Relations between global capitalism and the COVID-19 pandemic

I believe that there are four ways in which the emergence of COVID-19 and the unfolding of the pandemic are related to global capitalism in general and to neoliberalism in specific.

First, the way it has entered human society. Like Ebola and Sika before it, COVID-19 entered our society as an indirect result of human invasion and destruction of age-old ecosystems. The marketization of wildlife consumption, which likely caused COVID-19 to enter society, is only one aspect of this. In the past few decades we have seen massive landgrabbing and deforestation taking place. This is done by multinational agriculture companies that buy up forest land in debt-ridden countries and then proceed to repurpose the land for agriculture. We are now starting to realize that massive deforestation and marketization of wildlife is a structural aspect of global capitalism that has led to far reaching and largely irreversible climate disruption, but also to the entrance of deadly pathogens in society.

Secondly, the fact that COVID-19 spread like a wildfire throughout the globe has everything to do with the global flows of capital. Air traffic has increased immensely over the last couple of decades. In as far as human interaction is concerned we are living in a truly globalized world. But that interaction is mostly driven by marketization: a global network of economic exchange and an experience economy that has facilitated an explosive growth in tourism.

Thirdly, the neoliberal character of global capitalism is revealed in the way governments throughout the world initially responded to the virus and in the way they are now already searching for an economically viable exist strategy. In their initial reaction, most Western countries tried to downplay the virus, quite simply because of the impact it would have on the economy.

Fourth and finally, COVID-19 tells us something about the neoliberal nature of global capitalism because it has shown us the extent to which most Western countries have cut down on health services and social care. Recent events have really driven home the complaint that we have been hearing from people working in the health care industry for years now: we are massively understaffed, wages have frozen or have been declining, and the number of hospital beds is spiralling downwards in the name of so-called efficiency.

This system is both untenable and indefensible

I believe it shows us that the current model of society is untenable and indefensible.

It is untenable: we cannot go back to the global capitalism that we have had up until now. If we keep things like they are – if we continue the aggressive deforestation, marketization of animals and wildlife, air pollution and the structural racism and global inequality – then the future is going to be an endless repetition of our current situation. Over the next 100 to 500 years we will slowly but certainly destroy the entire ecosystem, while the racism and global inequality that are needed to keep the structural exploitation of global capitalism alive will only increase.

It’s not only certain death for the planet, it will devoid us of our humanity. In that sense, we have learned that the current system is not only untenable, but also indefensible.

That’s why we cannot wait until this crisis is over to advocate for change. Right now, governments throughout the world are forced to act and anticipate upon the social and economic changes global society is undergoing. It is absolutely pivotal that the policies that are now being developed and that will determine the aftermath of this crisis are focused on human care and a different treatment of our ecosystem.

In as far as change is concerned it means that we need people to understand the structural interwovenness of global inequality, bio-industrial killing and ecocide, and racism that are endemic to global capitalism. On the basis of that awareness we can advocate for a society that has an eco-motived ideal of care as its starting point; a society that looks for ‘the good life’ not just for the 1% and not just for humanity – but for the earth in all its inhumane otherness.

COVID-19 and climate breakdown: two crises of the system

To relate the corona crisis to the climate crisis means to critically reflect on the relationship they both have with the design of our social system. I mean with this that both crises teach us that there are risks to how we organise structures such as the economy, the law, politics, et cetera but also cultural values and norms, as well as social practices. So both crises are fruits of our systemic configuration.

In the case of the corona crisis, for many years scientists and activists have warned for the ‘pandemic time bomb’ of an expanding, unbridled global economy along with certain ethical codes on human-animal interaction. An important example of this is the increase of concentrated live animal trade and intensive livestock farming. In the case of climate breakdown scientists and activists also point to systemic risks. Think of fossil fuel subsidies, tax exemptions for CO2-emissions and kerosene, corporate lobbying, an overrepresentation in media of doubts on climate change, or the cultural celebration of fossil fuel companies like Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chevron.
Now these crises-spawning aspects of our social system are maintained by political leaders who in designing them have historically prioritised the human urge for satisfaction while delegating as mere afterthoughts natural processes and limits. Both crises show that this priority in social system design must change, so that the natural world is taken into account far more centrally than ever since the industrial age.

The danger of returning to business as usual

So if the climate crisis is a product of the social system, let’s use the pandemic to deepen our knowledge on the exact relationships between system and climate and then use them in our future actions. Let’s question: who are doing what to keep the system ill-configured to counter climate breakdown? And who isn’t doing enough but should do more? And how can we radically intervene there where it matters most? How can we plan radical intervention together with those who also wage systemic battles such as anti-racists and feminists? Now is a perfect time to meditate on such questions.

