Ali Cook, Sheffield north west socialist party
The ongoing horror of war in Iran is continuing the suffering of working-class and poor people across the Middle East. So far, 1,114 people have been killed, which includes 183 children. There is no end in sight to the bloodshed, as US imperialism seeks to assert control under the leadership of the callous madman Donald Trump, within an increasingly multipolar capitalist world that offers little prospects for the lives of working-class and young people.
The effects of war are often immediate with lives senselessly lost and communities decimated. This of course is a different story for the belligerent capitalist classes who benefit from the plunder, ultimately in pursuit of profit. The same can be said for the ruling elite in Iran also, who live lives of luxury and rely on brutal repression to maintain their positions.
The often not so immediate effects of war on climate change will be especially felt further down the line, further inflicting misery on the masses.
The war in Iran, experts have warned, is causing an almost untrackable amount of destruction to our ecosystems. In particular, the Israeli military’s bombing of oil fields, which causes them to burn, releases enormous quantities of CO2 and methane which are potent greenhouse gases. According to researchers at Queen Mary University, the first two weeks of the conflict caused five million tonnes of CO2 to be released, the equivalent to a year of Iceland’s carbon output. This also included emissions generated from the destruction of infrastructure, fuel use by militaries and military equipment losses.
Pollution
Furthermore, the destruction of the oil fields is having an immediate impact on the health of Iranians. This includes the spreading of toxic chemicals that could lead to acid rain and damage to petroleum facilities in Iran, which risks contaminating food, water and the air. The black acrid smoke itself has caused headaches, irritation of the eyes and skin, and has made breathing difficult.
Trump has claimed this war is in aid of the Iranian people against their regime! But clearly, Trump does not care for the Iranian people, nor do ultimately any other leaders of capitalist nation states.
Climate change, increasing conflict, misery everywhere; it is understandable to draw fatalistic conclusions. But capitalism is in its death throws and can be replaced. The working class are its grave diggers and can lead the socialist transformation of society. Another world is possible if we fight for it: working-class cooperation across borders; democratically planned production on the basis of what we need and what protects the environment instead of what makes a profit for a few; and an end to repression that keeps the elite few secure in their place at the top. If you want to be part of this struggle, now is the time to join the Socialist Party and fight to leave this barbaric and archaic system behind!
