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Wednesday, 13 April 2011
THE OKM'S VIEWS ON CLIMATE CHANGE
COP17 and ECOSOCIALISM
COP17 is a big meeting where representatives from capitalist governments will talk about how to stop climate change without disturbing the operation of the capitalist system. Indeed, there is evidence that one of the main agendas in Durban – come December – will be the attempt to make neoliberal capitalism green (“greenwash”). Carbon trading, geo-engineering and adaptation are just some of the ways in which the capitalists want to make more profits in the name of fighting global warming, climate change and the threat to planet earth. In reality, capitalism can never stop exploiting and abusing labour and nature.
This suggests that campaigning against global warming is not enough. We need to do much more than expose and oppose the destruction of the environment by the capitalists and their system. Opposition is not enough. Historically the capitalist system has shown us that it has tremendous powers of adaptation and survival. These involve changing important aspects of itself, but leaving the essence intact, and in this way absorbing those elements that at first seemed to challenge and threaten its very existence. For example, at first the capitalists resisted state-run compulsory education, especially for working class children, but today mass education is an important mechanism for organising labour discipline and maintaining capitalist hegemony.
The struggle against capitalist destruction of the environment requires us to come up with alternatives. These alternatives must not only be about specific policies that can help address the problem, but they should also frame a new horizon for global transformation. What is needed is a different vision of how society could be run. As socialists our vision is socialism, that is, we believe in a social system that is founded on the principle of social production that is geared towards the satisfaction of human needs rather than profit-making. The ruling class in such a society will be the working class. Later, according to the Marxist theoretical vision, a stateless society will develop because there will be no need for a state once classes have been abolished and all forms of oppression and exploitation eradicated.
The challenges posed by global warming, climate change and other consequences of the capitalist destruction of nature force socialists to revisit and review the socialist vision. Many supposedly socialist societies have been as destructive as capitalist societies when it comes to nature. For example, the then Soviet Union’s use of nuclear power led to the Chernobyl accident whose severity is matched only by the recent Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in Japan. Today China builds mega-dams that lead to severe damage to nature. Under Hugo Chavez, Venezuela is said to be building “petro-socialism”, a form of socialism that relies on oil to fund itself. Like coal, oil is a dangerous fossil fuel whose use leads to carbon emissions. Chavez should listen to the slogans: Keep the oil in the soil, leave the coal in the hole!
It is for these reasons that “ecosocialism” has emerged as a necessary vision for 21st century socialism. At its heart it is about developing a form of society, a type of socialism, where humanity and nature will be put at the centre. Ecosocialism is founded on the realisation that human beings are part of nature rather than its conquerors and exploiters. The war against nature is a war against ourselves. This means that in all that we do, especially when we engage in economic activity, we should ensure that no harm is visited upon the natural environment. The devastation caused by climate change such as we see in the occurrence of tsunamis, floods, dangerous weather patterns, and so on, are cases where humanity is made to pay for its careless attitude and reckless action to nature.
Ecosocialism is the placement of ecological considerations at the centre of socialist economics and politics. It arises out of the realisation that once the earth is destroyed there will be no place where socialism can be built. In popular language, it can be regarded as a marriage of green and red politics. It is necessary that all socialists and true democrats embrace this new vision and politics in order to secure humanity’s future. It is a vision that should frame our general approach to the debates and struggles around COP17.
COP17 is a big meeting where representatives from capitalist governments will talk about how to stop climate change without disturbing the operation of the capitalist system. Indeed, there is evidence that one of the main agendas in Durban – come December – will be the attempt to make neoliberal capitalism green (“greenwash”). Carbon trading, geo-engineering and adaptation are just some of the ways in which the capitalists want to make more profits in the name of fighting global warming, climate change and the threat to planet earth. In reality, capitalism can never stop exploiting and abusing labour and nature.
This suggests that campaigning against global warming is not enough. We need to do much more than expose and oppose the destruction of the environment by the capitalists and their system. Opposition is not enough. Historically the capitalist system has shown us that it has tremendous powers of adaptation and survival. These involve changing important aspects of itself, but leaving the essence intact, and in this way absorbing those elements that at first seemed to challenge and threaten its very existence. For example, at first the capitalists resisted state-run compulsory education, especially for working class children, but today mass education is an important mechanism for organising labour discipline and maintaining capitalist hegemony.
The struggle against capitalist destruction of the environment requires us to come up with alternatives. These alternatives must not only be about specific policies that can help address the problem, but they should also frame a new horizon for global transformation. What is needed is a different vision of how society could be run. As socialists our vision is socialism, that is, we believe in a social system that is founded on the principle of social production that is geared towards the satisfaction of human needs rather than profit-making. The ruling class in such a society will be the working class. Later, according to the Marxist theoretical vision, a stateless society will develop because there will be no need for a state once classes have been abolished and all forms of oppression and exploitation eradicated.
The challenges posed by global warming, climate change and other consequences of the capitalist destruction of nature force socialists to revisit and review the socialist vision. Many supposedly socialist societies have been as destructive as capitalist societies when it comes to nature. For example, the then Soviet Union’s use of nuclear power led to the Chernobyl accident whose severity is matched only by the recent Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in Japan. Today China builds mega-dams that lead to severe damage to nature. Under Hugo Chavez, Venezuela is said to be building “petro-socialism”, a form of socialism that relies on oil to fund itself. Like coal, oil is a dangerous fossil fuel whose use leads to carbon emissions. Chavez should listen to the slogans: Keep the oil in the soil, leave the coal in the hole!
