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.

[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.

[AntiHop]

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

[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....

[howtorebuild]

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

[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.

[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.........

[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.

[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?

[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....

[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!!!