Rethinking the Global Climate Crisis from the Perspective of 21st-Century Foreign Left-Wing Thought

In recent years, various parts of the world have witnessed the extreme evolution of a sustained climate crisis into global natural disasters. On one hand, there are record-breaking heatwaves, forest fires, and droughts; on the other, widespread floods and mudslides. How to address climate change and achieve harmony between humanity and nature is a question of our era. In Marx’s view, capitalism is built on a rupture in the material exchange between humanity and the earth; the production processes necessary to sustain capitalist development conflict with the protection of nature. Based on this, foreign left-wing forces, represented by communist and workers’ parties and left-wing scholars, have profoundly revealed the relationship between the global climate crisis and capitalism from different perspectives, and have undertaken new explorations of the relationship between ecological governance and socialism in the 21st century.

近几年，世界各地见证了持续的气候危机向全球自然灾难的极端化演变。一方面是创纪录的高温热浪、森林火灾和干旱，另一方面是四处泛滥的洪水和泥石流。如何应对气候变化，实现人与自然和谐相处，是我们面临的时代之问。在马克思看来，资本主义建立在人类与地球之间物质交换断裂的基础上，维持资本主义发展所必须的生产过程与自然保护相冲突。基于此，以各国共产党、工人党和左翼学者为代表的国外左翼力量从不同的视角出发，深刻揭示了全球气候危机与资本主义之间的关系，并对21世纪生态治理与社会主义的关系进行了新的探索。

I. The Prominent Drawbacks of Green Policies Implemented by Capitalist Countries

一、资本主义国家推行的绿色政策弊端凸显

Since the 1980s, neoliberalism, as the dominant ideology of the capitalist world, has driven the process of economic globalization while also giving rise to numerous global problems, one of the thorniest being climate change. To address the global climate crisis, capitalist countries, which advocate free competition and a limited government, have proposed a series of green policies. However, these measures have not only failed to slow the pace of global warming but have also amplified the defects of the capitalist system, drawing criticism from left-wing forces for their drawbacks.

自20世纪80年代以来，新自由主义作为资本主义世界的主导性思潮，推动着经济全球化进程，同时也催生了诸多全球性问题，其中一个棘手难题便是气候变化。为应对全球气候危机，主张自由竞争和有限责任政府的资本主义国家提出了一系列绿色政策。然而，这些措施不但未能减缓全球变暖的速度，还放大了资本主义制度的缺陷，其弊端遭到了左翼力量的批判。

(1) Widening the Gap Between Rich and Poor, Intensifying Social Contradictions

（一）拉大贫富差距，激化社会矛盾

The green policies implemented by capitalist countries serve the interests of the monopoly bourgeoisie. The Initiative of Communist and Workers’ Parties points out that the various climate change agreements signed between capitalist countries in fact only reflect the needs and goals of capitalists. The “carbon emissions trading” under the dominance of neoliberalism actually exposes the attempt by capitalists to legalize the paid pollution of enterprises, so as to continue polluting and worsening the environment. Furthermore, the “green growth” funds of capitalist countries are also taken from the working class. The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia argues that the world today is in the so-called era of Industry 4.0, and the EU, dominated by neoliberalism, attempts to reduce carbon emissions through measures such as vigorously promoting new energy vehicles, paying additional environmental protection taxes and fees, and fining vehicles with excessive emissions. However, in capitalist society, these green policies are clearly designed to protect the interests of the rich, widening the gap between rich and poor. The Communist Party of Belgium explicitly states that the bourgeoisie will reap the greatest benefits from “green” investments and hundreds of billions in government allocations. The Party for Socialism and Liberation in the United States published an article stating that although 450 financial organizations controlling approximately $13 trillion in global wealth have pledged to fund clean energy development, due to the inherent laws of capitalist development, these investments will inevitably take increasing shareholder returns as their primary goal, ensuring that investors obtain sufficient profits.

