Corporate power and climate injustice
Global inequality and the climate crisis
Climate breakdown is already wreaking havoc across the world. Record heatwaves, more frequent hurricanes, bigger floods and more devastating droughts are already destroying the livelihoods, health and lives of millions of people. And those most affected are people in the global south – the countries, in other words, who were impoverished by colonialism, and then have had decades of a global economy being rigged against them.
In fact, this global inequality in who suffers from the climate crisis, and the failure to adequately tackle it both have the same cause – an economy which puts corporate profit above the interests of ordinary people.
A structural problem
The discussion around climate change often revolves around what we can do as individual consumers: take fewer flights, cycle and use public transport, eat less meat. Those are all important things to do, but the reality is that just 100 giant global companies are responsible for 71% of all carbon emissions.
The number one priority of the corporate elite is making profits for their shareholders. So not only have they failed to make the shift towards a zero carbon economy, they’ve actually spent a lot of time persuading governments not legislate for this either. Corporate lobbyists have done everything from pushing greenwash and false solutions to denying climate change is even happening.
But the problem is deeper than the interests of carbon-producing corporations such as oil companies, car companies and agribusiness firms. At the heart of our economic system is a constant push to accumulate greater profits, and grow the economy regardless of environmental limits.
When profit structures our economy, environmental and social costs are shifted onto people and the planet.
That’s why if we want to stop climate change, we need system change >>
The Growth Machine
Watch this video, produced by our sister organisation ATTAC Germany.