To think that Capitalism is going to destroy earth.

[Comecon69]

Capitalism is going to kill the plannet, Capitalism leads to hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths every year. We need to seriously consider how we in the West live and how sustainable it is. Im worried for my kids and gran kids. We need localism, its the only way to sustain the planet.

[Timetoask]

I don't think it's growth of the population councilofladies, it's greed. The way in which targets for business are decided has to change dramatically, it shouldn't be about wanting unsustainable economic growth at all costs. I think there needs to be a new version of capitalism!!!

[IKnowIAmButWhatAreYou]

LOL at this!

The Earth will survive quite happily - same as it did millions of years ago when the dominant species, Dinosaurs, were wiped out.

That's the way the cookie crumbles!! We'll probably be extinct in the next couple of hundred years too....

[Downtheroadfirstonleft]

Op, that's one of the most simplistic, naive statements I've seen on MN.

Without capatalism, we'd still be living in mud huts and dying by 35. Do you suggest that as a better alternative?

[CouncilOfLadies]

It's not capitalism as such, but the resultant population growth and extra demand on resources that will hurt the planet, particularly demand on resources in the west and in Russia, India and China.

Having said that, it's not capitalism driving population growth in poorer countries, that is a mixture of religion and high mortality rates amongst children.

Ultimately, Earth will be fine. It will renew and regenerate itself through natural disasters and start afresh - just like the great flood myths found in every major religion, or the event which wiped out dinosaurs. Earth can take a few massive asteroid or comet strikes every few million years.

[BMW6]

FFS we are NOT destroying the planet! We may well be damaging our own enviroment to the detriment of ourselves, but the planet will survive very well beyond our extiction.

To destroy the planet you need a Death Star or Vogon Contructor Fleet.........

[caroldecker]

Of course the capitalist countries have the longest life expectancy, the cleanest environment, the best care for wildlife etc - but it is all wrong, we should live like the indigenous population of the USA, with massive death in childbirth, large infant mortality, no healthcare,finding food by driving large amounts of buffulo off a cliff and dying young of preventable diseases.

[howtorebuild]

We just limp from crisis to crisis, and will continue to do so. We want order, the Eath wants chaos.

[IceBeing]

consumerism - economic systems dependent on an ever increasing level of consumption is clearly unsustainable on a planet with limited resources.

I don't think we will destroy the planet itself, and we may not even totally eradicate the human race - but life could be very VERY different in the not so distant future if we don't re-balance our economy to value some very different things....

[AntiHop]

Yanbu. It worries me a lot. Our capitalist system is based on excessive consumption and our planet can't sustain it.

[MoreBeta]

It is crony capitalism that is the issue. Business is far too close to politicians. Big business getting special favours and lawas passed to favour its position and dominate markets.

I add to that the gigantic financial derivative market that threatens the global banking system and nearly destroyed in 2008. It is something that few people outside financial markets understand but the global derivatives market has a gross outstanding value of £630 trillion dollars.

That size of the world economy is just $77 trillion.

It only takes a small error and a major bank to default on its derivative positions and the global banking system will collapse like dominoes.

Think it cant happen? One night many many years ago I had to ask my employer to find $24 million to cover losses on a derivative position - I was 27 years old.

The collapse of our banking systems is a very real and present danger. Financial markets are incredibly fragile still some 7 years after the financial crisis. It really has not been fixed.

[silverstreak]

It's not capitalism per se that's the problem - surely capitalism is just an abstract political system that these days can only exist in theory for the sake of debate? What's really the problem in my opinion (& obviously I'm no expert ) is that people across the board are way more greedy and selfish than back in day, and that those traits are also now far more socially acceptable - even admirable?? Makes me start to feel all biblical....

[Atenco]

And I, personally do not think than the only alternative to capitalism has to be communism. I find it something of an anachronism that people keep on bringing out that old chestnut.

[Atenco]

To my mind it is the banks and usury (I use this word in the old-fashioned sense of interest, not in the modern sense of extreme interest) that is destroying the planet, not the factory as such but the need to pay back the interest on loans on mortgages. The banks are more the owners of factories, businesses and homes than the supposed owners.

It is said that a dollar lent at 1% annual interest 2000 years would now be worth three times everything on earth.

[ImprobableBee]

Oh I do apologise. I thought if the OP wanted to engage seriously with this subject, then the OP might perhaps have made some points, said some things, instead of these meaningless strings of letters. My mistake.

[fluffybunnies246]

YANBU I worry about this too. If all the people in the world consumed like we do then there would be nothing left. But is it capitalism itself or 'unbridled' capitalism…as if you think about it we all live longer and are healthier because of capitalism in the first place! There just isn't a balance. It's consumption that I have the problem with, which capitalism encourages. Selling us things that we don't need.

Unfortunately I don't know of any solutions.

[Mistigri]

The earth is going to be just fine. It might not be a very pleasant place for humans to live though, especially if projections of sea level rise turn out to be true.

It's not just the fault of rampant capitalism of course - in fact it's fair to say that many developed economies are more corporatist than capitalist, and that this is part of the problem (big business buys the government and makes it very hard to tackle vested interests).

[silverstreak]

YANBU. I worry about this also (particularly in the shower for some reason)...... And some of the flippant smart-aleck responses here are prime examples of exactly why we are in the state we're in. And why it's unlikely to change....

[iamEarthymama]

It seems like an unavoidable truth to me, but maybe I am holier than thou?
Why resort to that level of sarcasm rather than consider the implications of unrestricted growth and the power of global corporations?
I am not being nasty, just wondering why so few people engage with these concepts?

[ImprobableBee]

Oh, bless you, OP. Did you just join some holier than thou smell your own farts societies at Universiteeee?

YABU for making hollow statements like this.

[HoneyDragon]

Yup, I'm plagued by the ethics I am

[Justanotherlurker]

Good luck finding those rare earth metals that have built your laptop/iPhone tv locally OP