We need socialist change to prevent climate catastrophe
Dezzy Taylor, Swindon Socialist Party
While the devastating effects of the climate catastrophe are on the news every week, the announcement of £30 million to vague, unnamed ‘People’s Power’ projects from Andy Burnham is the prime minister’s latest serving of crumbs and vibes. Again, instead of standing up for the vast majority of us, the pro-capitalist Labour government is putting the profits of a few above our needs.
Earlier this year, Thames Water advertised a £6 billion initiative to clean up Britain’s waterways. £6 billion from a private water company to clean up the mess that they have made does not feel enough, because it isn’t! And, in government funding terms, £30 million for local projects to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 is pennies.
There is also something to be said for the timescale. The world is already close to climate ‘tipping points’, in which warming effects compound. We have seen the cataclysmic consequences of this already; the extremely high-casualty flash flood in Tibet is just the beginning. Rising sea levels will create millions of climate refugees. We need more than just £30 million, and we need more than urban wind farms or solar cells on public buildings’ roofs.
To shift the blame from polluting production, and the bosses that continue to enrich themselves from it, the bosses’ media and governments try to push the blame onto us by focusing on things like recycling. We all see how our neighbours diligently recycle but pollution in the world ocean’s only increases. But single-use packaging that’s impossible to recycle, will be prioritised to protect profit margins.
A workers’ transition
No doubt the organised working class would be able to find various sustainable and intuitive solutions. Many would ask: “Why did no one think of this before?” The answer: “The bosses didn’t let us!”. The Lucas Plan is a prime example historically of how the organised working class, free to make human-centred socially useful products, can solve many problems with the resources already available to us. (see ‘The ‘Lucas Plan’ on socialistparty.org.uk)
2050 is not good enough for Net Zero. We need to look at solutions to make us carbon negative as soon as possible, as well as developing technologies to protect the lives of people as we face a changing climate. The wealth and resources currently hoarded by a super-rich few could instead be put to use transitioning away from polluting fossil fuels and building the infrastructure we need. This would include barriers to defend against flooding, clean, safe, properly made housing for all. Decent pay and services to ensure no one goes cold, or hungry. But only by the working class wresting ownership and control from the billionaire bosses can we prevent climate catastrophe and guarantee a decent standard of living for all.
