When we look at the TV documentary or news related to climate change invades us a general feeling of uneasiness. It seems to us we faced the end of the world, at least at the end of the world we know. The reactions are very diverse, some apocalyptic take positions, leading to religious fanaticism. Other, less and less, maintain a skeptical position of mistrust. A small but powerful minority sees great business opportunities. However, the majority do not know what to do and this feeling of powerlessness leads to frustration and despair. It is a sentiment so widespread that psychologists have been forced to create a new word for it: Solastalgia.
This word expresses the pain experienced when there is a belief that the place where one lives and loves is under imminent threat. However, it is precisely in this sense, suffered by many people, where lies the hope of our species.
There is a real possibility that the planet’s climatic conditions make it impossible for the survival of many species, including ours. We face a great danger, which is unprecedented in human history.
However, it is in the newness of this threat, where your potential. Never in our history have we had such overwhelming evidence as a way of life can threaten our livelihoods. Perhaps evidence of this nature before, we are able to make profound changes.
There may now be achieved, what has not been achieved through class confrontations. Social ecologists for decades saying this. The global movement for climate justice has also noticed this opportunity. Unfortunately, other, with different intentions have also been realized.
Dangerous illusion, can not be bought out
Large groups of power are well aware of the possible social consequences of climate change. The system is in a cycle of crisis, remember: 2008 crisis of food prices, market crisis 2009, 2010 environmental crisis. The resilience of the capitalist system is engaged, its survival is at stake.
Hegemonic groups are not going to give up their privileges to solve the problem. They, in a kamikaze attitude, hasty rush to fate, and its shortsighted attitude sentence us all.
The neoclassical dogma is so deeply ingrained in their minds, they truly believe that this situation can be solved without radical changes. Should not underestimate the faith that “westernized society” is in their gods: the powerful science and efficient market. The dogma says they will give us the solution. This is a dangerous illusion.
The lie has two heads, has made us believe that science can do anything. As a society we are on their knees before her. We only reassured when a “scientific” (male), explains some phenomenon confused (eg, a Tsunami) on the TV.
Do not know the virtues of science, just point out the hazards in the deification of an area of human knowledge. It is particularly naive to think that science, as a dues ex machine, save us from climate change.
As much as we owe to science, solving the climate crisis will not be included in the bill. However, this is one of the most widespread ideas. Many are convinced that saving bulbs, hybrid cars and befouls are sufficient to solve the problem.
The other head of a lie is stated in the “faith of coal” in the economic system. Many believe that to overcome this problem enough to fix some flaws in the current system. In particular, we believe it is sufficient to internalize the environmental externalities in economic analysis.
This approach, typical of environmental economics, is what lies behind the familiar bond carbons and the nefarious scheme of “cap and trade”. It is interesting to observe how, through this mechanism has achieved something that is not in the most extreme dustpan dream: privatize the air. This mechanism can actually buy the right to pollute the air!
The monster behind these solutions is manifested when they join the two heads of falsehood. The inevitable result is to think that buying each individually “green inventions” we can out of trouble. In this way, science gives us the solutions and the market puts at our disposal. Thus creating the illusion that we can buy off the climate crisis.
COM modified Science and funded by big companies to us as huge carbon sinks green deserts of genetically modified trees. They are also transgenic seeds are planted in huge mono cultures for the production of agro fuels. Even monsters have returned from the past, large lobby groups are promoting nuclear energy as an alternative. All proposals have in common:
• do not take into account their social consequences. Just think about the amount of corn needed to fill a car tank with ethanol is equivalent to the calories needed to feed one person for one year (Tovar, 2009). It is a terrible irony that these crops should be planted in countries of the global south, where they will not be used to satisfy the hunger of children, but exported to quench the thirst of the cars in the north.
No question, much less fix the injustice that means that the lifestyle of the global north that subsidized by the misery of the south. Therefore, maintain a system of inequality that is potentially as explosive as climate change.
• All have a reductionism approach to the problems, ignoring the complexity of reality. The epitome of hegemonic proposals: reengineering, shows this clearly. It is known reengineering proposal deliberately manipulating the climate to a global level.
One of the first initiatives of reengineering involves the fertilization of large areas of the oceans. The aim is to increase the populations of marine organisms capable of sequestering carbon. This proposal has already been implemented on a large scale. The results (as expected) have been completely unpredictable, among them is the increasing occurrence of red tides dangerous.
• They are prepared at a developmental logic, which means great business opportunities and economic growth. Which know the basic dilemma of neoclassical economics, to aspire to infinite growth in a world of finite resources.
• All involve socialization of the blame. The strategy used by large transnational climate change is responsible for identifying the problem. This has many implications and should not be underestimated.
For example, we have been led to believe that to solve the huge problem of pollution mean plastic water bottles, enough to change our habits and use refillable bottles. The logic of this argument seems unquestionable, but there are important subtleties. First, investing responsibilities, demonizing the consumer, the company that enriches polluting the planet.
Secondly, it magically disappear responsibilities of companies with regard to the consequences of the use of their products. Third, try to set subjectively that we are all equally responsible for the problem.
Finally, the identification of solutions creates the illusion that it is not necessary to build a social movement to tackle climate change. This is without doubt the greatest ambition of the hegemonic groups.