It is for these reasons that “ecosocialism” has emerged as a necessary vision for 21st century socialism. At its heart it is about developing a form of society, a type of socialism, where humanity and nature will be put at the centre. Ecosocialism is founded on the realisation that human beings are part of nature rather than its conquerors and exploiters. The war against nature is a war against ourselves. This means that in all that we do, especially when we engage in economic activity, we should ensure that no harm is visited upon the natural environment. The devastation caused by climate change such as we see in the occurrence of tsunamis, floods, dangerous weather patterns, and so on, are cases where humanity is made to pay for its careless attitude and reckless action to nature.
Ecosocialism is the placement of ecological considerations at the centre of socialist economics and politics. It arises out of the realisation that once the earth is destroyed there will be no place where socialism can be built. In popular language, it can be regarded as a marriage of green and red politics. It is necessary that all socialists and true democrats embrace this new vision and politics in order to secure humanity’s future. It is a vision that should frame our general approach to the debates and struggles around COP17.
WHY WORKERS AND SOCIALISTS SHOULD SUPPORT THE OKM
THE OKM: A SOCIALIST ELECTORAL FRONT OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
The 2011 South African local government elections come at a very difficult time for the world’s ruling classes. Their economic system, capitalism, is in crisis. The 30-year dominance of neoliberal ideology is over. These are the ideas and justifications behind GEAR, privatization, outsourcing, casualisation, labour brokers, service cut-offs, etc. Anti-capitalist opposition has increased during the 21st century with hundreds of thousands across the globe taking action against neoliberal institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and against George Bush’s war. Recently we see revolutions in oil-producing Middle East countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Bahrain, etc. The centre cannot hold.
South Africa is torn apart by community protests, militant strikes and in-fighting in the ruling party. Last year saw the highest number of days lost to strikes and community protests in the country’s history. Many working people are losing confidence in the ANC. The DA, a capitalist party with policies worse than the ANC, is buying support in working class townships. Many people are finding themselves without a reason for voting. Some social movements are campaigning for an election boycott. Many people think that there is no alternative to the capitalist system because they cannot see a power strong enough to change things for the better.
It is in this context that the Operation Khanyisa Movement (OKM) is running candidates in the local elections. The OKM is an electoral front formed by two Johannesburg-based movements affiliated to the Anti-Privatisation Forum, namely, the Soweto Electricity Crisis Committee (SECC) and the Thembelihle Crisis Committee. It was formed in 2006 when these organizations decided to use the electoral tactic in addition to organising marches, demonstrations and direct action against anti-working class policies. They wanted to use the elections to promote their campaigns, win wider support and promote the socialist vision as an alternative to capitalism. They succeeded to win one seat on the Johannesburg City Council.
The name of the OKM councilor is Comrade Zodwa Madiba. She is a working class woman who lives in Dube, Soweto, and is a long-standing member of the SECC. She is the only councilor in the City of Johannesburg who pushes a consistent socialist, pro-working class agenda. She signed a pledge binding herself to the main principles of the OKM. These are based on the policies of the Paris Commune, the first revolutionary government of the working class in history. They distinguish her and the OKM from other councilors and political parties.
The OKM councilor gets a mandate from her constituency before attending council meetings. She surrenders half of her salary to the community and this money is used to build the struggle. She is subject to the right of recall, that is, she can be removed from office at any time if the community is not satisfied with her performance. She spends her time supporting working class struggles, for example, she leads struggles to remove pre-paid water meters, re-connect electricity and resist evictions. The OKM supports labour strikes and fights for the eradication of all forms of exploitation and oppression.
The main tasks of the OKM are to strengthen working class struggles, defend workers from capitalist attacks and to promote pro-working class policies. It seeks to link different struggles to one another by pointing out the common enemy and destiny of all workers, employed and unemployed, young and old, black or white, gay or straight, and irrespective of country of origin. The OKM associates itself with the Democratic Left Front (DLF), an initiative that seeks to build working class solidarity in struggle. The DLF seeks to build alternatives to the capitalist system.
The OKM opposes the capitalist destruction of nature. It fights against increasing carbon emissions, global warming and climate change. It supports the slogan: Keep the oil in the soil and the coal in the hole! The OKM is committed to mobilizing mass opposition against the COP17 global meeting of the world’s capitalist governments that will take place in Durban in December. This meeting aims to reach agreements to reduce carbon emissions. The OKM believes that there is no solution under capitalism. As an alternative the OKM supports the DLF’s “1 million green jobs” campaign and the vision eco-socialism. The latter represents an alternative to capitalism’s ecologically destructive production methods. It is also an alternative to versions of socialism that are trapped in the growth logic of capital.
The OKM calls on working class communities, trade unionists, students and socialists who agree with its election platform to provide it with political and material support. It is running 5 ward and 10 proportional representation (PR) candidates in Soweto and Thembelihle. This means that it will appear on Johannesburg’s PR ballot papers. Comrades living in this city should vote OKM because a vote for the OKM is a vote for a socialist alternative.
VOTE OKM ON 18 MAY 2011
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