Four reasons why we need an ecosocialist future
The Rising Tide people’s blockade of the world’s largest coal port is set to be the largest mass protest against the climate emergency this year.
Last year was the hottest on record and it looks likely that this year will be even worse. The world is on track to warm more than 3°C above pre-industrial levels, meaning mass environmental destruction, more intense weather events, food and water shortages. This will displace more than 1 billion people.
Ecosocialist Jason Hickel believes the problem is that we don’t control our own productive capacities, but that the problem “can be very easily solved and very quickly”.
Socialist Alliance believes society needs to be radically restructured around the needs of people and ecology, not profits.
Here are reasons why we need ecosocialism.
1. Capitalism is an ecosystem-destroyer
The drive for ever-growing profits prevents any significant effort to address the climate crisis.
Despite the lower cost of renewable energy, public funds are still being pumped into destructive fossil fuel projects and, as a result, those corporations are making huge profits.
Governments, including Australia’s, continue to provide significant subsidies — 7% of global gross domestic product — to fossil fuel corporations.
At the same time, the capitalists’ pursuit of profit drives the destruction of vital ecosystems and increases toxic waste and species extinction.
Some believe in “green capitalism”, arguing that the rapid development of renewable energy systems and other “green” technologies, such as electric cars, is the solution.
But leaving the urgently-needed transition to big business simply allows fossil fuel giants to squeeze as much profit from known reserves, even as they invest in renewables.
Any system based on the never-ending drive for profits is not a solution to the climate crisis.
2. Oppressive power relations are not sustainable
The ecological disaster is playing out along colonial lines. The richest countries are responsible for about 90% of all emissions that are driving the climate breakdown. Meanwhile, the Global South suffers 80–90% of the economic costs and damages and 99% of deaths inflicted by climate breakdown.
The Global North owes an estimated $192 trillion in climate reparations to the Global South. The latter also need control of their own resources, labour and land, if they are to withstand the climate emergency.
However, to maintain their economic dominance, the United States and, to a lesser extent Australia, spend trillions on militarisation and “defence”.
Australia is pumping at least $368 billion into the AUKUS nuclear submarine program, with universities encouraging subjects to help weapons and defence industries.
Making Australia a so-called “green superpower” — Labor’s re-election promise — is all about helping private companies manipulate Australia’s natural advantages to sell energy to Asia.
A big injection of public funding into ecologically sustainable public housing, public renewables and public transport would be a better way to ensure a climate-safe future.
This would reduce emissions while providing urgently needed homes for the millions struggling with housing security.
Tackling the climate crisis means tackling inequality, including liberating people from oppressive social inequalities such as racism, misogyny and other forms of bigotry.
It means supporting First Nations-led campaigns for justice, sovereignty and land rights.
3. Workers have the power to change the system
As capital becomes concentrated in the hands of a few, they can appear too powerful to challenge.
But, as Karl Marx explained in Capital, “Capital is not a thing, but a social relation between persons”.
It is the power to force others to work for the profit of the owners of capital. Workers have the power, collectively, to pull the plug on this power.
The workers’ movement is weak, as union densities have dropped to an all-time low.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is also helping to smash the most militant union — the Construction Forestry Mining and Employees Union.
Ecosocialism supports workers’ campaigns for better wages and conditions because taking real action on the climate would also help deliver jobs in the housing, transport and energy sectors.
As Jess Spear told the Ecosocialism 2024 conference: “We are not just ecosocialists when we are campaigning about the environment and socialists the rest of the time. We are ecosocialists when we are trade unionists and housing activists.”
The Rising Tide blockade is an opportunity to build the networks and solidarity between environmental and workers’ movements that are needed to build this better world.
4. Liberation from wage slavery opens the road to a better world
Restructuring society around our needs, instead of profits, would mean radically shortening work hours and scrapping “bullshit jobs”.
Vast technological change has not liberated workers, as was once hoped, but simply boosted profits.
Long after winning the eight-hour workday, many are working longer hours, often with two, three or more jobs.
Many of these jobs serve only to boost profits, and don’t benefit society in any meaningful way.
Scrapping “bullshit jobs” and reducing work hours — without reducing pay — would mean more social and leisure time for workers.
We need to free up the time, energy and creativity of the majority to build and run the new structures of people power needed to democratically restructure society around the needs of people and the planet.
Unless we build this new people’s power, the corporate profiteers will destroy our future.
[Find out more about the 2024 People’s Blockade. Isaac Nellist is a member of the Socialist Alliance National Executive.]