It would seem that economies that reduce heavy reliance on the extraction of natural resources and encourage more sustainable industries are justly considered ‘green’. Often, however, the reality of the so-called ‘green states’ differs significantly from the claims of various labelling initiatives. The process of economic greening is somewhat superficial, and heavily based on the outsourcing of emissions. Alice Fitzsimons examines this in the context of two Australian states, and calls into question the legitimacy of ‘greenness’ of South Australia and other pioneer states.
Australia’s economic prosperity is widely ascribed to its abundant natural resources. The development of the mining, processing, and manufacturing industries that utilise these resources have brought considerable wealth to the nation. The response of resource-based economies, such as Australia’s, to the environmental movement is thus of particular interest. Environmentalism has gathered influence in Australian politics and policy from the 1970’s onwards. At the same time, mining…
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