资本主义国家推行的绿色政策是为垄断资产阶级服务的。欧洲共产党和工人党倡议（Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties）指出，资本主义国家之间签署的各种关于气候变化的协议，实际上只反映了资本家的需求和目标。新自由主义支配下“碳排放交易”事实上暴露了资本家试图将企业的有偿污染合法化、以便继续污染和恶化环境的企图；另外，资本主义国家的“绿色增长”资金也是从工人群体那里拿来的。捷克和摩拉维亚共产党（Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia）认为，当今世界正处于所谓的工业4.0时代，新自由主义主导的欧盟试图通过大力推广新能源汽车、支付额外环保税费、对超排放量汽车罚款等措施，来降低碳排放量。但是在资本主义社会，这些绿色政策明显都是为了维护富人的利益，扩大了贫富差距。比利时共产党（Communist Party of Belgium）明确指出资产阶级会从“绿色”投资和数千亿政府拨款中获得最大的利益。美国争取社会主义与解放党（Party for Socialism and Liberation）发文称，尽管控制着全球约13万亿美元财富的450家金融组织已经承诺资助清洁能源开发，但由于资本主义内在发展规律，这些投资必将以增加股东回报作为首要目标，确保投资者获得足够的利润。

The interests of the middle and lower classes are severely damaged, deepening social injustice. British left-wing scholar Jonathan Neale argues that carbon taxes are very unfair to low-income people. Compared to the rich, the poor spend a larger proportion of their income on heating, transportation, and electricity bills, and therefore pay a relatively larger share of their total income in carbon taxes, making them more sensitive to the additional economic pressure. This is also the main reason why French “Yellow Vest” protesters took to the streets to express their discontent. Eve Croeser, a scholar at the University of Tasmania in Australia, points out that the carbon trading market dominated by capitalist countries is likely to lead to large-scale land grabs within some countries for use as carbon sinks, while the original landholders become displaced and even lose their means of livelihood. The British left-wing newspaper *Socialist Voice* states that capitalist zero-emission policies primarily serve large enterprises and related interest institutions, without regard for the lives of ordinary people. Many ordinary workers face new charges and fines for driving vehicles that do not meet strict emission standards, “the vast majority of whom are low-income London residents who cannot afford to replace their vehicles.”

中下层民众利益遭到严重损害，社会不公加深。英国左翼学者乔纳森·尼尔（Jonathan Neale）认为，碳税对低收入水平的人来说是非常不公平的。与富人相比，穷人在取暖、交通和电费方面的支出占收入比例更大，因而支付的碳税占总收入的比例相对较大，因此更能感觉到额外的经济压力，这也是法国“黄背心”抗议者走上街头表达不满的主因。澳大利亚塔斯马尼亚大学学者伊芙·克罗瑟（Eve Croeser）指出，资本主义国家所主导的碳交易市场很可能导致一些国家内部土地资源被大规模掠夺用作碳汇，而原来的土地拥有者流离失所，甚至失去谋生手段。英国左翼报刊《社会主义呼声》称资本主义的零排放政策主要是为了大企业及相关利益机构服务，而不顾及普通人的生活。许多普通工人因为驾驶不符合严格排放标准的车辆而面临着新的指控和罚款。“其中绝大多数是低收入的伦敦居民，他们负担不起更换车辆的费用。”

Class polarization is becoming increasingly severe, and social division is deepening. Belgian left-wing scholar Daniel Tanuro argues that the climate crisis is a class issue, a problem of conflict between a minority of beneficiaries and the deprived majority. The global spread of neoliberalism has led the bourgeoisie to plunder resources worldwide, infringing on the interests of ordinary people. Matthew T. Huber, a professor at Syracuse University in the United States, also believes that the climate crisis is an issue of class struggle. The climate crisis is essentially the result of the exploitative expansion of bourgeois production. Therefore, the climate struggle is not a cultural struggle against those who consume the most carbon, but a class struggle against those who actually produce fossil fuels. The European Left Party analyzed a report on climate change from 1990 to 2015, pointing out that the rich, who occupy a favorable position in the capitalist distribution system, are the main culprits causing climate change. The party states that between 1990 and 2015, annual greenhouse gas emissions increased by 60%, and the richest 5% of the population bore 37% of the responsibility for this increase.

