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Help build the movement to save this green earth-- March with the Youth Climate Strikers on September 20! (from "Seattle Workers' Voice", Sept. 16, 2019) Seattle Climate Strike on Friday, Sept. 20, 2019 Meet at Cal Anderson Park at 9 AM. March to City Hall begins at 12:30 PM. Amazon and other tech workers will meet at the Amazon Spheres (7th Ave and Lenora) at 11:30 AM and march to City Hall Hosted by Washington Youth Climate Strike and 11 other groups As global temperatures rise, this summer the world has been burning from the Amazon to Africa, Siberia and Alaska. But the long-known cause of this global warming, greenhouse gas emissions, is not seriously being addressed. That's why last year global carbon emissions hit another record, while the United States burned through more crude oil and related products than ever, and the Canadian government has again approved expansion of the Trans Mountain project so that more profits can be made by exporting Alberta oil. This business-as-usual approach is leading the world to climate chaos and catastrophe. But over the past year millions more working people, and especially young people, have gotten into motion against this nightmarish future. In the face of the climate change denialism of Trump and others they've been in the streets demanding that governments take action. Now, the New York City schools are excusing students for the September 20 climate strike. As well, workers at Amazon are denouncing Amazon's use of fossil fuels and denouncing Jeff Bezos for giving money to climate denying think tanks and politicians. Hundreds of them are pledging to walk out this Friday, and they'll be joined by Microsoft employees who are also organizing their fellow workers. These are welcome developments. System change, not climate change! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There must be extensive change in the present economic system, i.e., direct government regulation and planning of the economy to achieve rapid transition to an economy that relies on renewable energy sources. But since the corporations will fight to make any regulation be at the expense of the workers and poor, there must be direct participation of the working people who live with the effects of industrial pollution in this planning, and protection of the living standards of those workers who will be worst affected by environmental regulation. And there should be overall economic planning to back up the planning and regulation of energy in order to deal with other environmental problems, and to protect peoples livelihoods in the massive economic dislocations that are coming. Tax the rich to pay for environmental and social programs! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Since the big corporations and financiers control society's resources, there won't be any serious environmental program without taxing them. It's a farce to ask the poor for more sacrifice. In fact, if the environmental movement is to be successful it needs to become a class movement. That's because the polluting and otherwise earth-destroying corporations and their financiers are bitterly driven to oppose any environmental measures that infringe on their profits. And further, the corporate politicians defend them. The billions of working people of the world, however, have no interest in preserving the profits of those destroying the earth and every interest in preserving and replenishing it. Fight Trump's rampage against the environment! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trump's latest atrocity is an executive order that rolls back a rule that somewhat protects waters and wetlands. We should fight this along with all the corporate frackers, water poisoners, and climate denialists. Among many other things this means fighting against the liquefied natural gas plants in Tacoma and Kalama, fighting against expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline project in B.C., and fighting against pollution and other ravaging of the earth by our own employers. There's also a need to oppose false solutions ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of these is reliance on carbon pricing, which is pushed by the IMF and World Bank, big oil and coal companies, Gov. Inslee and mainstream environmental groups. But carbon taxes around the world have either failed to meet environmental goals or are highly unlikely to. For example, Sweden implemented the highest carbon tax in the world in 1991, with the government now committed to achieving what it calls "zero" net greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. It's dubious they'll reach this goal, and today 54 years is way too slow to save us from catastrophe. *(1)* Moreover, no matter how the politicians dress up carbon taxation with rebates and such, it is regressive (the poor pay a higher percentage of their incomes than the rich do) and the polluting corporations can offset their tax by raising prices. This is why last year's increase in the French carbon tax sparked the massive "yellow vests" movement that beat it back and continues on to fight other austerity measures. People all over France instead demanded that it was the rich and the polluters who should be made to pay, not them. And by repeatedly pointing out that they had to drive cars because there was no available mass transit, they were pointing out that the market wasn't solving the transportation problem. In other words, there had to be planning. All out for September 20! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spread the word. Attend the September 20 events and encourage your fellow workers or fellow students to do so. As well, there will be other climate protests in the coming days and weeks. *(2)* Participate in as many as you can, and continue to build the movement wherever you are! Notes: (1.) For more on the Swedish carbon tax, see http://communistvoice.org/DSWV-190911.html (2.) Watch https://350seattle.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExtinctionRebellionSeattle/events/ for upcoming events. Especially note the September 20-24 Walk to Protect & Restore the Salish Sea that begins at the Tacoma LNG plant and ends at the state capital in Olympia. Seattle Communist Study Group 9/16/2019 [email protected] <> --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
