Failing Forward – The Rise and Fall of Neoliberal Conservation

"Failing Forward reveals the neoliberal emperor's green clothes to be utterly threadbare. In this important book, Robert Fletcher explains the troubled persistence of neoliberal conservation in the face of serial failure. In a stirring call to arms, he demonstrates why post-capitalism is the only real alternative in our era of environmental calamity. Revolution, not reform, is the answer--however formidable a challenge that may be."--Noel Castree, author of Making Sense of Nature and coauthor of David Harvey: A Critical Introduction to His Thought

"In this incisive account of the rise and fall of the neoliberal conservation movement, Fletcher exposes a project not only failing forward but flailing about, transfixed as it is on the impossible destination of capitalist sustainability. Failing Forward is a work of trenchant and transformative critique, culminating in a post-capitalist vision of radical environmentality."--Jamie Peck, author of Constructions of Neoliberal Reason

"In this original and important book, Fletcher shows that neoliberal conservation is a dangerous illusion. It neither creates profitable markets nor protects nature, and it promises to reduce state regulation while actually expanding it. Fletcher argues that capitalism cannot solve the ecological contradictions it creates and is not the right place to look for ways to save nature. Falling Forward calls instead for a post-capitalist transformation, not least in global conservation policy."--Bill Adams, Claudio Segré Professor of Conservation and Development, Geneva Graduate Institute