The COP-OUT in Glasgow

 

COP26 is the means of the politicians and the industrialists of providing themselves with alibis that they are not responsible for poisoning our planet

 The chief sources of greenhouse gases result from the burning of oil and coal. Those who profit from this air-poisoning process are the present energy industries that collectively have become the largest single profit-hungry entity in the world. As such, they have significant profit-oriented interests and relations with cars, shipping, transportation, banking and other major industries, as well as with governments that exist primarily on fossil fuel revenues.

Socialism, of course, could not immediately clear the atmosphere of the already accumulated greenhouse gases. Socialism could and would set corrective processes in motion by eliminating the anarchy and duplication characteristic of capitalist production; by putting an end to the massive production of armaments; by ending the use of fossil fuels wherever possible; by the elimination of a host of other wasteful industrial activities and polluting practices that are part and parcel of the capitalist system and the mad drive for profits that it engenders. It would, thereby, provide time and resources to our researchers and scientists to enable them to discover and/or develop alternative non-polluting energy sources, even as nature begins to clear the atmosphere. It is awaiting only the passage of more time to reveal themselves as grim testaments to the antisocial character of capitalism. Only a socialist world can promote the type of cooperation necessary to ensure resources sufficient for everyone's needs. Unfortunately, capitalism is still the system under which we are trying to live. The aggressive ambitions of the capitalists to get big profits, and quickly, preclude any possible consideration of more sensible policies. Remedies require a socialist reconstruction of society.

Realistically, only a society that has purged itself of property and profit interests can cope with such problems as global warming in a truly objective and scientific way. Only such a society can view global warming and other environmental problems rationally and survival problems, hence giving them the first-rank place of importance they deserve. Socialism will be such a society. By terminating the rule of private interests and the motivation of profit, by making the life and welfare, hence the environment, of human beings paramount, socialism will enable us to marshal all of our scientific knowledge and physical resources for the solution of this urgent problem. The real threat to capitalism and the crimes that capitalism commits against nature and humanity is an informed and active working class that is willing to take control of all industries. Only socialism can satisfy our needs while operating all the industries in harmony with the best interest of the whole planet. However, until the working class decides that it must take control of the economy and establish a new form of democratic government based on collective and democratic ownership of the economy, all creatures on earth will continue to suffer under the capitalist dictum of "business as usual." Not until workers take over the industries within a cooperative commonwealth of labour, bring us a response to our needs. 

Scientific and technological advances in agriculture have brought bountiful harvests. Throughout the undeveloped and developing world, for example, transnational agricapitalists, sometimes collaborating with local landowners, have dispossessed peasants from subsistence farming. They have turned much of the best land over to producing cash crops for export to American and European markets because profits are higher than in producing foodstuffs for local consumption. Displaced landless peasants can't find jobs as wage workers. Millions starve, not because food isn't available, but because they don't have the income to buy it. To a lesser degree, the spectre of hunger also haunts exploited workers in the advanced capitalist countries, especially the growing numbers of permanently unemployed. Food insecurity amid plenty strikes many people as an absurd paradox. However, under a system in which commodities -- including food -- are produced for sale with a view toward profit, it is perfectly logical. A socialist reconstruction of society is required to eliminate the cruel and preventable absurdity of people going hungry and starving in a world choking on "too much” food.

The world's population approaches the 8-billion mark last month with the usual expressions of concern from ruling-class officials, editorialists, professors and other smug ideologues about the problems of "overpopulation." Some even sought to exhume the discredited theories of Thomas Malthus. But is the real cause of these problems overpopulation, and is the solution to restrict population? Africa exposes the error of assuming that "too many people, not enough food" is the problem - is the fact that most countries on the continent have extremely low population densities and continue to export food to foreign markets for sale even as it received aid to feed its own hungry population. Malthusian theory cannot explain such facts. But Marxian theory can, showing them to be the consequences of the basic economic laws of capitalism and of other forms of class rule. millions of peasants have been displaced from subsistence agriculture as landlords have consolidated huge tracts of land to produce cash crops for export. These economies are left underdeveloped by the predatory practices of companies from the developed nations, which gain control of resources and exploit labour at a high rate. Such economies cannot grow fast enough to absorb the displaced peasants and natural increases in population.

With unemployment widespread and wages kept incredibly low, people lack the income to purchase the food they need to help ensure high prices and profits for agribusinesses.

It is not population growth, but the profit-motivated capitalist system that causes their reckless squandering and waste of other natural resources as well. The production of weapons, for example, and maintenance of large military forces consume huge quantities of resources from iron ore to petroleum. In a sane society, those resources would be used to improve the quality of life. Capitalism is likewise characterised by the needless duplication of commodities and planned obsolescence.

Similarly, the profit motive gives capitalists no incentive to curb the industrial pollution that is seriously damaging the environment or to rely on renewable sources of energy instead of finite supplies of fossil fuels, whose combustion further pollutes the atmosphere.

Overpopulation is not the immediate problem facing the world. The problem is that class rule and the profit motive stand in the way of the intelligent, environmentally sound production and equitable distribution of the goods and services needed to satisfy human needs and wants. This is not to say that it will never become necessary or desirable for society to set some limits on population growth. But, it should be noted, first, that population growth tends to slow down on its own as standards of living rise. In fact, in some advanced capitalist countries, populations are actually beginning to fall. A socialist society would likely extend the same trend worldwide.

 As Engels noted, "If at some stage communist society finds itself obliged to regulate the production of human beings, just as it has already come to regulate the production of things, it will be precisely this society, and this society alone, which can carry this out without difficulty."

Only a society based on economic democracy can ensure that social policies will automatically be based upon society's solidarity.