阶级分化日趋严重，社会分裂加深。比利时左翼学者丹尼尔·塔努罗（Daniel Tanuro）认为，气候危机是一个阶级问题，是一个少数得利者与被剥夺的多数者之间矛盾冲突的问题，新自由主义在全球的蔓延，导致资产阶级在世界各地掠夺资源，侵犯了普通人的利益。美国锡拉丘兹大学教授马修·T·胡贝尔（Matthew T.Huber）也认为气候危机是一个关于阶级斗争的议题。气候危机的产生本质上是资产阶级剥削性生产扩张的结果，因此气候斗争不是一场针对那些消耗最多碳的人的文化斗争，而是一场针对那些实际生产化石燃料的人的阶级斗争。欧洲左翼党（European Left Party）分析了一份关于1990年到2015年间气候变化的报告，指出在资本主义分配方式中处于有利地位的富人才是导致气候变化的主犯。该党指出，1990年到2015年期间，温室气体年排放量增加60%，而最富有5%的人口对这一增长所承担的责任高达37%。

(2) The Rise of Environmental Racism, Exacerbating Regional Conflicts

（二）环境种族主义兴起，恶化地区冲突

Ethnic conflicts within Western countries are intensifying, and the deficit in social governance is growing. The Communist Party of the United States of America points out that in the United States, most landfills, polluting chemical plants, and contaminated water sources are located in areas where ethnic minorities live in concentrated communities, causing discontent among ethnic minorities and frequent conflicts. The New Democratic Party of Canada also emphasizes that environmental pollution and biodiversity loss have a greater impact on some ethnic minorities in the country, and the consequences of climate change are often disproportionately borne by these marginalized groups. For example, the living areas of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, Inuit, and Métis suffer from severe ecological degradation, yet they have no representation in the upper echelons of Canada’s state power institutions, lack a voice, find it difficult to effectively safeguard their rights and interests, and do not have fair opportunities to participate in the renewable energy projects promoted by the government.

西方国家内部种族矛盾激化，社会治理赤字增大。美国共产党（Communist Party of USA）指出，在美国，多数垃圾场、排放污染的化工厂、被污染的水源出现在少数族群聚居的地方，引起少数族群的不满，冲突时有发生。加拿大新民主党（New Democratic Party of Canada）也强调环境污染和生物多样性的丧失对本国一些少数族群的影响更大，气候变化的后果往往不成比例地由这些边缘化群体承担。例如，加拿大的原住居民、因纽特人、梅蒂斯人的居住地生态恶化问题严重，但他们在加拿大国家权力机构高层中却无一席之地，缺乏发言权，难以有效维护自己的权益，在政府推行的可再生能源项目中也没有公平参与的机会。

The human rights of indigenous inhabitants in developing countries are being violated. In an online commentary on the fires in the Brazilian Amazon, the Socialist Party of USA condemned capitalism for violating the human rights of indigenous inhabitants in the region, arguing that capitalism, in its pursuit of exorbitant profits, drives indigenous inhabitants off their land, depriving them of the homeland on which their survival depends and even of their basic human dignity. The Workers World Party of USA published an article stating that the majority of greenhouse gases are emitted by monopoly enterprises in the United States, Western Europe, Japan, and other countries, yet those most severely affected are the indigenous inhabitants of certain island nations. These indigenous inhabitants are forced to confront problems such as the destruction of forest and coastal ecosystems and rising sea levels. Brazilian left-wing scholar Claudia Horn criticizes the neoliberal-dominated carbon trading market for allowing developed countries to compensate for their excess emissions by funding or purchasing afforestation projects in developing countries. This solution endows forests and territories with additional economic value, not only providing channels for some multinational corporations in the agricultural sector to obtain profits but also leading to the plundering of land and forests belonging to indigenous inhabitants in developing countries, thereby threatening their survival.

