WORLD WORLDWIDE ITALY UK News Journal Update - (en) Italy, FDCA, Il Cantiere #18: United Kingdom. Climate change has been the work of capitalism since the 1800s - Anarchist Communist Group (1) (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

 Actions by Extinction Rebellion, Stop Oil and Climate Strikes have helped put

climate change on the political agenda. However, there has been little or no
serious action by political parties and governments. The date for effectively
reducing climate change-causing emissions to zero is so far in the future as to
be meaningless, and deforestation and species loss continue at an alarming rate.
---- While the actions have highlighted the problems and mobilized thousands of
people, the overall approach is seriously flawed. First, making demands on the
government is symbolic at best. No government, whether Conservative, Labor or
Green, will take the necessary measures because they are deeply rooted in
capitalism. Any changes, such as carbon offsetting schemes and the creation of a
carbon credit market, will do little to address the ecological crisis, but will
certainly put huge profits in the hands of corporations and big landowners. In
essence, governments don't want to do anything that would hinder capitalism, and
since capitalism is the source of the problem, we cannot expect them to act. So
if we are to save the planet and ourselves, it is up to us and a clear
anti-capitalist strategy will be needed.
The specific demands of the "Big One" are far from great. A citizen-led democracy
to end the era of fossil fuels" is an unclear demand. The current political
system is supposed to be citizen-led, but that is far from the case. Does it mean
citizens' assemblies? But how are you going to ensure that the results will be
implemented by the government, which still holds the power? Even "ending the era
of fossil fuels" is a limited request. The ecological crisis is much broader than
the issue of fossil fuels. And without actually getting rid of big companies ,
their power is such that fossil fuel production will continue as long as it is
profitable, despite the demands of citizens' assemblies.
Even the expression "a just society that includes reparation" is not clear. What
is an equitable society? It could be a society where there is equal opportunity
in a hierarchical and class society. And how is this fair society achieved? Will
the ruling elite give up their power and wealth? "Reparation," which refers to
addressing the atrocious legacy of colonialism, will by itself do little to
address the current social injustice caused by global capitalism.
Nowhere is there talk of the need to put an end to a system, dependent on
continuous growth, in which profit has priority and in which power is in the
hands of those who own and control the world's wealth.
Only the revolution will guarantee us a society where people will be able to take
direct control of society and their own lives, and thus make decisions to save
the planet. This revolution must be global and get rid of global capitalism,
which has its roots and is still intertwined with colonialism. Anything other
than that is bound to fail.
Many recognize the scale of the problem and focus on the ecological crisis as a
whole. There are no simple solutions and a series of measures must be taken: Stop
using fossil fuels and switch to renewable sources for all energy, reduce air
travel and stop the expansion of airports, increase public transport, change
agricultural practices such as drastically reducing land use for livestock
farming and livestock feed crops, halting deforestation, preserving peatlands,
making homes more energy efficient.
To do anything about it requires challenging the power of business and of those
who own and control the land - the ruling class of capitalism.

Green Capitalism: Is This What We Are Fighting For?
Without explicitly identifying capitalism as the source of the problem, we end up
supporting a system that is identical to the current one, but which produces
different products and uses different energy sources. It will still be a system
in which the working class worldwide is exploited - in mines, factories and
industrial agriculture, which must continue to function to produce the consumer
goods that people want - and which is a source of profits for the multinationals.
Land grabbing will continue, with the displacement of local communities and
indigenous peoples.

The following two solutions, renewable energy and electric cars, are the most
popular of those proposed, not only by governments and companies, but also by
many climate change advocates. This is because they do not require major changes
in our lifestyles and therefore multinationals can continue to accumulate wealth.

Switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy

It is one of the main solutions proposed to solve the climate crisis and is an
important element of any strategy. However, renewable energy is not without its
drawbacks. Nuclear power should not be an option due to safety risks and waste
storage issues. It creates more problems than it solves.
Wind energy will be part of a new energy strategy. However, there are a number of
issues that are often overlooked or ignored by its proponents. First, wind
turbines take up an enormous amount of space. If we are concerned about the
ecological crisis in general - the loss of biodiversity - then we must be careful
about building huge industrial-scale wind farms on land that is home to many
species. Additionally, turbines have to be manufactured and transported, which
requires energy and resources. The rare earth minerals (neodymium and dysprosium,
plus small amounts of praseodymium) are needed. These aren't necessarily rare,
but they are very difficult to extract and the conditions for the workers are
terrible. 85% of these are in China. The turbines have a life span of 25 years,
so they have to be dismantled, manufactured and installed new. Also, if turbines
are erected in remote areas, such as in Scotland, roads need to be built, thus
further damaging land that has already been damaged often prized for its wild
qualities. For example, some wind farms in Scotland involve the destruction of
peatlands which are a major carbon sink. Although wind energy is a solution, we
need to carefully consider how, where and how much.
Similar arguments can be made for solar energy and hydroelectricity. Both require
resources, energy and would impact other species.

Electric cars

Electric vehicles will have to replace current models dependent on fossil fuels.
However, these vehicles also require energy to operate and therefore will use
electricity. One of the biggest problems is resource intensity. Richard
Herrington, head of the Natural History Museum's Earth Sciences department, has
calculated the amount of raw materials, including rare earth elements, that would
be needed to convert all of the UK's 31 million motor vehicles to electric
vehicles . (Rare earths are a group of 17 elements that includes neodymium, an
essential ingredient in electric motors). They found that this would require:
"twice the total annual production of cobalt, nearly all of the world's neodymium
production, three-quarters of the world's lithium production, and at least half
of the world's copper production in 2018"[https://thehill
.com/opinion/energy-environment/460496-electric-vehicles-wont-save-us-from-climate-change/].
This means that keeping the same number of cars in the world (with ever
increasing demand) is incompatible with a climate change strategy. It is
necessary to increase public transport, which can be electric, and drastically
reduce the use of cars.

Reduction of consumption and redistribution of resources.

Given the problems of renewable energy and electric cars, it is clear that there
is no obvious technological solution. While new 'green' technology will play a
major role, we need to consider how it is being used. Energy should be produced
and controlled as locally as possible, to allow for community control and
minimize waste. Also, the key to making sure it has the desired impact is to
actually reduce our consumption. What we need is to reduce growth and address
vast inequality around the world through redistribution. Degrowth does not mean
that the quality of life suffers. If you look at what we produce, such as the
arms industry, it is clear that we could afford to reduce production and still
live very well. Just look around to see all the waste and useless products.
Studies show that we already produce more than enough food to feed everyone.
Sure, those at the top should cut back on their consumption, but we can still
share the world's resources and wealth so that everyone lives well without having
to do horrendous jobs to provide the consumer goods valued by the better-off.

The economic system hinders change

Degrowth and redistribution are the only way to find a lasting solution to the
ecological crisis. This strategy requires a radical change in the system.
Capitalism, and the consumer culture on which it depends, needs continued growth.
And those who control and use most of the world's resources will struggle to
maintain their wealth. Capitalism and its pursuit of growth at any cost is the
root of the problem and therefore cannot be part of the solution.
Capitalism will try to adapt if enough pressure is applied. However, it will only
support solutions that provide for continued growth in production and
consumption. Even if it rushes to go green, there are sectors of capitalism that
can never be. For example, the fossil fuel industry will fight to the death to
preserve its existence. All over the world this industry keeps expanding and no
one seems to be doing anything about it. A huge coal mine, owned by an Indian
company, has been given the green light by the Australian government.
Explorations for new sources of oil continue apace in places like the Arctic. The
fracking industry has exploded across the western United States. It will not be
easy to stop this immensely powerful industry.
Another sector that will be difficult to manage is agriculture. It is a major
source of greenhouse gases due to the huge amount of livestock and chemicals used
in monoculture industrial agriculture. This means that to halt climate change we
will have to radically change land use, moving away from land use for livestock
and growing crops for livestock feed, and minimize the use of chemicals.
Achieving this goal will be challenging. Agribusiness is now a global industry
dominated by large corporations that control everything from seeds to product
distribution. Like the fossil fuel industry, they won't want to make any changes
to the way they operate. There is too much money at stake.
Food is a basic necessity and should not be controlled by those whose only
interest is profit. A major land reform is needed to be able to use the land to
produce quality plant products at affordable prices for all. Livestock will have
to be drastically reduced and grazed, integrated into the ecosystem, instead of
having to devote large tracts of land to growing food for them. These changes in
agriculture would reduce deforestation in places like the Amazon and free up land
for reforestation. But this can only happen if we think of the earth as a common
good, to be used for the benefit of all and to be managed and controlled by all.

