Capitalism Causes Environmental Crisis

The environmental problem is not the only failure of the capitalist system, which has caused one crises after the other. The global food crises and the financial and economic crises which we have witnessed the last few years are far from the last crises of Capitalism. These crises have left millions destitute, and at the same time made it possible for a few people to posses more then the human mind is able to imagine.

The reasons that capitalism lacks the ability to present the correct solutions to these problems which mankind faces, are first of all due to its doctrine (‘aqeedah). This doctrine, which is built upon the idea of compromise, makes the incompetent human mind the legislator. The idea of separating religion from life has brought people under the control of the capitalistic legislators who believe that the purpose of life is to obtain maximum share of sensual pleasure, and that benefit is the criterion for any action without taking anything else into account.

The deficiency of Capitalism in presenting the correct solutions is also due to its view on the economic problem as being the scarcity of resources relative to the growing and endless consumption (theory of scarcity). This has made the focus of capitalism limited to the production at the expense of a fair distribution and the fulfilment of every individual human being’s basic need for housing, food and clothing. For example, in the stronghold of capitalism the United States, in 2003 the production increased while the poverty level rose by 1.3 million people.

Moreover, there is no room for morality in regards to the economic transactions of Capitalism, since it is an economy that only aims at realizing material values, and which
considers the increase of wealth for the individual as the key to success, regardless of the consequences to the society and nature. The founder of capitalism, Adam Smith, expressed this when he stated that greed is the individual’s moral, and this moral controls the economy.

The effects of such a philosophy are destructive for mankind and the environment, and we have witnessed the destruction and contamination of rivers, forests and farm land as
consequences of western companies’ actions all over the world.

Whether in Indonesia or South America these companies are eliminating the world’s forests. These forests, which directly contribute to reducing carbon in the atmosphere, are therefore threatened with extinction. Ironically, it is these same companies that make speeches about protecting the environment and the climate.

People in South America, Africa, Asia and even in Europe have witnessed contamination of the land which they are used to live on. This has reached the extent that their children are born with deformity, and people being affected by odd illnesses due to the toxic wastes that are being dumped in oceans, rivers and lakes. At a time when speeches are being made about reducing carbon emission in order to save the
climate, toxic waste is being sent to the third world countries,

killing people, contaminating arable land and destroying fish. For example the Nile is contaminated to such a degree that the people who drink from it suffer from severe heath problems. Tarik Sameer, a member of the Water administration in the national research centre, said: “there are areas in the Nile and its ramifications that are contaminated due to the untreated industrial wastewater, which runs out to the river”. He added that “the organic solvent from the industrial production, the agriculture and the wastewater that runs out in the Nile do not disappear, even after water is treated with chlorine in the wastewater treatment plant”

There are great costs in connection with the protection of the environment, and when profit is the only objective, any company will aim at minimizing its costs. According to the capitalistic logic, priorities of profit size and maximization exceed protecting the environment and human dignity. Since the implementation of capitalism is the cause of the apparent destruction which man and the environment suffer from, the sensible person should wonder about the motives of the capitalists’ concern about mankind’s future life and the preservation and protection of the environment!


Extracted From : THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM {IT'S CAUSES & ISLAMIC SOLUTION