发展中国家土著居民的人权受到侵犯。美国社会主义党（Socialist Party of USA）在官网上评论巴西亚马逊地区大火时，谴责资本主义侵犯了该地区土著居民的人权，认为资本主义为追求暴利将土著居民逐出自己的土地，使其失去了赖以生存的家园，甚至失去了人类基本的尊严。美国工人世界党（Workers World Party of USA）则发文称，大部分温室气体是美国、西欧、日本等国家的垄断企业排放的，但是受到严重影响的却是一些岛国的土著居民。土著居民不得不面对森林和沿海生态系统的破坏以及不断上升的海平面等问题。巴西左翼学者克劳迪娅·霍恩（Claudia Horn）批评新自由主义主导的碳交易市场允许发达国家可以通过资助或购买发展中国家的造林项目来补偿他们的超额排放。这种解决方案赋予了森林和领土额外的经济价值，不仅为一些农业领域的跨国公司提供了获取利润的渠道，而且还会导致发展中国家土著居民的土地和森林被掠夺，威胁到他们的生存。

The unjust international political and economic order is further reinforced. The Communist Party of the United States of America points out that the countries most severely affected by climate change are some former colonies in Africa and Asia, yet their industrial development produces the fewest greenhouse gases. These countries should not bear the same responsibilities as developed countries and should even receive more compensation. The Communist Party of Canada published an editorial stating that Western mainstream media fiercely criticize China and India for vague commitments on phasing out coal use, yet remain silent on the fact that the world's three major capitalist countries—the United States, Australia, and Canada—account for over 50% of global coal consumption. Western media paint a picture in which the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are leading climate justice, combating socialist China, which causes severe environmental pollution. However, the reality is that ecological crises, war, and inequality are the consequences of capitalist countries' efforts to maintain their capital accumulation and expansion. Colombian left-wing scholar Katja Voigt and others note that although developed countries have pledged to provide climate funds or investments to developing countries, 70% of these take the form of loans, increasing the debt burden of recipient countries. Swedish scholar Andreas Malm mentions that China's carbon emissions have exploded over the past 15 years, for which it is frequently criticized. But in reality, the goods China produces are consumed elsewhere in the world, especially in the West.

不公正的国际政治经济秩序进一步强化。美国共产党指出，受气候变化影响最严重的国家是非洲和亚洲的一些前殖民地，然而它们的工业发展所产生的温室气体却是最少的，这些地区的国家不应该承担跟发达国家同样的责任，甚至应该获得更多的补偿。加拿大共产党发表社论指出，西方主流媒体激烈抨击中国和印度模糊关于逐步淘汰煤炭使用的承诺，但却闭口不谈世界上三大资本主义国家——美国、澳大利亚、加拿大——煤炭使用量占全球50%以上的事实。西方媒体描绘了这样一幅画面：美国、加拿大和英国等国家正在引领气候正义，对抗造成环境严重污染的社会主义国家中国。然而事实却是，生态危机、战争和不平等是资本主义国家为维持其资本积累和扩张所导致的恶果。哥伦比亚左翼学者卡佳·沃格特（Katja Voigt）等人指出，发达国家虽然承诺向发展中国家提供气候资金或投资，但其中70%是以贷款的形式，增加了受援国的债务负担。瑞典学者安德列亚斯·马尔姆（Andreas Malm）提到，中国在过去15年里的碳排放量爆炸性增长，因此经常受到指责。但实际上中国生产的商品是在世界其他地方消费的，尤其是在西方。

II. Capitalism Is the Root Cause of the Global Climate Crisis

二、资本主义是全球气候危机形成的根源

Climate change caused by the greenhouse effect has already produced widespread negative impacts on humanity and the natural world. If left unchecked, it will lead to severe, pervasive, and irreversible crises in ecosystems and social development. From the perspective of foreign left-wing forces, capitalism's boundless pursuit of profit is the fundamental cause of the global climate crisis, and this crisis cannot be resolved without thorough social transformation.

