Environmentalism & Socialism

Introduction: We stand firmly in opposition to the destruction of the environment. We believe that the scourge of pollution, depletion of resources and degradation of our natural environment is primarily the result of the reckless policies of profit driven capitalism, and the shortsighted consumerism that it fosters. We believe that under socialism - through a rational, democratically controlled planned economy - we will be able to make decisions that can stop and reverse the destruction of the environment.

We support efforts to save what remains of our natural environment, re-tool industry to use sustainable fuels, resources and production practices, and to break down the artificial and debilitating divisions between the labor and environmental movements.

Below is a list of articles and resolutions from Socialist Action, YSA and the Fourth International, as well as a collection of links to other websites with information about ecology and the environmental movement. We welcome your feedback!

Environmental News & Views:

Bankruptcy of Capitalist Solutions to Climate Crisis: We live on a planet in peril, one that is in jeopardy because of capitalist greed. The combustion of fossils fuels to power commodity production is causing Earth to melt down. Yet, no measurable progress is being made to cope with the situation since greenhouse gas emissions continue to spew forth with no end in sight, CO2 concentrations have spiked every year this century and temperatures are still rising. continued

The Climate Skepticism of Alexander Cockburn: Left journalist and commentator Alexander Cockburn recently took a strange turn to the right by joining the ranks of nay-saying climate skeptics in a series of four articles published in The Nation. The commentaries, which attacked the science of global warming and the anthropogenic causes of climate change, were also posted on the Counterpunch website he coedits with Jeffrey St. Clair. continued

Who Will Pay the Price for Global Warming: The importance of George Monbiot’s latest book "Heat," and the reason why every socialist should read it is that it raises the level of debate on the politics of climate change, as well as on the science and technology. What the book lacks, however, is a class analysis of the issue. continued

Why Nuclear Power is Not the Answer: An alarming number of so-called environmentalists in theUnited Statesare taking the position that more nuclear power generation is the way to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions that are contributing to global warming. continued

No Blood for Coal: Nearly 48 hours after a conveyor fire broke out at Alma No. 1 Mine inMelville, West Virginia, rescuers recovered the bodies of two missing miners. These victims brought the total of American coal miners killed on the job during the first three weeks of January to 15. This figure exactly equaled the number of GIs killed inIraq over the same time span. continued

Why We Need a New Environmental Movement: Human beings knew about the harmful effects of breathing filthy, polluted air even before the Industrial Revolution. Smoke and soot from the burning of coal plagued England over 700 years ago. Londonrecorded air pollution problems even in the Middle Ages. Due to a wood and charcoal shortage inEurope, people stepped up the use of coal for heat in the early 17th century. continued

Power Line Fight inWisconsin: For years the American Transmission Company has been trying, with a lot of success, to intimidate and bribe local governments, courts and regulatory bodies to give it a green light for the Arrowhead-Weston line. The Arrowhead-Weston, if built, will be a massive 345 Kilovolt (that’s 345,000 volts!) bulk transmission line that will allow ATC to sell cheap electricity from the Manitoba Hydro project in Canada to the Chicago area, where it could make a handsome profit underselling existing electric providers. continued

The Truth About Global Warming: In the summer of 1988, the hottest on record up to that point, James Hansen of NASA's Goddard Space Institute reported to Congress that he was 99% certain that global warming, due to the human activity of burning fossil fuels, was underway. The story made front-page headlines. continued