The recent series of events in the world has got me thinking and researching… the ammonium nitrate blast in Beirut on 4th of August 2020, deforestation, climate crisis… It all started with Colonialism which was then molded to Capitalism rooted in racism, white supremacy, and all other forms of oppression (the environment, social, gender, sexual preference, amongst others) with sometimes neo-colonial practices like fair-trade agreements or wars with countries with ‘human rights issues’ or ‘terrorism’ (aka oil) and under the guise on ‘globalisation’.
When we talk about and practice being environmentally friendly, our individual actions do help, but to really stop it we need to end capitalism! When you support this oppressive system, you cannot at the same time support nature. It is one or the other. You cannot uphold the system, say you are a nature activist, then at the same time uphold white supremacy. It simply cannot co-exist!
If you truly go deep into the root causes of environmental destruction, it is all – OVERCONSUMPTION IGNITED AND FUELLED BY CAPITALISM!
A simple example, more and more people in the Global North are practicing veganism. Reason being: justice for the environment and for the animals (note that justice for humans is not usually in the sentence). Then, as a vegan, they end up buying processed faux meat (Beyond Meat, Impossible Burger), buying all sorts of nut milk, eating produce from the Global South – jackfruit, banana flowers, tempeh.
Buying imported foods from halfway across the planet causes environmental destruction with carbon emissions from planes. The increase in demand for almond milk has caused the commercialisation and industrialisation of almonds! Lands are being cleared just so producers can plant monocultures of almond trees (almonds are seasonal by the way, but with this practice we are forcing the trees to fruit all year long) forcing bees to pollinate the trees, exposing them to chemical pesticides, putting them in stress. Not only the bees, but we are also putting the workers at risk to these chemicals, the soil, the microbes, the animals above and below the ground, the air, and water! Additionally, almond trees need a lot of water to grow – not as environmentally sustainable as we think!
This is not vegan in anyways!
The increase in demand for cashew nuts to make vegan cheese has cause farmers and other workers in the Global South, namely India, at risk. (In case you didn’t know, our cashew nuts come from India). The workers, mainly females, are exploited – only paid sometimes as low as GBP2 a day, and are at risk of getting their hands burnt by the by cardol and anacardic acids that lie between the two layers of hard shell on a cashew nut. Their safety is not cared for much, because they need to make money. (Source: https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/04/women-india-pay-price-cashew-nut-demand-vegan-diets-rise-9110415/).
Most of us do not really care about this, but guess what – THIS IS NOT VEGAN!
Veganism is rooted in love, compassion, and kindness, which values and respects all lives.
The above are just a few examples, but as you see the problem is not the almond milk or cashew nut. The problem is the commodification of these foods, the industrialisation, and commercialisation of these products. Capitalism drives this!
Another thing we need to remind ourselves – do not blame ‘poor’ people for polluting the environment just because they are not vegan or they do not recycle! The capitalist structure has priced them out of vegan foods to the point that it is a privilege to be a vegan. Developing countries too may not have the infrastructure to recycle – they are ‘poor’ as a consequence of colonialism. It doesn’t matter if there are vegan or not, recycle or not, they produce fewer carbon emissions than someone from the Global North.
Oxfam (the charity) found that the richest 10% of people produce half of the world’s carbon emissions, while the poorest half contribute just 10%. (Source: https://theconversation.com/emissions-inequality-there-is-a-gulf-between-global-rich-and-poor- 113804#:~:text=The%20disparity%20is%20even%20more,someone%20in%20the%20poorest%2010%25.) The richest countries of the world, home to just half of the world population, emit 86 percent of CO2 emissions. (Source: https://ourworldindata.org/co2-by-income-region)
Many people say the Earth is being destroyed due to over population. This is a very much racist thing to say and I am sad to say two of environmental idols, Sir David Attenborough and Dr. Jane Goodall have said it. This is extremely racist as guess where there is overpopulation – GLOBAL SOUTH! The problem is not OVERPOPULATION. The problem is OVERCONSUMPTION – especially of those in the Global North!
Overconsumption is ignited and fuelled by CAPITALISM. They want you to buy that shoe or dress that you do not need or to eat more than what your body can actually consume. When we consume more then we need, we feed the system. Giving them more money. Did you know:
- Overconsumption of meat in the Global North resulted in land and forests in the Global South being cleared to industrially farm animals?
- When you buy your fast fashion clothes made of synthetic materials, you are indirectly supporting the oil industry? Did you know the chemical colours are poison to the marine life and animals?
- When you buy a new toy or item in plastic, you are also indirectly supporting the oil industry?
- Did you know when you buy a mineral water bottle, you are indirectly supporting the oil industry and also implicitly telling governments that water is not a basic human right!? This abuse is not seen in the Global North, it is rampant and apparent in the Global South especially in countries where the politicians are corrupt. (P.S Yes, the politicians are corrupt and are wrong, but they are because they want money – driven by, guess what, capitalism which we help perpetuate!)
When Leonardo DiCaprio was told by environmentalist, Sunita Narain, that the overconsumption of the Americans is the cause of climate change and needs to be changed. All he muttered was that Americans will most likely never accept a change to their “standard of living”. (Source: https://theconversation.com/dicaprios-documentary-calls-for-a-green-future-but-his-vision-isnt-radical-enough-68066). The environmental and climate injustice are inevitably linked to consumption.
