At the conclusion of the COP21 meeting in Paris in December last year, 195 countries signed an inadequate and non-binding climate change agreement. Grossly vague and misleading language accompanied the agreement in that it purports to provide a “framework for the avoidance of catastrophic climate change” and other similar deceptive phrases. In the lead-up to the conference many well supported anti-climate change protests took place all over the world and to a lesser extent in South Africa. In response to the lack of action taken by governments which are largely acting on behalf of Trans National Corporations and banks, these protests raised demands that are crucial in the struggle to address climate change. The labouring majority in South Africa have had their fair share of escalating food prices and water stressed situations, coming on top of energy shortages not so long ago.,
After the earth summit of 1992, held close to a ¼ of a century ago, main polluters such as Japan, China, the USA, Canada etc., are continuing to launch assaults on the world’s population by exacerbating climate change. The recent signing of the Trans Pacific Pact (TPP) and the secrecy surrounding it, blatantly reveals the intentions of the international capitalist class regarding the continued rape, pillaging and destruction of ecosystems and the earth’s biosphere. As for the climate negotiations since the Durban COP17 gathering, what is presented as progress is nothing but cheap diplomacy aimed at perpetuating and prolonging the outmoded system of capitalism. Ensuring profits is the main aim, with little concern for ecosystems and the welfare of billions of people whose lives depend on it.
It has been a tendency on the part of NGO and Trade Union leaders to become slaves to short term, immediate politics. The climate crisis, as one which is all-encompassing, compels us to incorporate it into our mainstream political operations and demands and to view the environmental crisis as one manifestation of the capitalist crisis engulfing the globe. Anything less than this will be no different to the ruling elite narrative of finding ad hoc, market based solutions. Many words have been spoken and written about the “solutions” that “the market” can offer: mitigation through carbon credits trading, carbon sequestration and the like. More elaborate capitalist “solutions” will no doubt be forthcoming in the coming years. At the WEF, recently held in Davos, elaborate discussions were held on “Climate Business”.
The acceptance of the idea of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) at the Paris conference, was aimed at arriving at and sealing an international agreement. However, after basic calculations were done, it was discovered that the aggregate “contributions” of all countries concerned would still result in a temperature rise of 2.7 degrees Celsius and not the “below 1.5 degrees or 2 degrees” that they supposedly aimed for. Deciding on necessary regional targets instead of pretending that 195 governments will abide by their own targets would have been far more feasible. There are after all numerous economic blocs in the world consisting of countries with more or less similar levels of economic development. To make matters worse, many countries did not even submit any “intended nationally determined contributions” before the Paris meeting. Opting for “national” targets will essentially depend on the good intentions and ambitions of individual governments. Besides belonging to economic blocs, many countries are tied into multilateral agreements across a broad spectrum. Collaboration at this level would also be more practical than expecting capitalist governments to police themselves. This scheme, like many before has all the signs of a cop-out; a formula for inaction while putting up a grand display of intended actions.
South Africa
The SA government has been a very active participant in this web of deceit and lies perpetrated on the South African and the world’s population at large. The inherent contradictions in the way climate change is tackled through the UN system is illustrated by the South African government’s actions in this regard. It claims that since SA is a developing country, it should be permitted to pollute on an ever increasing scale according to a specified timescale. As the 11th highest emitter of carbon per person in the world the agreement allows it to continue these destructive practices. It claims that the country’s economic development is geared towards the “alleviation and eradication of poverty”. In this regard it holds up the original New Growth Path of 2010 which morphed into the elaborate, unworkable National Development Plan (NDP) as the framework within which to achieve this. Its acceptance of the Paris Agreement’s PPD (Peak, Plateau and Decline) trajectory regarding GHG emission levels, implies its supposed commitment to address climate change. Nothing could be further from the truth. The government’s continued, slavish adherence to carbon based energy sources (mostly coal) as well as propagating the nuclear option makes a mockery of moving to a “low carbon economy”. Both at the level of government as well as organisations fighting this particular issue, the situation calls out for independent efforts to decisively move the struggle away from the imperialist, corporatist narrative. The gravity of the situation demands from the international organised working class and its allies to raise the climate question as a mainstream political question; one which affects them both directly and indirectly.
System Change, Not Climate Change