Article by Binbin Mei

Photo by: Lubna Badi. “Communism versus ‘Degrowth’: How to Combat the Climate Crisis.” The Communist, 28 Mar. 2025

Wildfires are over our summers. Floods drown our winters. Droughts kill millions of our population. And despite these, the world’s richest companies are still posting record profits and economic achievements. Every year, the climate emergency grows louder,
but the solutions feel farther away than ever. Why? Because climate change isn’t a glitch in our system — it is the system itself.

Sociologist John Urry clearly argued this in his essay “Sociology and Climate Change” (2009). He explains that our societies are built around a “high-carbon” way of life. Almost every human activity, which are things we do everyday, from commuting to shopping to streaming online, relies on burning fossil fuels which are the emissions of carbon dioxide. And since our economy depends on constant growth, we’re basically locked into a cycle that’s nearly impossible to break. As Economic growth feeds capitalism, companies must always produce more, sell more, and make more profit. Every faster delivery, every long-haul flight and every newer technology contribute to the thickening of the ozone layer. Even products that seem “eco-friendly”, like electric cars, solar panels, recycled clothing, still rely on resource extraction and global supply chains that burn fossil fuels, they are more of a gimmick the companies came up with to make themselves appear more environmentally conscious.

This isn’t just an economic problem, but a social problem. Consumerism teaches us that buying more equals living better and owning more equals the more happy. Social media, luxury brands’ high fashion, influencer culture, and endless advertising keep us hooked on endless consumption. And corporations assure us we can “shop sustainably.” according to their CSR policies. But in reality, every purchase feeds the same high-carbon logic. As journalist Naomi Klein once wrote, “Climate change is a civilizational wake-up call.” It’s not just about saving polar bears; it’s about confronting a system built to profit from destruction.

Urry’s analysis hits the mark: “green growth” is comforting but misleading. The system’s core: endless profit and consumption, remains unchanged. Take greenwashing, as an example. Oil giants like BP and Shell brand themselves as “eco-friendly” while expanding fossil fuel production. Shell once wanted to sink an entire platform into the ocean. Not a shipwreck, but a massive offshore rig, part of its plan to expand fossil fuel extraction. While executives promise “net zero” and greener operations, the company continues investing in projects that add more carbon to the atmosphere. Moreover, fashion brands release “sustainable” lines made from recycled polyester, still derived from petroleum. You know what’s more ironic? Even global climate conferences like COP28 are dominated by fossil fuel lobbyists, turning promises of reform into theatre.

Why can’t we just fix the problem? For this question, Urry compares capitalism to a “genie released from the bottle.” Once released during the Industrial Revolution, it transformed the world, and now it’s almost impossible to control. Our cities, our jobs, even our leisure depend on carbon-heavy infrastructures. Commuting, heating homes, air-conditioners, eating imported food , we barely notice how dependent we are, and even if we do, it’s impossible to change in the short-run. We are powerless under a system that has runned for so many years. This dependency on high carbon emission lifestyles also exposes inequality: The richest 10% of population are responsible for over half of global emissions, while those in the Global South bear the harshest consequences: drought, flooding, and famine.

Urry emphasizes that the hardest challenge isn’t technology or money, it’s imagination. It is the struggle for us to picture a world beyond fossil fuels because our “normal” life is built on them. But hope exists if imagination is abundant. Grassroots movements are already imagining alternatives: circular economies, community-owned renewable energy, and youth-led activism like Fridays for Future. As Klein says, “We need an entirely new economic model.”, we also need new ways of living and connecting, where success isn’t measured by Economic growth but by sustainability, care, and equality.If nothing changes, global greenhouse gas emissions could triple by the end of this century. Future generations may face food shortage crises, extreme weather, and more natural disasters. The planet has been and is giving us warnings, but capitalism can’t answer them and is not willing to change.

Urry’s message is correct and clear: Real transformation requires confronting our collective carbon addiction and rethinking how we live, work, and consume. The disaster has already begun, and calamity is imminent, but if we dare to imagine differently, and are willing to contribute as an individual, there’s still time to rewrite the story.

References:

Klein, Naomi. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate. Simon & Schuster, 2014.

Urry, John. “Sociology and Climate Change.” The Sociological Review, vol. 57, no. s2, 2009, pp. 84–100.

BBC News. “Shell and BP ‘Greenwash’ Accusations Amid Net Zero Pledges.” BBC News, 29 Apr. 2023, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65270309.

The Guardian. “COP28 Dominated by Fossil Fuel Lobbyists, Critics Say.” The Guardian, 3 Dec. 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/dec/03/cop28-fossil-fuel-lobbyists.

Oxfam. “World’s Richest 10 Percent Emit Half of Global Carbon Emissions.” Oxfam, 19 Oct. 2022, https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/worlds-richest-10-percent-emit-half-global-carbon-emissions.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023. IPCC, 2023, https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6-syr/.

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