Environment

“The ocean is rising, and we are too.”

Climate change is no longer a threat of the future. Already, hurricanes are becoming more powerful, forests are burning, and people are dying from heat waves, drought, floods, and famine. Such extreme weather events are quickly becoming the rule, not the exception.

The oceans are polluted by plastic and chemical waste, killing off fish and other marine life. Underground water supplies are drained or polluted, leading to a widespread scarcity of this most essential of resources. Every year, species are becoming extinct through the senseless destruction of ecosystems.

Immediate action is needed. A massive reduction in emissions and pollution levels is essential. But the solution does not lie in moralistic ‘lifestyle’ choices about ‘sustainable’ consumption. The capitalists and their political representatives are completely incapable of carrying out the radical changes that are required. The working class must seize the assets and wealth of the big conglomerates and monopolies (who are also the biggest polluters), and place their resources under democratic management.

Under a socialist society, we would be able to democratically and sustainably manage production, so we can improve the living conditions of working people in harmony with the planet. The fight against climate change and the fight for socialism are ultimately one and the same.

In this essay Engels explains that the decisive step in the evolution of humans was the adoption of an upright posture. This move from walking on four feet to two was the result of changes in the environment, which forced some primates from the forests to the ground below, where they were required to travel long distances in the search for scarce food resources. This transition to a bipedal, upright stance freed up the hands and allowed them to develop a range of flexible functions.