Revisiting environmental concern: the role of the United Nations in development management

Abstract

The intervention of global capital through primitive accumulation is causing immense economic and ecological suffering, particularly among the poorer areas of the less-developed world. The United Nations has taken various actions in the less-developed regions of the world to deal with these concerns and at the same time to obtain a balance between the environment and the market or capital. This article explores the role of UN in administering the resulting environmental crisis through a process of 'development management' which is more about consolidating 'governmentality' in the developing world than reaching a solution to the poverty and environmental destruction driven by capital.

Key Words: neoliberal capital; governmentality; primitive accumulation; environmental concern; development management; United Nations