温室效应所造成的气候变化已经对人类和自然界产生了广泛的负面影响，如不加以控制，将会导致生态系统和社会发展产生严重、普遍和不可逆的危机。在国外左翼力量看来，资本主义对利润的无限追求是造成全球气候危机的根本原因，不进行彻底的社会变革无法解决这一危机。

(A) Capitalist Development Is Built on the Excessive Exploitation of Fossil Fuels

（一）资本主义发展建立在对化石燃料过度开发基础上

The use of fossil fuels has accelerated rapid capital accumulation. Most left-wing political parties and scholars point out that since the Industrial Revolution, it is precisely the use of fossil fuels that has accelerated the process of capitalist development, while the latter's unceasing expansion and accumulation, along with its irrational logic of pursuing profit at all costs, has pushed the planet to the brink of disaster. For example, British left-wing scholars Martin Empson and Ian Rappel argue that the capitalist system is essentially a fossil fuel system. The reason fossil fuels became the preferred energy source for capitalists is that they freed capitalists from the geographical constraints imposed by dependence on water resources and also provided access to large urban populations as a new source of labor. According to statistics, in 2019, 63% of energy in the United States alone came from fossil fuels; globally, energy production and its transportation generate three-quarters of the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. Scholars from the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, such as Tetet Lauron, also argue that the global climate crisis is essentially a crisis caused by the continuous expansion of capitalism based on fossil fuel extraction. Climate diplomacy can only function if fossil capitalism is abandoned as the foundation of our socio-economic system.

化石燃料的使用促进了资本的快速积累。大多数左翼政党和学者都指出，自工业革命以来，正是化石燃料的使用加速了资本主义发展进程，而后者无休止的扩张和积累，以及不惜一切代价追求利润的非理性逻辑，却将地球推向灾难深渊的边缘。例如，英国左翼学者马丁·恩普森（Martin Empson）和伊恩·拉佩尔（Ian Rappel）认为资本主义制度本质上是一种化石燃料系统。化石燃料之所以成为资本家的首选能源，是因为它们让资本家摆脱了由于对水资源的依赖所受到的地理限制，并且还获得了大量的城市人口作为新的劳动力来源。据统计，2019年，单美国就有63%的能源来自化石燃料；而全球能源生产及其运输所产生的温室气体则占排放到大气中的温室气体的3/4。罗莎·卢森堡基金会学者泰特·劳伦（Tetet Lauron）等人也认为，全球气候危机本质上是基于化石燃料开采的资本主义持续扩张所导致的危机，只有放弃化石资本主义作为我们社会经济的基础，气候外交才能发挥作用。

The use of fossil fuels deepens capitalists' exploitation of workers. Andreas Malm points out that the application of the steam engine is the main cause of climate change, but the shift in the British cotton textile industry from water power to steam was not due to water scarcity, high cost, or low technological efficiency; rather, it was because the use of steam enabled capitalists to better exploit labor and control workers. "From the very beginning, the power generated by fossil fuels was dual in meaning and nature," because the emergence of steam "was a form of power of some people against others." British left-wing writer Camilla Royal, in her book *The Plunder of Nature: Capitalism and the Ecological Rift*, notes that under capitalist rule, human beings and the natural environment are sources of wealth, but only workers' labor can generate value; non-human elements in the natural world cannot produce value. Capitalism plunders natural resources by exploiting labor, and the use of fossil fuels is both a result of this exploitation and a factor that further promotes it.

化石燃料的使用深化了资本家对工人的剥削。安德烈亚斯·马尔姆指出，蒸汽机的应用是气候变化的主要原因，但英国棉纺工业从水力向蒸汽的转变并不是因为水资源稀缺、昂贵或者技术效率低下，而是因为蒸汽的使用能够使资本家更好地剥削劳动力，控制工人。“从一开始，化石燃料所产生的力量在意义和性质上都是双重的”，因为蒸汽的出现“是某些人对抗其他人的一种力量形式”。英国左翼作家卡米拉·罗亚尔（Camilla Royal）在其《对自然的掠夺：资本主义与生态断裂》一书中指出，在资本主义的统治下，人类和自然环境是财富的来源，但只有工人的劳动才能产生价值，自然世界中的非人类元素并不能产生价值。资本主义通过剥削劳工来掠夺自然资源，化石燃料的使用便是这种剥削的结果，又反过来促进这种剥削。

(B) There Is a Tension Between the Capitalist Mode of Production and Addressing the Problem of Climate Change

