Climate crisis stories here inevitably get posts along the lines of “We must end capitalism first, in order to solve this.” The oil company shills like it when we say this! A major counter-argument they’ve been running for years is: “There’s no crisis, just the communist socialist left manufacturing this as their excuse for overthrowing capitalism.” Everyone posting variations of this argument is playing right into their propaganda. Such posts provide the evidence to argue that, at least for some of us, ending capitalism is the central goal, not solving the climate crisis.
Now, there’s much to be said against our current version of capitalism. There are urgent reforms called for across the board. None of that is as important to the future of humanity as handling the climate crisis. If we insist on a complete economic restructuring first — there’s not time for it. This is no claim for “pure” capitalism. Obviously, we have a mixed economy. Government, non-profits, for spiritually-aligned organizations and individuals have vital roles. But there’s plenty that many for-profit business are doing, and must do. They are not all our enemies. Nor are historical examples of purely-government-run economies proof of some better, proven alternative.
So please don’t feed our enemies the “proof” that our “real” goal is some communist utopia — delightful as that, done right, might be. Even if your hope — like mine — is that the bulk of future transit be by railroads, well, capitalists, in league with governments, built the railroads. They built them out massively, world-wide, within a few decades of their invention. It’s a great example of the kind of mixed-economy world-wide buildout we need for wind, solar, and other greener technologies. Let’s get this done!
