Relentless pursuit of profit by structures based on capitalism has pushed the planet to the brink of disaster. The survival of life on Earth is now tied to the dismantling of this exploitative system. ‘Now or Never’ is the call under which global struggle against environmental destruction has become an urgent necessity.
These views were expressed by academic Dr Asghar Dashti at a seminar titled "Workers in Peril: How Capitalism Fuels Climate Catastrophe & Exploitation" organised by the National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan (NTUF). He was accompanied by NTUF General Secretary Nasir Mansoor, Sindh Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Vice Chairperson Qazi Khizar, NTUF Additional General Secretary Riaz Abbasi, and Home-Based Women Workers Federation President Saira Feroz.
Dr Dashti warned that scientific advancement had failed to address climate changes adequately as he cited reports that predict that Pakistan could face freshwater depletion by 2050. He explained that climate change was a direct consequence of fossil fuel burning over the past 500 years since the industrial era began, resulting in alarming temperature rises of 2.5 to 3 degrees Celsius, which led to unprecedented disasters and emergence of resilient diseases.
He criticised COP28 stating that it concluded without concrete pledges with mere promises of ‘thinking about reducing emissions’. He also condemned the decision of US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and noted that while climate justice cases were before international courts, capitalist influences continued to block progressive and sustainable policies.
Referring to the depletion of the Amazon rainforest, Dr Dashti warned that the world was losing its lungs, with land losing its capacity to grow crops. He emphasised that capitalism's refusal to reduce profits, even at the planet's expense, lied at the heart of this crisis.
Mansoor, who moderated the event, highlighted the devastating coastal erosion in Pakistan, where the ocean devoured 100 acres of land daily. He condemned the federal government's 6 Canal Project, emphasising how it neglected the needs of downstream communities in Sindh. "The aftermath of the 2022 floods has already led to reduced agricultural production and severe soil salinisation, with fears of lands becoming permanently infertile," he said.
He pointed out that despite Pakistan's minimal contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, the country had been bearing a heavy burden of climate change impacts. He emphasised that the public, particularly the working class, often overlooked climate issues due to pressing economic and security concerns, despite their direct impact on lives and livelihoods.
He also noted the Malir and Lyari rivers becoming untreated sewage channels flowing directly into the sea. Mansoor criticised industrialised nations for failing to take serious measures to prevent environmental catastrophe. The empty promises made at COP15 in 2009, where developed countries pledged to provide $100 billion annually to climate-affected developing nations by 2020, remained unfulfilled, he lamented. Instead of addressing the climate crisis, states had been pouring $2.4 trillion annually into military expenditures, with fossil fuel industries receiving $1.5 trillion in subsidies—an amount equal to the GDP of Russia and Australia combined, he remarked.
The NTUF general secretary said the rise of right-wing and anti-people forces in the Global North further threatened global climate action. The policies of Trump and European right-wing parties signified the looming environmental disaster, he said, adding that even Germany's Green Party had prioritised military spending over climate action.
He noted that even the World Economic Forum had warned that climate-intensified natural disasters could lead to $12.5 trillion economic losses by 2050. Qazi emphasized that industries were responsible globally for 70 per cent of climate change impacts. He warned of the loss of mangroves, mountain ecosystems and ocean reefs, significantly affecting marine life and fish populations.
The increasing frequency of droughts, extreme rains and wildfires posed unprecedented challenges, with the working class bearing the brunt of these impacts, he said as he stressed the need for understanding these issues and implementing measures to reduce their effects, including adopting alternative energy sources.
Other speakers noted that the International Labour Organization (ILO) had predicted that by 2030, climate change could cost 80 million jobs, particularly those affecting agriculture, construction and textile industries. Extreme heat already caused 23 million occupational injuries and nearly 19,000 deaths annually, with 26.2 million people suffering from chronic kidney disease due to heat exposure at work. By 2050, heatwaves alone could cause $7.1 trillion in economic losses, and air pollution could lead to nine million premature deaths each year.
They said that Pakistan remained among the worst-affected countries by climate change. In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, 3,044 glacial lakes have formed, with 33 at critically high water levels, posing an imminent threat to 7.1 million people. Meanwhile, the coastal intrusion in Sindh has submerged over 2.2 million hectares of agricultural land, with an estimated 100 acres disappearing daily.