（二）资本主义生产方式与治理气候变化问题间存在张力

Capitalism prioritizes the pursuit of profit over ecological protection. The U.S. website "Left Voice" states that capitalism is unwilling and, in fact, incapable of taking measures to halt the climate crisis. This is because the crisis is essentially a byproduct of capitalism, and eliminating the crisis would also threaten the capitalist system based on profit and exploitation. Carl Boggs, a sociologist at California State University, Los Angeles, criticizes capitalism's green policies as liberal fantasies: ecological sustainability is logically incompatible with endless capital accumulation, growth, and exploitation. Martin Empson and Ian Rappel point out that, as Marx argued, capitalism has created an irreparable rift in the metabolism between human society and nature. This "metabolic rift" exists because capitalism is a production system interested only in maximizing profit, driven by capitalists' relentless pursuit of accumulating more wealth. The Socialist Party of USA also believes that capitalism can solve neither global warming nor social inequality. This is because both capitalism and the bourgeoisie are profit-driven.

资本主义对利润的追求优先于生态保护。美国“左翼之声”网站称，资本主义不愿意实际上也没有能力采取措施终止气候危机。因为这场危机本质上是资本主义的副产品，消除危机的同时也会威胁到基于利润和剥削的资本主义体系。美国洛杉矶国立大学社会学家卡尔·博格斯（Carl Boggs）批评资本主义的绿色政策是自由主义的幻想:生态的可持续性发展与无穷尽的资本积累、增长和剥削在逻辑上是不相容的。马丁·恩普森和伊恩·拉佩尔指出，正如马克思所言，资本主义在人类社会与自然之间的新陈代谢中造成了无法弥补的断裂。这种“代谢断裂”之所以存在，是因为资本主义是一种只对利润最大化感兴趣的生产体系，其驱动力是资本家对积累更多财富的不懈追求。美国社会主义党也认为，无论是全球气候变暖还是社会不平等问题，资本主义都没有办法解决。这是由于资本主义和资产阶级都是逐利的。

Capitalism pursues a strategy of "short-termism." The British left-wing scholar Chris Saltmarsh points out that capitalism’s carbon net-zero policies are as ineffective as other measures taken to address climate change, because capitalism has always prioritized "short-term interests over safety and justice." Martin Empson also mentions the short-sighted nature of capitalism and the resulting institutional competition and inefficiency, a situation that means capitalism will ultimately only create an unsustainable model of social development. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation believes that the capitalism prevalent in most regions today is a society governed by market laws whose main purpose is to extract maximum profit. In this social formation, everything becomes a commodity, and money becomes the primary criterion for measuring interpersonal relationships. The capitalist mode of production means the unscrupulous exploitation of natural resources, without considering the consequences for the environment. Even the staunchest supporters of capitalism admit that promoting the development of productive forces through capitalism’s inherent predatory methods will sooner or later lead to the premature depletion of natural resources and trigger a global ecological crisis.

资本主义奉行“短期主义”策略。英国左翼学者克里斯·索尔特马什（Chris Saltmarsh）指出，资本主义的碳零排放政策如同其他针对气候变化的举措一样无效，因为资本主义始终是“短期利益胜过安全和正义”。马丁·恩普森也提到了资本主义短视的本质，以及由此导致的制度性竞争和无效率现象，这种状况意味着资本主义最终只会造就不可持续的社会发展模式。俄罗斯联邦共产党（Communist Party of the Russian Federation）认为，今天大部分地区盛行的资本主义是一个受以攫取最大利润为主要目的的市场规律所支配的社会。在这种社会形态中，一切事物都变成了商品，金钱成为衡量人际关系的主要标准。资本主义生产方式意味着肆无忌惮地开发自然资源，而不考虑对环境造成的恶果，甚至资本主义最坚定的支持者也承认，通过资本主义固有的掠夺性方法促进生产力的发展，迟早会导致自然资源过早枯竭，引发世界生态危机。