The source of the problem
To find the solution to any problem is essential to identify its causes. Failure to do so we risk fighting against the consequences forever, never get to solve the problem. With regard to climate change there are two levels that we should discuss and address.
At one level we must clearly establish which is directly responsible for the problem. In this case there is another that the world economic system. This system manages to reduce all people to mere consumers, thus ignoring the complexities inherent in any human being.
Under the neoclassical logic reduces the complexity of human beings known as a Homo economics Moresque and assume that the material needs of society are endless, why the market should provide infinite products. This, as already mentioned, the basic dilemma posed by this theoretical framework.
However, it is also important to appreciate that this logic inevitably involves producing increased amounts of waste, waste which are essentially treated as externalities. In this way the system privatized profits, socialized tools to environmental problems. This is something that the economy has demonstrated eloquently ecology.
Given the logic of the system posed by the growth and accumulation of capital as a condition sine qua non for their existence, is impossible in this framework to address and resolve the root causes of the problem.
The alternatives that we proposed from the neoclassical logic are only palliative, focusing on some of the consequences. Is impossible for this system to offer actual solutions, the causes of the problem are in their basic fundamentals. The system can not be fixed, the only option is to change the system.
The first level is so obvious that it is unlikely that there are still doubts. The second level (most importantly) is not at all obvious. The second level that we face are hierarchies. There is no easy way to explain this, here we will use an example of which recently won a friend.
This is an example thick, full of generalizations, but it has a very intuitive way the problem. Let’s start: it is known by many that the German state has a policy of discrimination with Turkish immigrants, is also widely known that the Turkish state has a policy of discrimination against the Kurdish people.
In general, it is known that the Kurdish society is discriminated against women. For its part, mothers Kurdish assault on some level to their sons and daughters, and finally the children often abuse their pets. That is, there is an intricate network of relationships of domination, which involves the domination of nature.
This example, which is not intended to offend the sensibilities of any people could be lifted using any adjective or nationality. The example reveals something so widespread that it should be no surprise to anyone: we live in highly hierarchical societies where dominance relationships are established.
This is our central dilemma we have created social relations based on domination of one group by another: the rich dominate the poor, the elderly to children, a religious group to another, one ethnic group to another, one gender to another , a kind the rest.
The basic form of domination, primordial is the gender domination. This fact is deeply related to climate change. The problem of hierarchies is pre-capitalist system, therefore deeper. It is true that only in the capitalist system reaches the connotations that fact that we were talking. But if not solved, the spiral of domination always end up attacking too much to nature.
The relations of domination that we maintain in our societies are moving to our relationship with the rest of nature. We have developed a way of life based on aggression. The idea of “domination of nature” is deeply rooted in our psyche.
We found examples of this in all aspects of our lives: in our model of agricultural, urban, industrial production, entertainment, education. The belief that we can dominate the rest of nature is the root of climate change. This belief is a subjective expansion of our social relations of domination. To solve the climate problem background, we must end the hierarchy.
Solutions: Policy prefigurative
The magnitude of change needed to solve the problem can be intimidating. But there are alternatives, many of which are currently being executed, we call prefigurative policies. However, before discussing this, it must be clarified that necessary changes can only be carried out by organized people.
This is a path that can only be traversed from the bottom up, not the other way. The failure of the COP15 eloquently demonstrated. We have observed for decades fiascos in the climate negotiations.
It is clear that world governments and the multilaterals are not able to carry out the changes necessary to solve the problem. It’s time we stop delegating our responsibilities. Time for us to take our power through direct participation.
It is important to acknowledge past mistakes and assume that the media should be consistent with the objectives. This is the logic behind prefigurative policies. If our goal is to destroy the hierarchy, we can not achieve this by using hierarchical structures. This is a basic principle.
The first step in combating climate change is the formation of a grassroots movement. This is the importance of Cochabamba, is the ideal place to begin the joint movement. We are many and varied, our motto should be: unity in diversity. To build our unity, we must establish what our affinities.
These affinities can be expressed in a set of common principles. This is something that the network for climate justice has been done, they have established as principles of solidarity, autonomy, cooperation and direct action.
Direct action is essential as it creates culture and awareness needed to implement direct democracy (the foreshadowed). Overall, we have two courses of action: Opposition Illustrated and concrete alternatives.
Illustrated by the opposition must prove the falsehoods that are behind the proposed alternatives under the current system.
However, this is not enough, not sufficient to show that an option is not valid, we must propose alternatives. We must show that another world is indeed possible. It is here that agroecology, perm culture, and municipal pareconomía libertarian must be applied.
Multiple social movements are now examples of success. The global movement for the decline has shown us how to re-scale our societies. International ecovillage movement shows the potential of perm culture. La Via Campesina teaches us the power of agroecology.
Our common principles should guide our decisions. The forms of organization and the technological alternatives assume that we adopt must prefigure the world we want.
This simple approach greatly simplifies our work. When we doubt to alternatives, one must ask which is consistent with our principles. These must be our guide in the fight. Build these principles together in Cochabamba. The importance of the meeting in Bolivia is that it is a gathering of peoples, not governments.
We believe the movement of movements capable of transforming the world. Seize the revolutionary potential that exists in the climate crisis. Solve more than global warming: Let’s change the system, not the weather!