“Your consumption is going to really put a hole in the planet. We need to put the issue of lifestyle and consumption at the centre of climate negotiations.” – Sunita Narain –
Does Leonardo DiCaprio mean that the people already in poverty need to suffer more to combat climate change?
This is white supremacy to me!
Only by ending capitalism can we end the injustice to the environment, climate, and people.
Capitalism causes deforestation, monocultures, uses of chemicals such as pesticides and ammonium nitrate. Ammonium nitrate causes greenhouse emissions 300times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide, and kills the soil (soil is a living being! We get our nutrients from there), kills marine life, poisons our water, kills the microbes and animals, and in turn, comes back to us.
Capitalism brought us COVID-19. Capitalism also makes us unhealthy – with food being less nutritious, we are more prone to illness, which then fuels BIG PHARMA!
Capitalism also oppresses people in poverty and already vulnerable state.
Piers Morgan defended Jeff Bezos when he became even richer during the pandemic, but at what cost? At the expense of his workers who are treated badly and work in poor conditions? This also applies to fast fashion brands and so many other things! When there is some sort of import, there will most likely be exploitation! Don’t argue that it is ok, as they have jobs!
Everyone is entitled to a decent job! Not one that exploits them! We are using their poverty against them justifying our treatment! We cannot treat other beings, humans or not, badly!
Do you think by then working more they will become rich? NO! They want them to be stuck there so they can continue to exploit them. Poverty is a man-made construct – based on capitalism and hierarchy.
Capitalism has also driven the insurance and pharmaceutical industries – shouldn’t health be a basic human right? The same goes for education – all those certificates? Really? Are we saying that someone who has done something for 20 over years is less knowledgeable than a fresh grad with a degree in that field with 0 years’ experience? Yoga is also being certified now? Did the yogis of those times have certificates?
This all started with colonialism then capitalism. There is so much more to talk about – deep dive into the environmental degradation of capitalism, the use of ammonium nitrate, oppression, big agriculture, fast fashion, just so many – all born from capitalism.
Sadly, we are all part of it. We somehow cause it and perpetuate it, whether directly and indirectly. We can’t blame a country for its problems due to corrupt politicians and let them fix it themselves. We are part of the problem and hence we must fix it. Be it locally or abroad. Don’t be overwhelmed, we can start small, start from ourselves, our homes, then permeate outwards.
So, what can we do to slowly heal the planet and its inhabitants? As stated above, start small and start from where we can. It is accessible to all, not just a privilege to the rich. It is ok if you do not recycle because you do not have equitable access to it. It is ok if you are not vegan. It is ok!
Firstly, treat everyone as another being with life force, just like us. Treat them as ourselves, the soil, mountains, snow, trees, flowers, fruits, animals, rain, water, rock, microbes, everything! Most of our ancestral and indigenous beliefs are rooted in this – worshipping Nature, the Earth and all its inhabitants.
Secondly, let’s practice traditional ecological knowledge. We can go in-depth to their regenerative practices, which we will cover in future posts, but let’s start by taking what is enough for us and always leaving behind some for another being. Our ancestors and indigenous peoples will always leave something behind for others and only take what is enough.
Next, practice gratitude always – for our food, family, friends, things, opportunities, everything! Thank the Earth, Soil, the whole natural process, Nature including the sun, moon, stars, planets, water, microbes, animals and those before us, and the food itself for giving their life to heal and nourish us.
Fourth, eat locally appropriate foods, shop from local small regenerative farms and shops. It is ok to eat meat – our ancestors did and the indigenous people do – it didn’t cause any form of extinction. Our current practices do. Also, do you know that God/ Nature had certain foods grow in certain types of locations for the local population as it helps them live in that location? More of that in another post.
Fifth, think before we buy that dress or shoe or diamond – do we really need it? What drove it? What conditioned us to want it? Question our thoughts and slowly find out how you were conditioned then un-condition yourself. Question how the item was made, was anyone or anything harmed, question everything!
Sixth, other than buying foods from small farms that practice regenerative farming, buy from brands that incorporate regenerative practices. Regeneration is the foundation of our ancestral and indigenous practices – always giving back more than taking.
Seventh, compost – it is magic to see how something that has been used and the life taken out of, give life to another. It completes the circle of life. The fruit gives us life, we take what’s remaining to regenerate the soil, giving life to others – microbes, the animals underneath, plants, trees. If you notice, waste is a foreign concept in ancestral and indigenous practices. Waste is unnatural – it does not exist in the natural world. Everything is used and goes back – and composting is one way of seeing it. You can do it in an apartment or at home.
When you start composting you will then start planting, be it flowers or food. You will gain food autonomy – one of capitalism’s enemies. The colonisers have taken us far away from our ancestral and indigenous beliefs. They have brainwashed us with their ‘education’. Indigenous children were taken away to boarding schools to brainwash them. Many westerners acknowledge this and are slowly going back to their roots – mainly Celtic, Wiccan, Pagan, or Norse. Unfortunately for them, they are very much more removed from their ancestral beliefs compared to us here in the Global South, and the Indigenous Peoples. Let’s bring the power back. Let’s learn to live in harmony with nature.
Let’s remind ourselves when one thrives, everything and everyone thrive – we are all connected, we are one! Let’s then learn to be self-reliant – cannibalising and dismantling capitalism, and with it, burning racism and oppression!
