Sustainability: a new order of justification

On what basis can we build an alternative? This chapter suggests that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals agreed upon by the UN member states can serve as a normative foundation for a socio-ecological transformation. With the help of these goals, orders of justification can be established that subject capitalism and the capitalist elites to constant tests. The more the status quo deviates from the SDGs, the more radical the delegitimisation of prevailing policies becomes. Ecological enlightenment makes a mistake if it hopes that mere knowledge of impending ecocide is enough to initiate a change for the better. In contrast to harmonist notions of community, the proposal is to take a more precise look at the conflictual nature of socio-ecological transformation. Above all, socialist agency means a willingness to engage in conflict. A balanced relationship between social and ecological sustainability deserves particular attention.