Capitalism Is Destroying The Planet

Many of the problems facing the world today are the result of the capitalistic economic goal of making a profit over meeting society’s needs. The earth’s ability to endure the destructive processes brought about by capitalism is reaching its limit with the exploitation of the earth’s depleting resources to produce an overabundance of commodities that are polluting the environment while creating a volatile economy. Capitalism engenders its profit by compelling workers to produce more value than the value of their wages.

Capitalism in Canada experiences the same volatile boom-and-bust cycle as the rest of the world. Currently, there is slow economic growth, trade wars, high levels of debt and inflation, and a pandemic fueling another financial crisis for the working class. The hardships of an economic recovery are always imposed on the backs of the working class by the ruling class during such periods of economic instability.

The younger generation seems not interested in such a volatile economic system and is speaking out against the richest 1% who accumulate more wealth while millions are living below or near the poverty line during an economic downturn. The popular environmental activist Greta Thunberg is one of many calling for politicians and corporations for stronger action on climate change caused by corporate greed.

The definition of capitalism is described as an economic system in which a country’s trade, industry, and profits are controlled by large private corporations. These corporations, with monetary incentives, control the government that governs the people whose time and labour powers those companies. They are also responsible for all the major ecological tragedies that are plaguing the world.

Here in Alberta, the oil and gas industry has drilled many wells, many of which have been abandoned from being dried up or left behind by bankrupted oil companies. These orphaned wells are hazardous to the environment they are in. To clean up these orphaned wells the Alberta government received $1 Billion from the Federal government. There has been $200 million allocated to sites held by eight major companies with another $200 million divided between sites held by 275 other companies. The cost of oilwell reclamation neglected by the corporations and imposed on the working class is expected to be around $611 million.

All corporations and large companies produce many items using plastics for the object or its packaging. This has caused a world plastic pandemic, again becoming a burden on the public. The top 1% are getting richer with paid servitude without regard to how it affects us and the environment. Production of the goods and the packaging recycling should be the responsibility of the corporations/manufacturers. Make a M.A.D. Move and hold the corporations accountable to produce sustainable products from cradle to cradle.