Sustainability or Capitalism?
by Saleem Ahmad
From food and shelter to political stability and job security, sustainability encompasses everything required for humanity to exist and thrive. However, modern industrial society is following the opposite pattern of sustainable development. Natural resource depletion, overpollution, widespread famine, disease and war all indicate that there are deep-rooted problems within the system we live in.
Not only are we jeopardizing the livelihood of future generations, but basic human needs are not being met now for the majority of the world’s population. This is not accidental nor the result of chance or bad luck; sustainability is purposefully not being pursued by society today. This is due to the value system inherited from the current ruling ideology: Capitalism.
What is Capitalism?
Capitalism is the social system adopted by every nation today, in varying degrees and forms. It is built upon individual rights and freedoms, and dictates that every individual has the right to act in a way that preserves their own interests. In capitalist theory, the outcome of everyone fulfilling their personal interests is society fulfilling its interest as a whole. “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.”1
What this entails for the economy is that goods and services are not sold to satisfy people’s needs; rather they are sold for the sole purpose of generating a profit. This takes care of the seller’s financial interest, irrespective of the effect on the consumer. The individualistic nature results in the means of production being owned by a small group of financial elite, or capitalists. The working class is then required to exchange their labour for a salary.2
In a capitalist society, the business atmosphere is aggressive and competitive since everyone is looking out for their self interest, often at the expense of others. However, personal greed and selfishness are not the only qualities necessary to adopt the capitalist mentality. Other capitalists are externally pressured to make as high a profit as possible, so they don’t risk losing their investments and their position as capitalists. The working class is often underpaid, and consequently take on the capitalist mentality themselves just to survive. Many people see no alternative; money is required to live and hence the pursuit of wealth becomes their primary endeavour. This is how the capitalist mentality trickles down from the financial elite all the way to the working class.
Capitalism arose in the early 1600′s in Europe in reaction to the Church’s harsh theocratic ruling system. After a secular system was implemented, the wealthy quickly realized that it was more profitable to have workers manufacture a product and sell it on the market than to take a cut of the product, as was the practice of the ruling class during theocracy. This resulted in the forcible use of enclosures to strip the peasants of their land and consolidate its ownership into the hands of the wealthy. This gave the peasants and their children no choice but to work in the capitalist-owned farms and factories.3 The same economic model of consolidating the means of production was then applied throughout the West, and then eventually throughout the rest of the world. Black slavery and today’s Third World slavery are some of the economic ‘benefits’ attributed to the Capitalism.
There is one significant factor that played a role in shaping modern capitalist nations. In the early 20th century, Europe was under significant threat to Communist revolution. The oppressed working class that had been struggling for basic rights and fair wages for centuries now had a potential solution to their problems. To make the harsh living conditions more bearable and to dispel notions of reform, the capitalists applied makeshift patches to the system to alleviate the working class. Healthcare for the poor and social services were among the changes implemented, and most still exist until today.4 These benefits were not given by the capitalists to the working class to uphold some notion of fairness or equality. It was done in accordance with capitalist values, as preservation of Capitalism is far more important than the minor cost of implementing these services. Hence, socialized services did not naturally arise in the Western capitalist societies we see today, they are merely the result of that system trying to preserve itself when faced with a threat. Contrast this with Kazakhstan, Romania, Bulgaria or any other former Communist nation. Here, Capitalism had no rival ideology to compete with after the fall of Communism. No incentive was needed to sell Capitalism to the working class as they had no other choice. The capitalists in these countries never had to take measures to ensure the working class was contented.5 The results of this can be seen in the distribution of wealth in these nations: a very poor majority and extremely rich elite with virtually no middle class. The progression towards this capitalist ‘ideal’ can be seen in the most developed nations today, with cuts to education and healthcare, increased debt and cost of living, and the gradual elimination of the middle class.6
Since Capitalism is prevalent in every society today, it defines the collective mindset and values on a global scale. It determines the principles upon which governments base economic, military, education and judiciary policies. Democracy, a secular rule where man collectively decides the laws to govern with, is used in the West as the legislative process. However, it is less influential in legislation than the economic system. This is because the capitalists influence the government to the extent that they are effectively the real rulers.7 This is the nature of the ideology which we live under today, and it’s very important to fully understand it if we’re going to address an issue as broad and inclusive as sustainability.
What Does Capitalism Say About Sustainability?
Sustainability is defined as the state of an environmental, economic, and sociopolitical system that is able to meet the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future. Under Capitalism, self preservation and self interest are prioritized to be first and foremost. The concept of sustainability only applies to financial sustainability, ie. whether certain actions now will jeopardize future capital gains. This contrasts with the motive behind sustainable development, where the goal is to fulfill everyone’s needs, not just the personal interests of some individuals. If material gain is the priority, then other considerations only become a factor if they directly affect material gain. Burning of fossil fuels, clear cutting of rainforests, and pollution of air and water resources have no effective consequence unless these actions jeopardize the capitalist’s ability to make profit. The capitalist stance on every aspect of sustainability is clear: profit is more important than ensuring human needs are met. The specific agenda of prioritizing wealth over human well-being has countless examples.
