Where do I start? Big corporations taking interest in nations that have resources of oil and gas is the most obvious one. We see wars both overt and covert being waged, to fight over resources. This leads to environmental destruction. We see countries taking sides, depending on what is most favorable for them in terms of the economics of the land. This pursuit of economic advantage often takes precedence over sustainable resource management, perpetuating a cycle of depletion and inequality.
But this is not all. There are constant pulls and pushes over other resources. Water treaties are signed. Through the ages, there have always been people on all sides trying to decide how much share of the river gets consumed by whom. And in this rat race to make sure we are getting a fair share of the treaty, we are just trying to consume, to waste, to hoard all the resources that we may not even need, but to get the better of the ‘others’.
This is just one of the examples of how capitalism promotes a culture of consumerism, encourages excessive consumption and waste. It creates a competitive mindset to race for resource acquisition, with little regard for the impact on the environment. This drive to accumulate more resources, whether tangible or intangible, fuels the capitalist ideology. It influences our relationship with the environment. By understanding these dynamics, we can begin to address an urgent need for a more ecologically balanced future.
This necessity to acquire more than our needs is true for all the resources of the world. Be it oil, minerals, Humans (forced migration or slave trade), food, textiles, territories rich in resources, in recent years weaponry etc. This need to control, to hoard, to greedily have more and more, to promote having more and more, is a capitalist idea.
Academic scholars have long established a link between capitalism and colonialism, where the expansion of capitalism historically relied on the exploitation of labor and resources from colonized regions. The legacy of colonialism continues to shape global economic relations, continuing social inequalities and resource disparities. Colonized countries often experience the lasting effects of economic disruption, altering their growth trajectories and exacerbating environmental challenges.
Defenders of capitalism would say, lets not blame the capitalists. We are all part of the system. Yes of course, we are. We all use oil and gas, we all waste and consume beyond our needs, we all are in one big race of consumerism. And it is this approach to consumerism that we are consciously and subconsciously taught by the system of capitalism.
“Diamonds are a girls best friends”. “This season, refresh your style with the new summer collection”. “This festive season’s best deals are here for you and your loved ones”.
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All over the world we are bombarded with tempting marketing messaging, to buy more. We are urged to buy More of everything. Even the companies with environmentally friendly practices push this idea to sell more of their products and services, contributing to the culture of consumerism. These marketing messages reinforce the notion that amassing material possessions equate to happiness and success, furthering unsustainable consumption patterns injurious to the environment. Almost all of us at some point or other give in and become the consumers capitalism expects us to be. We all Need to pause for a minute and try to understand why capitalism is detrimental to our planet and the entire universe.
The consequences of capitalism on the environment are evident all around us. There is the reality that presently, species of various flora and fauna are becoming extinct. Global temperatures are out of balance now more than ever before. We are living in spaces charged with electromagnetic waves that are damaging to our health. The food we are eating is mostly becoming more and more difficult to grow, as we are disregarding the rhythms of the earth and forcing conditions for the produce to grow at faster and bigger paces.
And yet we all are ignoring the signs that mother nature is warning us with. This is because we are so consumed with growing faster, gaining more, that we do not take time to look around to see how we are fitting into the patterns of harmful destruction. This Unchecked pursuit of economic growth and profit often leads to disregard for the Earth’s delicate ecosystems. This myopic approach jeopardizes not only the overall ecological equilibrium but also the well-being of future generations.
How many of us are affected by the Pandemic to make some active eco-friendly changes in our lives? How many companies or countries have declared to change their outlook towards all kinds of policies, both internal and external, to ensure a better environment?
Unfortunately, I don’t have any concrete response to this problem of how to not be capitalist in order to save the environment, however all I know is… We have access to all the information we need to know about the effects of our current systems and the environment. It is crucial to acknowledge the interconnection between capitalism, resource control, and the ecological risks we face. By recognizing the urgency, we can actively seek eco-friendly changes in our lives.
We are all aware of the war going on between Russia and Ukraine. The overarching and the underlying goals of all wars have always been controlling resources. And I cannot iterate enough on the idea that capitalism is driving the system of control, which is the biggest danger to ecological balances and therefore is unfavorable for our future generations too. There is evidence of aboriginal and other tribal cultures where the planet was respected and not exploited. Embracing indigenous cultures’ habits of caring for mother earth could help us learn how to undo some of the harm to the environment. However, there is also a strong push to continue making indigenous ways part of lost and buried cultural practices. These could have ensured that there is abundance for future generations. But until we wake up and start being the change we desire, it seems that we are all part of one collective sin, i.e., Greed.
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