The Implications of Capitalism on the Environment

Many hear about climate change in the news weekly, if not more often. But why would this be the case? If almost the entire human populace either hears about, talks about, or is affected by climate change, how come it has not been properly addressed yet? The truth is deceivingly simple: Those who can change the fact that our planet is burning, those with influence who can extinguish the flame of destruction, sit around and do nothing in favour of reaping the meagre profits. As peace becomes a vestige of the past, how will humanity progress?

The mainstream media has an obsession with climate doomerism, and unsurprisingly so, since it has been a core question in the political stage the past decades. Every year it feels like the media reports on how a new temperature record is reached, smashing the previous with a significant margin. Naturally, 2025 is no exception to this phenomena. The World Meteorological Organisation warns that 2025 has been one of the hottest years of all time, breaking several records. For such a widespread issue, I would at the very least expect some action to have been taken by the global political scene. Alas, I find myself disappointed. In the contemporary world's capitalistic economy, reducing global emissions will remain all but impossible until a structural reform is implemented.

We are heading toward an inevitable crossing of a climate tipping point, whereby further changes to the climate become irreversible. A climate tipping point is a critical threshold that, when crossed, leads to drastic changes in the climate system. A study conducted by Deutloff, et al, writes that, based on current global trends and their effect on the environment, there is on average a 62% risk of triggering each of the 16 tipping points they analysed. Furthermore the global effort of the Paris agreement has fallen far short of what the commitments made by the governments required writes the UN.

Often I find myself in disbelief whenever I see the tacit compliance of the world's leaders in letting this catastrophe damage our only habitable planet. No one would eat an apple with a 62% risk of causing severe wounds. So why should we sit back and do nothing when there's a 62% that our planet is irreversibly wounded?

The corporations and politicians will, and can, do nothing about this, instead choosing to prioritize profits over long term sustainability. A universal law in our society, something that we are taught since our early teens, is that money is everything. Money has become this golden virtue that we as a collective all idolize. The famous philosopher Karl Marx understood this issue deeply, and warned, "No capitalist ever voluntarily introduces a new method of production, no matter how much more productive it may be... so long as it reduces the rate of profit." This shows how money is the lifeblood of society in a capitalist economy. The rich do not care about what happens to the planet, since they are virtually untouchable with their vast amount of wealth, and as such they can dedicate themselves to the sole cause of pursuing more wealth.

The guardian explains how Marx invented the term "coercive law" to explain how striving for money inevitably forces certain behaviours. Coercive law is the effect by which companies are forced to ignore certain issues since taking those issues into account would reduce profit, and thus allow their competitors to surpass them. A prime example of this would be how the oil company BP rolled back their environmental goals in 2025 due to pressure from shareholders. However, it is not merely the companies which are at fault, the politicians are as well. The guardian shows how governments across the world have shown the climate goals to be nothing more than legislation to appease the public. New licences for oil production are issued at near record rates.

The only way forward is a structural reform to create a system not beholden to the greed of the wealthy, a system which prioritizes sustainability and long-term progress over quick cash. The fundamental flaw in all climate legislation passed hitherto is the fact that the legislation does not consider from where the problem originates. The wealthy are disproportionately responsible for emissions related to consumption, writes Sciencedirect.

Everyone has dreamed of becoming a millionaire, possibly even a billionaire. We have all imagined ourselves on a luxury yacht parked in Monaco, partying all day. It is natural for humans to be envious and jealous of others, and it is precisely this which is largely responsible for the problem looming overhead. Thus, since the wealthy drive the trend of conspicuous consumption, the middle class will attempt to imitate them to gain status among their peers.

I believe that a human's value should be based upon their actions, not on how much their new luxury handbag costs or how many times they've flown to some distant land. We owe this planet our life. It feeds us, clothes us, and lets us experience the beauty of the world. Thus, I believe that we need to look past the age of capitalism, and the decay in innovation it brings. Either a structural reform in our politics or paradigm shift in our values needs to happen soon. Let 2026 be the year where we break the trend of consecutively increasing global temperatures.

A Poem of Witness

Man has burned for progress since ancient times.

Under the name of the greater good,

a rivulet of blood for a few dimes.

The temples of old warned against such greed

But what is conjured divinity in front of nature.

Laughs around a hearty campfire spread cheers through the town.

I spat, and then roasted a piece of meat above the fire.

A lone ember landed in fields of wheat.

A festival was held.

A god was shining their light upon the crops.

The ember multiplied, no one cared.

The field went from golden wheat to blazing flame.

My pair of perpetually dreary eyes

stood near the fire, roasting a piece of meat.

The lands burned, the villagers retreated.

It was a one time thing.

Progress must succeed.

The factories rose, the villagers laboured.

The fire spread.

One day, during the autumn festival, a man,

embraced by the wings of success, held a speech.

It did not take long until his proud words melted into smoke

choked by the very fire he praised.

I knew it.

Andreas von Pfaler