We live under a system—the system of capitalism-imperialism (capitalism is an economic and political system of exploitation and oppression, and imperialism refers to the worldwide nature of this system).
It is this system which is the basic cause of the tremendous suffering that people, all over the world, are subjected to; and this system poses a growing threat to the very existence of humanity, in the way that this system is rapidly destroying the global environment, and in the danger of war between nuclear-armed capitalist-imperialist powers, such as the U.S. and China.
All this is reality, and no one can escape this reality. Either we radically change it, in a positive way, or everything will be changed in a very negative way.
It is important to return to—and reground in—fundamental questions, and urgently go to work on that basis: What drives the plunder of the planet and global warming? Can this be resolved under this system of capitalism-imperialism, and if not, why not? What is the solution, what will it take?
We direct our readers and others to this Special Resource Page.
Hurricane Dorian struck the Caribbean nation of the Bahamas with unprecedented force. A week later, thousands were still missing, with the number of dead rising, countless homes destroyed, whole towns and communities wiped out, and tens of thousands needing clean water, food, housing and medical aid. Global warming is increasing the power and intensity of hurricanes, especially affecting island nations and coastal areas around the world. Above: Great Abaco, Bahamas, September 5, 2019 (Photo: AP)
Two signs in the Arctic of how quickly and catastrophically climate change is affecting the world: 1) August 1, the layer of ice covering Greenland melted more in a single day than has ever been recorded. 2) For the past two months, unprecedented wildfires have been burning from Alaska to Siberia, including north of the Arctic Circle, destroying wild forests and sending more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Above: Rapid melting in the Barnes Ice Cap in the Canadian Arctic. (Photo via University of Colorado, 2017)
The Amazon rainforest, the largest rainforest in the world, is burning—causing deadly harm to what is known as the “lungs of the planet.” The fires are set deliberately by farmers and agribusiness companies with the backing of the Brazilian government. If this continues, the results would be horrific: extinction of tens of thousands of species and further acceleration of global climate change. Above: Jacundá National Forest, near the city of Porto Velho, August 25, 2019 (Photo: AP)
Yes, “the house is on fire,” as climate activists declare. We are facing a crisis of unprecedented and existential dimensions—threatening the ecosystems of the planet and life itself. Yet three years on since the adoption of the Paris UN climate accords in 2016, not one major capitalist industrial power is on track to meeting its (obscenely inadequate) goals, and the U.S. has withdrawn. As the planet heats up!
The question is... what underlies this crisis and what must be done? The stakes could not be higher. We invite you to dig into the materials on this page and to confront these questions:
- Why does capitalism plunder the planet? And can this system of capitalism-imperialism, driven by the competitive pursuit of profit and more profit, and by the rivalry between great powers for global control and dominance—somehow act, or be pressured to act, to put the interests of humanity and the planet first? The resources on this page, including articles, major works, and videos from talks by Bob Avakian, demonstrate how that is impossible.
- Can a “Green New Deal” that operates within the framework of this system, and that takes the U.S. standard of living and the U.S. empire and military as a given, provide a workable solution? The polemic against the Green New Deal shows that this is a toxic illusion.
- And what about the fate of the great mass of humanity in the Third World who are suffering the greatest consequences, and will face even more horrific consequences, of global warming? Their lives and futures count for nothing in the calculus of the ruling classes of the rich capitalist countries.
There are in fact only two choices: Let the planet hurtle uncontrollably toward environmental disaster, and let other horrors continue and intensify—such as wars of aggression and the oppression of Black and Brown people, of women, and of immigrants—OR we make a revolution, an actual revolution to overthrow this system of capitalism-imperialism.
How would a revolutionary socialist society address the environmental emergency? To the many, many people who DO feel the depth and urgency of the situation, we invite and challenge you to grapple with the only framework through which humanity can forge a viable answer to this environmental emergency, and on a truly emancipatory basis. We need a whole other way... and there are a Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America authored by Bob Avakian and “Some Key Principles of Socialist Sustainable Development” that show the way.
Watch for continuing analysis, polemic, and late-breaking commentary.
This system and those who rule over it are not capable of carrying out economic development to meet the needs of the people now, while balancing that with the needs of future generations and requirements of safeguarding the environment. They care nothing for the rich diversity of the earth and its species, for the treasures this contains, except when and where they can turn this into profit for themselves.... These people are not fit to be the caretakers of the earth.
Bob Avakian, BAsics 1:29
Why does capitalism plunder the planet?
The Destruction of the Planet by Capitalism-Imperialism, by Bob Avakian, an excerpt
Bob Avakian, "Not fit caretakers of the earth"
How would a revolutionary socialist society address the environmental emergency?
How Would a Revolutionary Socialist Society Address the Environmental Emergency?
Excerpts from the Constitution for the New Socialist Republic in North America
- A. The Economy.
- B. The Environment.
- Article IV. The Economy and Economic Development in the New Socialist Republic in North America.
- Section 5. The System of Public-State Ownership is the Foundation of the New Socialist Economy.
How Would the Revolution Deal With the Climate Crisis?
How Would the Revolution Deal With the Climate Crisis?
A Q&A with Raymond Lotta
Plundering and Destroying the Planet
From The RNL—Revolution, Nothing Less!—Show: New UN IPCC Report on Climate Change: A More Accurate & Alarming Picture of Peril Facing Our Planet
Somali families flee drought stricken area, June 2022. Photo: AP
Biden boasts the U.S. is the “climate leader” at COP27 climate talks. The real deal:
Worse than Fine-Print Trickery...
Biden's Imperialist Climate Bill: The Devil Lies in the Big Picture
By Raymond Lotta with the Environmental Working Group of revcom.us
Read these articles:
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Crisis in Biodiversity — Life Support Systems of the Planet in Danger!
The System IS the Problem... Revolution Urgently Needed!
by the Environment Writers Group, revcom.us -
Scientist Rebel Fired for Sounding the Alarm on the Climate Emergency
Wake-Up Actions Like These Are Righteous! This Retaliation Must Not Stand!
We Need System Change, NOT Climate Change! -
COP27 Climate Talks... Once Again, System Fails and Climate Crisis Rages On
from the Environmental Working Group of revcom.us -
An Ocean That Can Sustain Life: Utterly Incompatible with the System of Capitalism-Imperialism
Environment Writers Group, revcom.us -
Capitalism-Imperialism and the Threat to the Fish in the Sea
Part 2 of the series on the ocean
by the Environmental Writers Group, revcom.us -
A Short Summary and Guide
Biden's Imperialist Climate Bill: The Devil Lies in the Big Picture
by Raymond Lotta, with the Environmental Working Group, revcom.us -
Raymond Lotta on Biden's Imperialist Climate Bill: The Devil Lies in the Big Picture
VIDEO: Parts 1, 2 and 3
Dead-End Paths and Mental Shackles
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Biden Drills for Oil in Pristine Alaskan Wilderness: An Environmental Disaster
Sections of Environmental Movement Can't Let Go of Him As “Climate Leader”
by the Environment Writers Group, revcom.us -
Denialism of Another Kind...Or How Naomi Klein Lets Capitalism Off the Hook
by Raymond Lotta -
The Question That Wasn’t Asked At the BEB Climate Forum (Democratic Party Division)
