"Our world today is dominated by a global economic system with disastrous social and environmental impacts – predatory climate capitalism. ... We are the only species on Earth who destroys its own habitat, threatening countless other species with extinction in the process."
The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision, Fritjof Capra and Pier Luigi Luisi
The 'Anthropocene’ – a term coined by Paul J Cutzer – takes into account human pressure and the geosphere (non-living part of Earth) as combined factors contributing to the trajectory of our climate. In a video by the Royal Society of Victoria, Professor Will Steffen explains the negative implications that enterprises such as globalisation, energy use, and economic growth are having on the climate by increasing global atmospheric pressure and greenhouse gas emissions through their activity and production.
He raises important points about the need for humans to use holistic and transformational approaches to improve health and equality as they contribute to our ability to make sustainable choices. By embracing indigenous cultures and values that often think about the Earth’s systems, he theorises how we can integrate social structures with the Earth’s biosphere.
However, with global average temperatures rising 170 times more quickly than the background rate over the past 7,000 years and the 10 warmest years on record occurring in the past decade (2014-2023) according to Climate.gov, it seems we are falling dangerously towards irreversible climate catastrophes.
Concerns of climate catastrophes have seemingly been overshadowed and efforts trampled on by both unavoidable and man-made issues, such as the war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the UN promises to mitigate climate conflicts from corporations and governments by setting goals to limit global temperature rises to no more than 1.5C and reducing gas emissions by 2030-2050, industries such as energy which are responsible for 86% of global CO2 emissions aren't cultivating confidence through their actions.
Events such as COP29 allow world leaders to discuss climate crisis policies
(Credit: International Maritime Organization)In a report by CNN, Angela Dewan highlights positive steps by companies such as BP, which aims to cut production 25% by 2030 in alignment with global climate goals, in comparison to Abu Dhabi company ADNOC who “plan to produce billions of barrels of oil for decades to come”. Although there is a high demand for accountability in the energy sector, one of the most interesting observations is the monopolistic and counter-productive moves by businesses in a bid to hide their emissions, benefit from an impending catastrophe, and avoid accountability.
In an article by The Independent on what activists call “carbon colonialism”, it highlights how companies like Blue Carbon enter deals for land with governments in Liberia, Kenya and Zimbabwe, who have weak legal frameworks. These acquisitions pose environmental and community implications for indigenous people due to the lack of transparency towards land use, and disruption to the livelihood of African populations.
Although companies like Blue Carbon call this “conserving forests”, it’s debatable how monopolising Africa's low carbon footprint absolves countries like Dubai from their own. Other countries participate in these actions through bought carbon credits as evidence of "offsetting climate pollution". It’s not a revelation to know that big businesses have continuously taken economic advantage of marginalised communities in Africa.
Examples of this can be seen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where multinational companies mine cobalt and copper for rechargeable batteries. In a 2023 article by Amnesty International, it highlights how the demand for cobalt is expected to reach 222,000 tonnes by 2025 due to a high demand for sustainable technologies. However, human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo ranging from communities being burnt down, families being evicted, and women and children being sexually assaulted are the consequence of a lack of regulation from big companies looking to supercharge their way through.
Advanced artificial intelligence requires enormous data centres in order to run the technology
(Credit: Akela999)
Another important issue raised by the International Energy Agency is the “energy-hungry” nature of artificial intelligence. Although AI does innovate, optimise, and help discover complex systems, the demand for “investment in new data centres ... raises concerns about soaring power demand”. In West Africa, climate change has impacted the agricultural output of some farmers, which has seen families accept deals to sell land. African countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria have seen agricultural lands sold to tech companies, causing discord about the potential damages to land and soil these centres will make due to demand for a large water supply.
But why is this important to your everyday life? You may be thinking these events are out of your cause-and-effect bubble, but you'd be wrong.
Humans account for 30% of the biosphere and we’re increasing the interaction with the technosphere every day due to simply scrolling. The conflict dynamics encountered by most businesses have everything to do with the demand of you: the consumer. So it's important to realise that the over-idealisation and usage of AI demands a lot of domesticated land to generate energy and the answer to its supply often lies in less economically stable countries.
By advocating for businesses to focus on improving their core values in the long term rather than geo-engineering climate change results, we can begin transforming the way we understand the complex systems of Earth and planning ways to integrate with the dynamic ecosystem around us.
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