Why Capitalism Loves the Very Thing That Kills Us
- Elli Sloan
- Apr 21, 2023
- 4 min read
I may be vegan, but boy do I want to eat the rich.
Another year, another IPCC report alerting us that this is our “final warning” to act before rising greenhouse gas emissions push the world to the brink of irrevocable damage. IPCC’s final installment of its six-part synthesis report is almost certain to be the last such assessment before the global temperature rises above 1.5C—the threshold beyond which our damage to the climate will rapidly become irreversible.
It’s almost comical that this report came out just days after Biden approved of the Willow Project, a massive Alaska oil-drilling project that will produce the equivalent of roughly two million cars’ worth of carbon pollution every year. IPCC says current fossil fuel production will doom us all, and Biden explicitly broke his promise of no more drilling. If he’s trying to protect his “climate president” reputation, it definitely came at the expense of impressing no one except fossil fuel executives who continue to pour boatloads into the Biden administration (incl. countless House lawmakers). Despite being one of the most technologically advanced nations with a real strategic toolkit to mitigate climate change, we continue to engage in a profit-motivated death drive.
And this is no secret; IPCC followed the money and discovered that public and private finance still flows much more into fossil fuels than into climate adaptation or mitigation. So what does that mean?
We’re literally subsidizing fossil fuel executives while they destroy our planet. It’s the Monsanto of wrong subsidies. And the outcome? Environmental racism is alive and well. By approving this project, we’re continuing the violence that Native communities in Alaska have faced for centuries. Approximately 3.3 to 3.6 billion people live in areas highly vulnerable to climate change (almost one out of every two people on the planet). We’re killing the physical environment on which human survival depends.
What’s even crazier (if it’s possible to even go there), is that the latest IPCC report is a watered down version, thanks to a small number of major fossil fuel-producing and consuming nations. According to a draft leaked in 2021, scientists were ultimately forced to omit language that speaks to the urgency of phasing out fossil fuels and downplaying the “need for urgent and accelerated mitigation actions at all scales.”
Taking a page from the thematic through lines in films ranging from The Menu and Triangle of Sadness to Knives Out and The Purge, let’s eat the rich. Ten percent of households with the highest per capita emissions contribute 35-45% of global consumption-based household emissions, while the bottom 50% contribute 13-15%.
While I’m kidding about eating the rich (🙃), it doesn’t dismiss the very real climate anxiety I carry around with me—which, I acknowledge, is a privilege in and of itself. (Climate anxiety has been described as an “overly white phenomenon.” Climate justice writer Mary Annaïse Heglar has dubbed the term “existential exceptionalism”—when the privileged represent climate change as humanity’s first existential crisis, effectively scrubbing away centuries of oppression that target the existence of people of color and other marginalized populations.)
While there are global, collective solutions necessary to diffuse this ticking time bomb (e.g., drastically reducing growth in the more economically developed countries, while transferring money and resources to the less-developed countries), there’s still power in our collective voices.
Dismantling capitalism is a longer-term, ever-continuing project. So in the meantime, here are three ways we can continue to participate in collective action:
Note: I acknowledge that it’s important to preserve our energy and ensure we’re not trying to engage fully when our cup is empty. These are simply suggestions that will always be available as long as our planet is still turning.
1. Turn that anger and anxiety into advocacy and action
The UN Environmental Programme outlines a few ways you can speak up and make a difference, ranging from politics to work life, to personal finances and volunteer opportunities.
Earth Justice (currently suing the Willow Project) has an Alerts page to get smart on the latest (and local) climate issues, as well as templates to make your voice most impactful.
2. Vote with your wallet & remain skeptical as hell about greenwashing messaging Companies thrive off purpose-driven buyers. While we’re well-versed at this point in reading words like “eco-conscious” or “earth-friendly” with a discerning look, here are a couple tips to become a better greenwashing pundit:
The “Hidden Trade-off” Claim: When Starbucks got rid of their plastic straws and replaced them with strawless lids, they were praised for being a leader, however, their lids actually contain more plastic.
The Irrelevant Claim: Take the term “biodegradable” for example. It may be true, but it can take a very long time to break down and/or doesn’t mean it won’t hurt the environment in the process. When redleaf created a “guilt-free plastic water bottle,” they failed to share that it produces microplastics and requires a temperature unlikely to occur in a landfill.
The Bait and Switch: While some brands are ramping up their sustainability commitments, they still turn around and donate money to political candidates who vote against climate action bills that try to tackle fossil fuel growth. OpenSecrets allows you to see where and who organizations give financial contributions to (there’s a top 10 list, as well as a search bar to the left).
The Predatory Delay: “Net zero” has been a huge trend. The only problem is that the direct carbon capture technology required to make this happen isn’t scalable just yet. Future-centric promises allow corporations to do business as usual with false promises built on nonexistent technology and sustainability buzzwords. Ask yourself: what are brands doing today?
3. Sign the Clean Creatives Pledge
IPCC names the advertising and PR industry’s work for major polluters as a key obstacle to ending the climate emergency. Big Oil is the new Big Tobacco as it pertains to the advertising industry. We’ve created multi-billion dollar campaigns to mislead and confuse the public, downplay the urgency of the climate crisis, and overstate the work they have done to find a solution.
While you may not work directly in the advertising / PR space, (1) I highly encourage you to share with your friends in the industry, and (2) if you are a creative in any capacity, you too can sign the pledge, declining any future contracts with fossil fuel companies, trade associations, or front groups.
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