalism has conned us into fighting climate change as individuals
[online]. Retrieve from:
https://cours.univ-paris1.fr/pluginfile.php/781796/mod_resource/content/1/Climate
%20Change%20articles.pdf
Parr, A. (2015). The wrath of capital: neoliberalism and climate change politics–
reflections. Geoforum, 62, 70-72.
Taylor Aiken, G., Middlemiss, L., Sallu, S., & Hauxwell‐Baldwin, R. (2017). Researching
climate change and community in neoliberal contexts: an emerging critical approach
[online]. Retrieve from: https://orbilu.uni.lu/bitstream/10993/30446/2/Taylor
%20Aiken%20et%20al.%20%282017%29.pdf