Article by Yan Kou

Photo by Chirs LeBoutillier on Unsplash

Is our planet still in good condition now? The planet that sustains human life has existed for billions of years and has remained intact throughout its long history.  Yet since the Industrial Revolution, and especially through the rapid development of the twenty-first century, its environment has deteriorated dramatically.  One of the significant factors contributing to the increase in extreme weather such as floods and droughts is the current dominant social development system of capitalism. The current reality is that due to this system that is excessively focused on profit, the Earth’s environment is approaching collapse.

Sociologist Urry (2010) defines contemporary capitalism as “high-carbon capitalism”, borrowing Marx and Engels’s metaphor of a “sorcerer who cannot control his own spells.” The goal of capitalism is to create new wealth through technological innovation and industrial development, which can be put simply as the pursuit of rapid economic growth. From this, the core logic of capitalism is continuous expansion and accumulation. “Magic” includes the high mobility of modern society, such as global supply chains, population mobility, and other inevitable activities that cannot be avoided. These are summarized as a new concept – “Mobility Complex” (Urry, 2010), which has negatively affected humanity and the Earth. A typical example is that due to policy or price factors, countless green new energy vehicles are transported by sea from China to European countries. Each fully loaded cargo ship’s voyage emits a large amount of carbon footprint and burns our planet. This is a cycle which is an inevitable vicious cycle in modern society.

This is more of a helpless move by modern capitalism. Because humans rely on mobility, it seems to be a paradox related to “green capitalism”. Attempts to solve the environmental crisis within the existing economic framework are, at a deeper level, little more than illusions that conceal the system’s contradictions. The batteries of electric vehicles still require the extensive mining of rare minerals, and the use of green products still relies on global aviation and maritime transportation. Therefore, this paradox is that while the global economy achieves victory, it simultaneously promotes the deterioration of the Earth’s environment. It is difficult to truly touch upon the core that hinders environmental change.

Moreover, rapid economic growth often comes at the cost of sustainability. The economic benefits derived from the Earth’s natural resources have become the profits that capitalist systems compete for. In modern society, Capitalism has shaped the preferences of society and humanity: The society’s yearning for wealth is similar to people’s pursuit of a better life. In daily life, traveling is the choice of the majority. However, transportation methods such as cars and airplanes increase the carbon emissions of everyone, although everyone has the concept of protecting the environment, a political system that only focuses on benefits will inevitably harm the Earth.

Sociologist Beck (1992) argues that modern industrial society has entered a new stage of historical development— “second modernity,” which he also describes as a “risk societies.” In this stage, humanity faces massive global risks by themselves such as nuclear accidents, climate change, and economic collapse. These risks are destructive, invisible, and transnational in nature. These risks are essentially caused by human development. Due to the need for capitalist development, the regulatory system is not sound, so they are highly likely to be unavoidable. Beck believes that due to the flaws in the system, the world has already fallen into a vortex of risks. Human decisions themselves may end everything on Earth. The uncontrollable climate change proves this point.

According to Beck’s (1992) perspective, the progress of modernity is often accompanied by destruction—it turns back on humanity itself. Ten years ago, many countries signed the Paris Climate Agreement (2015), as governments hoped to reduce pollution through laws and international commitments. However, ten years have passed, and some countries are still debating whether to participate. This reveals a truth that the global climate crisis has exceeded the control of the existing system. No country or government can escape this environmental predicament. Humans have created a successful history, but at the same time, they have also triggered climate disasters.

In conclusion, both Ehrlich and Baker believe that the outcome of capitalist development will inevitably lead to climate change. Nowadays, humanity have to break the “green trap” of capitalism and think about how to avoid the destructive consequences caused by its pursuit of profits. The endless desire of capitalism for unlimited economic growth fundamentally does not align with the health of our planet. Can a new social system or global framework truly balance the relationship between humans and nature in the future? It is time for us to re-think the future direction of human society.

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