The political system also hinders change

The power of multinational corporations and all those with vested interests in
the status quo means that we cannot rely on a government, even a truly committed
one, to take necessary action. School strikes, XR Rebellions and all other
actions of people around the world managed to raise public awareness and get
governments to deal with the crisis at least with words. However, so far we have
not seen any concrete action from those in power. In large part this is because
the government does not intend to take any action that challenges multinational
corporations and powerful business interests. The government declared a climate
emergency and then agreed to the expansion of Heathrow. Therefore, we cannot
trust the government to do anything. They will take action only if forced by mass
action, an even bigger and more demanding action than we have seen so far.

Building a mass movement
The movement for change needs to be much, much broader, it needs to involve a
wider range of people and be willing not just to make demands on the government,
but to directly challenge capitalism. Those who are at the points of production,
who have the power to stop everything, have a key role. Imagine the dock workers
refusing to let imported Brazilian soybeans into the country. Imagine fossil fuel
workers refusing to work any longer and demanding full pay until they find
alternative work. In 1976 Lucas Aerospace workers presented an alternative plan
to weapons production https://lucasplan.org.uk/story-of-the-lucas-plan/. Today,
Belfast shipyard workers, threatened with closure, plan to build renewable energy
infrastructure. This contrasts with the Unite union which has supported the
expansion of Heathrow. We must overcome the division between work and the
environment. Only with a complete system change can we address climate change and
social and economic justice issues. To address the ecological crisis, some
fundamental land-use changes are needed: changing the type of agriculture,
afforestation, clearing heaths, preserving peatlands and stopping fracking. The
problem is, we don't have control over it. Most land is in private hands and its
use is determined by what is profitable. The government can control land use to
some extent through subsidies and payments, but these have been used to prop up
the status quo. They are reluctant to question the landowner's basic right to
manage the land. Also, government lands are not well managed and we don't have
much control over political decisions.
Land reform campaigns are therefore crucial to developing an effective movement.
The earth should be a common good, owned by all of us and used for the public
benefit, which must include future generations. This way we would not only ensure
that the earth is used sustainably, but also that its products are shared by all
of us.
Land use campaigns can connect many issues and create a larger movement.

      * Anti-fracking
      * communities struggling against the injustices of local landowners, trying
to gain control of the land themselves
      * Campaigns Against Peat Bogs: Fight to reduce peat destruction, reforest
and support species persecuted by peat owners.
      * land workers who aim to gain access to land to grow quality and
affordable food
      * housing associations wanting land for sustainable housing or struggling
against gentrification and demolitions
      * communities struggling to maintain a local forest or beauty spot
      * groups who fight for the conservation of wild territories and to
encourage reforestation
      * campaigns for a better urban environment: air quality and traffic volume,
community gardens, green spaces and community centres

The actions of climate change activists will have helped bring more people into
the movement and could lead to more politicians verbally committing to action.
However, this is just one step on a very long road. Any commitment by governments
will collide with those who are at the origin of the climate crisis: the
multinationals (industrial, agri-food and extractive) and the financial
institutions that support them. They will not listen to reason or emotional
pleas. They will do everything in their power to make sure the government does
nothing but tinker and make superficial reforms. The essential capitalist system
will not be changed, because it is the basis of their profits and wealth.
Therefore, if we are to have any hope of displacing the monster before us, we
need a mass movement, much larger than what we are seeing now, which brings
together the working class in all its diversity. Developing this movement will
not be an easy task. The environmental movement has shown that it can be powerful
in the streets for a short period of time. We must now extend that power to land,
communities and workplaces, bridging divisions and creating connections, both in
the UK and internationally.

(1) The special issue of Jackdaw dedicated to the ecological crisis is available
in English at the following link
https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2023/04/16/ecological-crisis-special-edition-of-jackdaw/

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