We are surrounded by a wealth of technology and innovation. We are promised a world of plenty; a super-efficient system of production and distribution; and a life of leisure. And yet the reality is ecological crises, “secular stagnation”, and eye-watering inequality. In the first of a three-part article, Adam Booth examines the rise of the sharing economy.

In April 1961, Yuri Gagarin, the Russian cosmonaught, became the first person in space. Flight, and later space travel, were once viewed as an indication of humanity’s progress and ability to overcome even the most enormous of obstacles. But the recent explosions of two private space ventures demonstrate the barrier that capitalism has become in our exploration of the stars.

With the planet facing environmental crises, some have sought to bring about change through individual efforts, trying to change the environmental practices of corporations by altering individual purchasing choices. We publish here an article by Kevin Harriman and Kevin Nance of Socialist Appeal USA, who look at the question of consumerism and the environment under capitalism, and explain the socialist alternative.