So that is what we can do. Just as important is what we should definitely not do. And that is to sit back and hope this pandemic somehow engenders some social system that automatically stops global warming. Such a position is extremely naive and counterproductive. After all, what is already occurring is that incumbent entities with vested interests in the status quo are exploiting it to further benefit their bottom line. The aviation industry, which made and makes both the corona and the climate crisis worse, is already banging at the door of politics for bailouts without them being demanded climate-proof capital expenditure plans. The oil industry is already using the pandemic to push through fossil fuel infrastructure, endangering indigenous communities. Major banks are already planning ownership of oil and gas reserves to later trade them for profit. So if there is any ‘automatic’ fallout of the pandemic at all, it will not be a magical restoration of fundamental care for the commons. If anything, it is that the business-as-usual – what got us here to begin with – never lost any traction. Unless, of course, we do something about it.

The need for a radical break from the status quo

If institutionalised politics plays an important role in producing and reproducing the status quo, one suggestion is to radically intervene right there. A practical option that comes to mind is to combine on the one hand, Greta’s Thunberg’s weekly request at parliament for more progressive climate action and on the other hand, Extinction Rebellion’s massive blockades of public space. They could be fused. A logical next step at this point could be to carry out reoccurring blockades, yes, but to focus those at political institutions.
In whatever way we do intervene, an important pandemic-lesson is extremely emboldening, and it is this: Money is not an issue. To pay for corona crisis measures governments and central banks have simply willed into existence unprecedented amounts of money. Trillions are being created with the press of a button. So opponents of climate action have lost the money argument for political inertia. From now on we should never accept that we don’t have money to secure our existence.

Of course there are more ways to radically intervene in politics. Why for example not represent ourselves politically? But the take away point is that the pandemic proves that failure to address an existential threat is, in fact, an option. And this failure reminds us we have to continuously demand a radical break from the status quo so that we don’t fail our future.

The corona crisis has an enormous impact on our lives, on the economy and on politics. Everyday life has been suspended and many actions cannot go through as planned. At the same time we see that many people are rethinking our way of life. All kinds of new initiatives to help each other are emerging. We all need each other to soldier on: solidarity isn’t a luxury, it’s a basic necessity. For Het Actiefonds this means an extra encouragement to keep on doing our work. The crisis makes it plain that fundamental change of our societies is the only true way out. Events are cancelled and demonstrations are prohibited, yet this is the time to work for that change. We will briefly explain why.

1. The corona pandemic is a natural disaster. Human beings aren’t the virus. At the same time it’s clear that the intensity of the pandemic is unthinkable without globalised capitalism. It’s this system that we all live in that undermines our health and makes our lives extremely vulnerable to economic crises. We must put people before profits again, during and after this crisis.

2. The climate crisis is the large version of the current crisis. The destruction of biodiversity is one of the reasons we’re exposed to contagious diseases. In many parts of the world the consequences of climate change are already claiming victims. We’re experiencing now, in the rich Western part of the world, that we’re not invulnerable either. In order to prevent this situation from getting even worse, we need urgent climate action now.

3. In combating the pandemic, states all over the world have increased their executive power. It was necessary to implement drastic measures, but we can’t allow this to become permanent. Already authoritarian leaders are exploiting the state of emergency to crush personal freedoms, democratic rights and political resistance. If we don’t continue to fight for our rights and those of our fellow human beings, this crisis might cause us to lose more than our health.

4. Rich countries have the healthcare and financial means necessary to save lives. This isn’t the case in the Global South. As a result, global inequality between rich and poor is turning into a matter of life and death. This is already the case for refugees in Europe: they’re abandoned to their fate. For poor people outside of Europe the same is likely to happen on an enormous scale. To save lives, what we truly need is international solidarity.

All over the world activists and social movements fight for fundamental change. They know that this system doesn’t work and that we have no choice but to work towards a world in which solidarity and equality can truly exist. This is now more important than ever. Het Actiefonds will therefore keep on supporting all those people who are fighting for change. We will figure out with them how we can help best in these times of crisis. We call on activists to let us know what can kind of help they require from us now. We ask you to keep on supporting us in these difficult times, and together with us and activists all over the globe help realising a better world.

Like always we will keep you up to date about our efforts, but for now we want to emphasise: stay safe and stay healthy!

Multinational Sacyr Group has announced they will stop the extremely polluting mining activities. This message came after the local population took action. With support from Het Actiefonds they planted hundreds of trees and thus won back their land. A huge success! The communities have indicated they will continue to plant trees in the coming years, to cleanse the polluted soil.

But with a new appearance! Today we’re proud to launch our new website and new visual identity. With the help of design agency Cometa we went looking for a visual language that shows what we do: support activists in realising radical societal change.

Our name will also make clear what we do. From now on we will continue under the name Het Actiefonds. Because that’s what we stand for: action for change!

We’re gonna use this space even more to keep you informed of the actions we support, and will be posting updates regularly. And from now on it’s also even easier to support action groups with a one-time donation, through iDeal or an automatic monthly transfer. So put hetactiefonds.nl in your bookmarks!

We’re really happy and proud. What do you guys think?