The school strikes to protest climate change has gone global. On Friday the 15th of March, students in more than 40 countries
are expected to participate.
Many articles and books have discussed the looming disaster
facing humanity as a result of climate change and explain the possible horrific
consequences, but few offer serious strategies for reversing further global
warming. To put it simply, if we don’t act now, we’ll leave the next generation
a devastated and degraded planet.
Given the news from scientific reports and
research, to save the planet the Socialist Party says what is to be done is to
support the concept of the common management of the Earth’s common goods, a proposed
alternative society of a socialist kind, ending the production of exchange
values for the benefit of the capitalist minority and replacing it with the
production of use values for the satisfaction of real human needs,
democratically determined. There is no other possible choice, no other possible
alternative to this mode of production. The
fight against climate change is an integral part of a larger perspective of
breaking with a capitalist economy based on the endless expansion of production
no matter the cost. No environmental movement can be apolitical.
Capitalism is the greatest threat to the planet’s well-being,
and the greatest obstacle to attempts to save it. It would be delusional wishful
thinking to believe it could be different with a good lobbying campaign from
the public. Without a vision of a better world, mass protests of ordinary
working people in response to climate injustice will likely go nowhere. The
fact is that capitalism can never be ‘green’ or ‘ethical’ and can never save
the world. Capitalism has never grown any kinder or more humane. Global warming
and the environmental crisis are the greatest challenges facing humanity. The
uncontrolled exploitation and gross waste of resources typical of capitalism,
is the source of this disaster. Shortsighted
hunt for profit, neglect and abuse of science under capitalism destroy the
world’s environment at an accelerating speed. Science, technology and industry
can be positive and beneficial to society, but private property and the
priorities of the ruling class create great problems. Our answer is that the
working class must organise to overthrow those who threaten the existence of
the people of the world. Only a planned socialist economy has strength to
remedy a future climate catastrophe.
Capitalism compromises our relation to nature. All
production decisions are made by a tiny handful of capitalists, not in the
interests of humanity, but purely for profit. Environmental concerns are
ignored in the short-term scramble for profit. The vast majority of the
population who want to live in a safe, healthy world, and to enjoy nature, have
no control over decisions that affect our lives. The market can never be
harnessed to develop a harmonious relationship with nature. Because it depends
on the exploitation of most of humanity, it must keep us subjected. Because its
motor force is profit, it will result in the blind destruction of the
environment. To appeal to the good will, common sense and even self-interest of
financiers and industrialists is to expect them to be able to abandon their
lucrative profits. It is a sterile policy. The history of struggle shows that
relying on the capitalist politicians brings no results. Capitalism is
incapable of undertaking corrective action. Any society capable of surviving
the ecological crisis must overcome the ceaseless addiction to
growth-for-the-sake-of-growth that marks capitalism. In other words, it must be
socialist. Half the battle is understanding the problem — the other half is
taking action.
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