Within the months following September 11th, the air at Ground Zero was filled with toxic dust and particles, substantially over the safe limit. Under White House pressure to reopen Wall Street, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a statement saying the air was safe to breathe. This left 15000 Ground Zero workers to suffer from respiratory problems and hundreds to die in the its aftermath.8 The economic gain of opening Wall Street was weighed higher than the preservation of the workers, most who were volunteers and had no health insurance. A similar case of purposeful government negligence occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Instead of helping the affected victims, FEMA spent most of the $116 billion in government allotted aid on lucrative rebuilding contracts, most of which will never benefit or compensate those who had lost their homes and jobs.9
Still a more prominent display of capitalist values can be seen by looking at the causes of the recent food crisis. Enough food is produced in the world today to provide over 2800 calories a day to everyone — substantially more than the minimum required for good health.10 Yet over 25000 people die every day due to hunger.11 If there is enough food to feed everyone then why is Third World malnutrition so rampant?
Recently, with ethanol and biodiesels being heavily subsidized, there has been a shift in the production of crops to agrofuels.12 The result is a shortage of food crop supply and an increase in prices. This becomes a problem for countries that do not have a sufficient agricultural infrastructure, as they would have to rely on the global market for food. Foreign market reliance is one of the methods used by capitalists to monopolize food production, as can be seen by looking at the history of Haiti’s rice market.
In 1995, the International Monetary Fund provided a much needed loan to Haiti on the condition that its tariff on imported rice be cut from 35% to 3%. U.S. rice then flooded the market at half the price of Haitian-grown rice, resulting in thousands of rice farmers losing their land and business. Today three-quarters of rice eaten in Haiti comes from the U.S., and Haitians are dependent on the U.S. food market to survive.13 So when agrofuels became more profitable to produce, capitalists switched crop production from food to agrofuels, and the price of food increased. The capitalists maximized their profits while those Haitians unable to afford the new prices are left with nothing to eat but cookies made of mud.13 If the system we live under is specifically designed to not distribute food fairly then how could sustainability in food production ever be achieved under it?
The Proposed Solutions
So how can sustainability be realized? How can humanity ensure food, shelter, transportation, energy and prosperity for everyone regardless of class or wealth? There are many solutions currently presented in the mainstream. G8 summits are organized with promises to increase energy efficiency and reduce the effects of global warming. The Kyoto Protocol aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and eliminate climate change. Countless charities beg for our money and promise in exchange to eliminate the symptoms of Third World poverty. But do these presented solutions really solve the problem, or do they serve as organized distraction for the masses? How effective can a solution be that focuses on a quick band-aid fix while ignoring the bigger picture? To answer these questions it is not necessary to look any further than some of the most common policies regarding sustainability.
The European Commission is in charge of allocating EU emission Allowance (EUA) credits which define the number of tons of CO2 corporations are allowed to produce. In theory, this system would provide a financial incentive to lower emissions, as additional EUA credits used above the allowed amount must be purchased. However, in its implementation, oil and energy companies are given millions of extra credits on top of what they need, allowing them to pollute as much as they want. Surplus credits are then sold on the market for free profit, notably to hospitals and universities who were given dramatically fewer credits than what they require for operation.14
Another case is the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism which issues Certified Emission Reduction (CER) credits to companies that can show a reduction in the amount of green house gases they produce. An example of how well this system works is apparent in refrigerant manufacturers in China, India and South Korea. A refrigerant is produced which creates HFC-23 as a byproduct. HFC-23 is 11,700 times stronger than CO2 as a green house gas, and so each ton reduced is rewarded with 11,700 carbon credits. The HFC-23 produced can be cheaply incinerated and the resulting carbon credits sold on the market. The sale of these credits is actually greater than the profit made by selling the refrigerant. So much so, that companies are expanding production to create more HFC-23, incinerate it, and sell the credits. The burning of this gas creates massive amounts of extra pollution that would have not been created had it not been for this program.14
The backwardness of sustainability policies can only be understood by recognizing the capitalist values which they serve. The justification behind them is that with the right combination of taxes, incentives and policies we can achieve sustainability in our production and consumption habits. In a ‘normal’ society, solutions like these would make sense. That society would have to be built on the foundation of basic human morals, fairness, and equality. But that’s not what Capitalism is, and ‘normal’ solutions won’t work today. These incentives are manipulated and exploited to the fullest extent by the capitalists.
