The threat of a global ecological crisis hangs over humanity
like the sword of Damocles. Despite concerns about what the next generations may
inherit and the extent that global warming might affect then, children has been
largely absent from the discussions. The
worldwide movement fighting for a more ecologically sustainable world has
travelled a long way. With few exceptions, debates about climate
change has seem to take place in a world without children. This has now all
changed with the arrival of Extinction Rebellion in the UK, Sunrise in the USA
and a series of world-wide walk-outs of school students from their classes
inspired by the sentiments expressed by 16-year-old Greta Thunberg who threw
down the gauntlet on behalf of the youth concerned about their future.
Socialist ideas are crucial in this situation. We know very
well what we’re fighting for. Capitalism is based on private property, of a
small class of people "owning" the Earth for the purpose of
exploiting it for profit. This system cannot be reformed. It is based on the
destruction of the earth and the exploitation of the people. There is no such
thing as green capitalism, and marketing recycled products and banning plastic
bags will not bring back the ecosystems that capitalism has destroyed to make
its profits. This is why serious ecologists must be socialists. Socialism is
not about redistributing the spoils of a raped planet more evenly and ending gluttonous
consumerism but is all about a more efficient and egalitarian way to produce
and distribute the natural and man-made wealth. One of the basic principles of
socialism is production for use, not for profit, that would not destroy the
earth. Socialism means organising human societies in a benign manner that is
compatible with the way that nature is organised. Modern society robs us of
community with one another and distances us from nature. We are taught to
emulate our masters and fill our homes with consumer goods beyond what’s needed
for comfort or even what we crave.
A serious critique of capitalism is essential to adequately
address the current world environmental crisis. Such concepts such as
“degrowth” and "carrying capacity" are clearly conceived in their
capitalist economic context. Too often blame for environmental destruction is
placed on the backs of individuals and their personal consumption habit and we
are exalted to "reduce, reuse, recycle, repair.” Eco-warriors demand that
we change our lifestyles and that we decrease our consumption as if capitalist
austerity policies have not done just that. The Socialist Party, instead, puts
forth a credible vision of abundance. It advocates a society consistent with
ecology that is sustainable, controlled from the bottom up, without a
profit-oriented economy that necessitates exploitation of nature and people,
that produces what people need. Without profit-seeking corporations or
bureaucracies ruling in their own interest and with democratic control of
economic activity we could realise the potential to recognise and stay within
the limits of the ecological carrying capacity of the earth. In modern society,
even with appropriate forms of technology, such as wind and solar for energy,
the need for industry cannot be simply wished away. Furthermore, certain
industries require centralisation for efficiency, and economy of scale actually
may reduce environmental impact in many of these cases. Take for example
transport: Each town cannot have its own factory to produce trains and trams.
While an ecological oriented society seeks sustainability,
the capitalist economy needs growth. This growth can be achieved by
producing more of the same things, or by making existing products bigger, more
complicated or with more elaborate different packaging, inventing new ways of
turning natural conditions into resources for exploitation, by finding
technical means for making more and more of our lives marketable, and by
investing great effort into creating new needs for consumption. Poor countries
are convinced or coerced into allowing toxic dumping on their land, the
plundering of their soils and sacrificing their forests to ‘development’ which
permits environmental degradation as a lesser evil. Greed, poverty and
ignorance are not independent factors but enacted in the name of practicality.
Unfortunately, there are misguided individuals in some parts
of the environmental movement today who claim that the root cause of
environmental problems is population growth which is troubling. While
population growth rates have slowed in many countries, environmental conditions
continue to get worse. Reducing population growth alone will not solve global
environmental problems. When women’s quality of life improves through increased
economic opportunities, better and more comprehensive health care services, and
access to education and political participation, population growth rates go
down. Once people have a basic level of material security they become
infinitely more productive and enrich their own societies. It is quite
feasible, materially speaking, to establish a universal welfare threshold for
everyone on earth – not as charity but as a right, simply by virtue of the fact
of being human. The world has never been so rich, and we have all the
organisational and technological skills needed, plus the capacity to monitor
distribution in order to prevent unnecessary waste. In other words, there are
no excuses for not changing the world.
Today’s transnationals are beyond the control of any national
government. In fact, governments are in the service of the corporations, its military
poised to defend their profits around the world. The only rational way of understanding
this process is that it is driven by rampant accumulation of capital, inherent
in the capitalist system which does not simply exploit labour but exploits
nature as well.
Our goal in the Socialist Party from the beginning has been
to promote the vision of socialism when the need for a socialist movement has
never been greater. We have urged our fellow-workers to become active
participants in the struggle to build a world free of exploitation. This system
cannot be stopped by force. It is violent and ruthless beyond the capacity of
any people’s resistance movement. The Socialist Party acknowledges the
inevitability of human action to change nature, but it recognises that this
interaction must be based on a rational informed, scientific and democratic
discussion of its consequences. It is not less human intervention we need, but
more intervention that enables people to consciously control their own destinies
on a world scale, instead of leaving it to the blind workings of market forces.
For more reading
https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2019/no-1374-february-2019/yes-greta-change-is-necessary-but-radical-change/
For more reading
https://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2019/no-1374-february-2019/yes-greta-change-is-necessary-but-radical-change/
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