- Genre:political science
- Sub-genre:Political Economy
- Language:English
- Pages:280
- eBook ISBN:9780996836159
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Book details
Overview
Can humanity trust capitalism with its future?
This book is a timely contribution to the discussion of whether humanity can depend on capitalism to save it from the climate crisis. In posing an answer, Climate Chaos, Global Poverty and Capitalism, offers a robust analysis of the internal dynamics of capitalism and a pathway forward to mitigate the climate crisis. Increasingly humanity will come into direct conflict with the capitalist system and its inherent need for growth. Capitalists assume business as usual is possible and that technological innovation will solve the crisis. The math of global warming suggests this is an illusion. Climate Chaos argues for reducing and reprioritizing consumption among high consuming nations to allow growth in resource and energy use to end global poverty while at the same time reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In the decades ahead, the climate crisis and the limits on natural resources will require adopting a steady state global economy so that future generations have resources to sustain today's scientific and technological innovation and thrive on an ecologically stable planet. Climate Chaos also implores climate organizations to confront imperialism and demand shifting military production to alternative energy, mass transit and to finance global development needs. Addressing global warming is impossible without demilitarizing global manufacturing. While capitalism dominates the world's economy today the climate movement should advance a People's Plan A based on socialist principles of economic planning, cooperation and global solidarity as a visionary alternative should capitalism fail to resolve the crisis on its own terms.
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In 1988, seven years before the United Nations first conference on global warming was held, former NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen testified before the US Congress that scientific evidence affirmed that the burning of fossil fuels was causing global warming. Since then three primary capitalist sectors – financial institutions, fossil fuel/energy firms and vehicle manufacturers have ignored climate concerns. Trillions of dollars have been invested in the fossil fuel economy accelerating global warming. Imagine what could have been possible since 1988 had the capital instead been invested in avoiding the crisis. The United States and many other nations' economies could already have been largely powered by wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy sources. Imagine having a healthier and cleaner environment. Imagine we are well on our way to abating global warming. Climate Chaos, Global Poverty and Capitalism shows such a future is still possible but it will require global cooperation and a new economic model. Seven key relationships, as listed below and discussed throughout this work, frame the economic criteria and climate math necessary to slow and reverse climate chaos. These relationships are interdependent. Thus without addressing all of them the climate crisis cannot be resolved. • Democratic direction of private investment capital and production to abate the crisis. • Curtail overall consumption in well-off nations. • Redistribute investment and production to end global poverty. • Degrowth: reduce unnecessary consumption to save energy and resources. • Move toward a global steady state economy. • Shorten the work year and work week to share jobs as steady state economy develops. • Initiate global negotiations to demilitarize all the world's economies. Climate Chaos argues that humanity will need to consider ending the rule of capital and implementing a People's Plan A based on socialist principles. The time to offer such a competing vision is now and not after we find that capitalism fails to do the right thing. As the struggle for a habitable planet unfolds a socialist economic model can act as a beacon for an ecological and economically sound visionary alternative.
