The grotesque jamboree that was COP26 has closed and statements have been issued to the press. The carefully-choreographed opinion pieces, the television news features claiming that “western democracies” are leading the fight to save the planet while portraying selected nations as villains, exist to reassure the gullible that capitalism is not the fundamental problem.
The political leaders of capitalism have once again put the interests of global corporations before those of the people and the environment. Popular forces have been let down once again.
Despite all the commentary from the corporate media, no mention is ever made of one of the most environmentally destructive spin by these leaders of global capital there is no mention made of one of the most environmentally destructive forces which continues to destroy ecosystems throughout the globe while wasting vast amounts of valuable resources: war. Wars both large and small, have seen imperialist powers inflict mass suffering by imperialism on many nations and peoples across the globe.
The dominant narrative in the press never mentions the plunder of nature, particularly in the Global South, by multinational corporations. The economic system that is dependent on such plunder is never held up to scrutiny, despite its being the root cause of the environmental catastrophe that humanity is approaching. We simply can not have permanent economic growth on our planet of finite natural resources.
Capitalism, however, needs permanent growth, since the absence of growing profits sends the system into crisis and recession. There is no green capitalism possible. We have reached a fork in the road in terms of human development globally
The choice is stark. Either we move beyond capitalism, and begin the necessary but difficult task of building a socialist future, or we face greater barbarism and, eventually, extinction.
We need to plan our future, to democratically manage all natural resources so they benefit everyone on our planet and not just the few. If we fail to do so, then humanity will dragged into an environmental abyss by the capitalist mode of production.
The future belongs to socialism and to those who fight for it.
