Times Of Swaziland: CAPITALISM: THE DIRECTOR OF DEGRADATION

CAPITALISM: THE DIRECTOR OF DEGRADATION
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Zandisile Howe on 23/01/2025 07:50:00


This week, I tackled a school assignment with the prompt: ‘In developing
countries, environmental degradation is associated with poverty.’
The question made me pause and reflect on the accuracy of this widely accepted
narrative. It’s fascinating how an approaching deadline can unlock the depths
of our thoughts. Ironically, it took me a month to fully dive into the topic, a
delay that parallels how dismissive we are toward climate change, until the
eleventh hour, when storms and droughts cause havoc in communities and we
scramble for solutions. But I digress.
When I first considered the question, one thought stood out: I’ve often
noticed how so-called ‘poor’ communities tend to be more sustainable and
have cleaner environments compared to affluent areas. This observation prompted
me to dig deeper into the link between poverty, affluence and environmental
degradation. Here are three key insights I uncovered.
1.     Poverty: A survival mode that enforces sustainability - It’s undeniable
that poverty creates difficult living conditions, but it also enforces a form of
sustainability out of necessity. Poverty- stricken communities often re-use and
re-purpose items because they simply cannot afford to waste resources. Plastic
containers become storage jars, old clothes are turned into cleaning rags, and
organic waste is composted rather than thrown away. For many of these
communities, sustainability is not a trendy choice but a way of life.
Small-scale farming, for instance, ensures food security while promoting
practices like crop rotation and organic fertiliser use. These methods preserve
soil health and biodiversity, unlike the large-scale industrial agriculture seen
in wealthier areas, which often depletes natural resources and pollutes the
environment.However, poverty also limits access to cleaner technologies and
renewable energy sources. Many rely on wood and charcoal for cooking, which
contributes to deforestation and air pollution. But even this reliance on
biomass pales in comparison to the environmental harm caused by industrial
activities in affluent societies.
2.     Affluence: The bigger culprit of environmental degradation - Here’s
where the narrative flips: Affluence is a far greater driver of environmental
degradation than poverty. Wealth enables mass consumption, and with that comes
wasteful lifestyles and excessive resource extraction. Take carbon emissions,
for example. High-income countries are responsible for the majority of global
emissions, driven by energy-intensive industries, transportation and consumer
habits. From luxury goods to fast fashion, affluent societies demand products
that require vast amounts of raw materials and energy to produce, often
generating significant waste in the process. Consider this startling fact: The
average American’s ecological footprint is nearly 20 times larger than that of
a person in sub-Saharan Africa. This disparity highlights how environmental harm
is deeply tied to the behaviours of the affluent rather than the survival
strategies of the poor. Moreover, affluence enables the export of environmental
damage. For instance, electronic and textile waste from developed nations is
often shipped to poorer countries for disposal, burdening these communities with
pollution they didn’t create. Developing countries often bear the
environmental costs of global economic systems that prioritise profit over
sustainability. Ahh, is that capitalism I smell? Like an invisible puppeteer,
capitalism quietly orchestrates environmental degradation, prioritising profit
at every turn.
3.     Capitalism: The phantom in the room - Capitalism, with its relentless
drive for profit, underpins many of the environmental challenges we face today.
The constant push for growth, production and consumption has created a system
where resources are extracted faster than they can regenerate, and waste is
generated at levels the planet can’t absorb. Take deforestation, for example.
Forests are cut down not because they aren’t valuable, but because their value
as timber or farmland trumps their ecological importance. Or consider fossil
fuels: Despite the undeniable link to climate change, oil and gas remain
dominant because they are profitable. Capitalism doesn’t just encourage
environmental degradation, it thrives on it! At its worst, capitalism sells us
the illusion of sustainability. Ever noticed how the ‘eco-friendly’ products
on the market often come with a hefty price tag? Capitalism has a way of turning
every crisis into a profit-making opportunity. The solution to the problem it
created is, ironically, yet another product.
4.     Conclusion: Lets follow the money - So, is environmental degradation
truly linked to poverty? Not entirely. While poverty may contribute to some
unsustainable practices, affluence and the capitalist system that fuels it, is
the real culprit. From mass consumption to waste exportation, the rich world’s
ecological footprint far outweighs that of poorer communities. If we’re
serious about tackling environmental degradation, we must stop blaming the
victims of an exploitative system and start addressing the system itself. And
yes, that means holding capitalism accountable for its role in prioritising
profits over the planet. This assignment reminded me of the urgency to rethink
our narratives and act decisively. Just as I scrambled to meet my deadline,
humanity must act now to address the looming environmental crisis. Let’s not
waste another minute to fix a problem that has been glaring at us for years.