Bolivia’s radical cure for climate change: Destroy capitalism

South American country, Bolivia has a radical solution to the problems of climate change and global warming: The world must destroy capitalism. The capitalist system, it says, is a system of death.

In its submission to the UN climate talks, Bolivia said capitalism is leading humanity towards the ‘horizon of destruction’ and death from climate change.

Back in 2013, every nation was asked to submit pledges for how to reduce carbon emissions ahead of a major conference in Paris next month, when countries will try and sign an agreement to stop a catastrophic rise in global temperature.

Around 150 out of a possible 196 have submitted their proposals so far. The EU, for example, talked about ‘economy-wide absolute reduction from base year emissions.’

But according to Bolivia, ‘The structural cause that has triggered the climate crisis is the failed capitalist system. It promotes consumerism, warmongering and commercialism, causing the destruction of Mother Earth and humanity. The capitalist system is a system of death.

‘Hence, capitalism is leading humanity towards a horizon of destruction that sentences nature and life itself to death.In this regard, for a lasting solution to the climate crisis we must destroy capitalism.’

‘The capitalist system seeks profit without limits, strengthens the divorce between human beings and nature, establishing a logic of domination of men against nature.’

Within it there are practical pledges, such as a vow to protect natural resources like forests, increase water storage capacity and promote renewable energy.But the government also put forward a structural solution: ‘Adopt a new model of civilisation in the world without consumerism, war-mongering and mercantilism, a world without capitalism’.

Climate policy analyst Sophie Yeo from Carbon Brief said: ‘Most countries that have submitted pledges have stuck to staid statements about how they plan to reduce their emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Bolivia is unusual in making such an overtly political statement.’

*This article was first published in metro.co.uk