Capitalism approaches sustainability in the same way as it does everything else. What would make the most profit? Whether the method employed is exploitive, charitable, toxic, or environmentally friendly is completely irrelevant. The priority is profit, so sustainability, and humanity’s well-being, becomes a non-issue.
A common technique used by the capitalists to distract us from the real cause of society’s inability to achieve sustainability is shifting the blame onto the working class. The idea being propagated is that the unsustainable plundering of corporations is our fault, and that the working class have to change consumer habits and reduce consumption.15 Effectively we, the working class, are made liable for cleaning up the mess caused by Capitalism. We are told it is our responsibility to resist the consumerism engrained into the fabric of our society, to use renewable sources of energy which are neither practical nor supported by the infrastructure, that we can somehow save the world by ‘doing our part’ and changing light bulbs or driving a fuel efficient car. Never do these solutions advocate political action, or an examination of the economic system, or make explicit demands on governments or corporations who are the biggest perpetrators of natural resource misuse. Issues that deal with real aspects of sustainability, but are integral to Capitalism, are completely ignored. CO2 emissions from war are entirely absent from national tallies in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. And in 2006, the U.S. spent more on the war in Iraq than the whole world spent on renewable energy.16 Meanwhile we are being told it’s the working class’ responsibility to conserve energy and reduce consumption.
The Real Solution
The resources to provide food, clothing and shelter to the most destitute and poverty-stricken areas exist. The technology to deliver adequate clean, renewable energy at an affordable cost was invented decades ago. Sustainable methods of production, which don’t rely on our air, water and the Third World as pollution sinks, are available. But these endeavours are rarely the most profitable choice, and hence will never be pursued under Capitalism. To achieve sustainability requires a radical change in the way we think and the way our societies are governed.
Accelerated depletion of non-renewable resources, pollution, and overconsumption all indicate that we are heading towards a very critical time in our history. If no proactive measures are taken, ecological collapse is inevitable. The ‘going green’ solutions we’re frequently presented with are not always ill-intended; however in their implementation they are misused and manipulated to achieve capitalist goals. Sustainable solutions are only ever implemented when they happen to be the most profitable choice.
This is the reality of the system we live in today. If you don’t agree with the capitalist ideology then does it make sense to be patriotic towards a country built upon the ideology of Capitalism? Does it make sense to pledge allegiance to the same system that was responsible for the mass genocide of Native Indians, slavery, Third World debt profiteering and natural resource theft, and the hundreds of thousands of innocent victims killed today in imperialistic warfare? These are not anomalies or exceptions to the capitalist rule, they are the rule. A just society that provides necessities for everyone and ensures basic human rights cannot possibly be implemented under the moral-less, individualistic framework of Capitalism. So the struggle for sustainability is really a struggle against Capitalism, and redefining our society’s ideology as a whole. But before this can happen a fundamental question must first be answered by the working class. Sustainability or Capitalism: which one would you prefer?
References
1. Smith, Adam. Wealth of Nations. Scotland: Unknown Publisher, 1776.
2. Marx, Karl and Engels, Fredrick. Manifesto of the Communist Party. London: Unknown Publisher, 1848.
3. Hammond J.L. and Hammond, Barbara. The Labourer. Gloucester: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1839.
4. Gitlow, A.L. “The Communist Threat to Labor”. Southern Economic Journal, Vol. 16, pp. 458-470, April 1950.
5. Prizel, Ilya. “The First Decade After the Collapse of Communism”. SAIS Review, Vol. 19, pp. 1-15, Fall 1999.
6. Hartmann, Thom. Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class. San Francisco: Berret-Koehler, 2006.
7. An-Nabhani, Taqiuddin. The System of Islam. London: Al-Khilafah Publications, 2002.
8. “9/11: Toxic Legacy” Dir. Susan Teskey. CBC-TV, Aired: 10 Sep. 2006.
9. “Blueprint for Gulf Renewal” Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch. Institute for Southern Studies, 2007
10. “The State of Food and Agriculture” United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 2007.
11. “The State of Food Insecurity in the World” United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, 2006.
12. Angus, Ian. Food Crisis. Kemptville: South Branch Publications, 2008.
13. Pina, Kevin. “Mud Cookie Economics in Haiti” Haiti Action, 2008. Accessed: 9 Jul. 2008
<http://www.haitiaction.net/News/HIP/2_10_8/2_10_8.html>
14. Davies, Nick “The Truth About Kyoto: Huge Profits, Little Carbon Saved” The Guardian, 2 Jun. 2007.
15. Bowles, William. “Capitalism First – Climate Last” Investigating New Imperialism, 2006. Accessed: 9 Jul. 2008
<http://www.williambowles.info/ini/2006/1206/ini-0463.html>
16. Reish, Nikki and Kretzmann, Steve. “A Climate of War” Oil Change International, 2008.
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