Lewis Rees, Liverpool Socialist Party
In recent months, global temperatures have surged, marking the hottest period in recorded history with an alarming average increase of 1.22°C from pre-industrial levels. Here, this year’s February was the hottest, the same for each of the previous nine months!
This concerning trend should surely resonate with those in positions of power, urging them to take the necessary action to stop it. However because of their continued inaction, it is the ‘silent’ majority, that stands to bear the brunt of the impending climate catastrophe. The number of climate-induced refugees has surpassed those displaced by escalating conflicts and wars worldwide. A poignant example is the 2022 flood in Pakistan, displacing 8 million and affecting the lives of 33 million people.
Young people are calling out for change, angry at a system that will rob us of our future.
While climate change campaign groups often call for a radical societal transformation and immediate action, there remains a gap in providing the comprehensive socialist programme needed to combat these issues.
Ed Brower, US energy editor of the Financial Times, boldly asserts that “Capitalism won’t deliver the energy transition fast enough.” Without a distinct and incisive critique of the roots of climate change – seeing it as a product of capitalism’s production for profit based on competing nations, parties and groups simply claiming to be ‘green’ can’t offer a clear path forward.
We will need a socialist solution to the climate catastrophe and a fight for a planned socialist transition, that prioritises the needs and concerns of the majority over a select few. This would have to be democratically planned by the working class and based on nationalisation of the polluting industries, the banks and big business to prevent climate catastrophe without workers and the poor having to pay for it.