Green capitalism cannot resolve the contradiction between the capitalist mode of growth and preventing global warming. Eve Crother points out: "If Marx and Engels were writing the *Communist Manifesto* today, there is no doubt they would begin it like this: 'A spectre is haunting human society – the spectre of extinction.'" She argues that humanity faces a compound crisis of environment, ecology, society, economy, and politics caused by the expansion of capitalist relations of production. In this crisis, the system’s "incurable structural contradictions" are becoming increasingly acute and threatening the hegemony of the ruling class. Capitalist society is not blind to the hidden dangers threatening its wealth and power; supporters of green capitalism have launched various plans aimed at saving the capitalist system. However, powerful vested interest groups oppose any action to address climate change through various means. The oil and gas industry, together with large agricultural enterprises and financial institutions, are attempting to sabotage the global economic "decarbonization" plan. Miriam Meissner and Federico Savin, scholars at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, argue that seeking a green capitalism that can both promote economic growth and escape negative ecological impacts is unrealistic. "In the context of the climate crisis, stimulating further economic growth is like throwing a wild COVID-19 party while giving all the guests tasty vitamin pills that might reduce the infection rate. Yet this approach will lead to a greater disaster." The European Left Party’s published *Alternatives to the European Capitalist Green Deal* openly declares that green capitalism is a mistaken goal. The sharpening contradictions within capitalist countries in areas such as market control, target setting, institutional design, and fund allocation indicate that the prospects for achieving green growth are not optimistic.

绿色资本主义无法解决资本主义增长方式与阻止气候变暖之间的矛盾。伊芙·克罗瑟指出：“如果马克思和恩格斯在今天创作《共产党宣言》，毫无疑问他们一定会这样开始：‘一个幽灵，一个叫灭绝的幽灵，正在困扰着人类社会’。”她认为，人类面临着由资本主义生产关系的扩张引起的环境、生态、社会经济和政治的复合危机。在这种危机中，体系的“无法治愈的结构性矛盾”日益尖锐并威胁到统治阶级的霸权。资本主义社会内部对威胁到其财富和权力的隐患并非视而不见，绿色资本主义的支持者推出了各种旨在拯救资本主义制度的计划。但是，强大的既得利益集团通过各种手段反对采取任何行动来应对气候变化。石油天然气行业和大型农业企业联合金融机构正在试图破坏全球经济“脱碳”计划。荷兰马斯特里赫特大学学者米里亚姆·梅斯纳（Miriam Meissner）和费德里科·萨文（Federico Savin）认为，寻求既能促进经济增长又能摆脱负面生态影响的绿色资本主义是不现实的。“在气候危机的背景下，刺激经济进一步增长就像是举办野生的新冠病毒派对，同时给所有参加派对的客人提供可口的、可能会降低感染率的维生素药片。然而，这种方式会导致更大的灾难。”欧洲左翼党发布的《欧洲资本主义绿色协议的替代方案》公开宣称绿色资本主义是一个错误的目标。资本主义国家在市场控制、目标设定、制度制定和资金分配等方面的矛盾尖锐化表明，实现绿色增长的前景并不乐观。

(III) Under the capitalist system, technological innovation cannot resolve the climate crisis

（三）资本主义体制下技术创新无法解决气候危机

Technological innovation serves the maximization of capital profit. Joseph Alois Schumpeter, in his book *Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy*, points out that capital constantly transforms the means of production in order to maintain and increase the rate of profit, that is, through large-scale innovation to eliminate old technologies and production systems and establish new ones, ultimately forming a trend of "creative destruction." This view is also accepted by many left-wing organizations and scholars. For example, the Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties of Europe, in its 2021 public document, clearly states that monopoly enterprises decide whether to integrate new technologies into production based on profit and the degree of exploitation of workers, and that this capitalist development based on profit extraction is precisely the root cause of natural resource depletion and environmental degradation.

技术创新是为资本利润的最大化服务的。约瑟夫·熊彼特（Joseph Alois Schumpeter）在《资本主义、社会主义和民主》一书中指出，资本为保持和提高利润率而不断改造生产资料，即通过大规模创新淘汰旧的技术和生产体系，并建立新的生产体系，最终形成了一种“创造性毁灭”的趋势。这一观点也被许多左翼组织和学者所接受。例如，欧洲共产党和工人党倡议在其2021年的公开文件中明确指出，垄断企业是以利润和对工人的剥削程度为根据来决定是否将新技术整合到生产中，而这种以攫取利润为基础的资本主义发展恰恰是导致自然资源枯竭和环境恶化的根源。

Capitalism hinders the practical application of some new technologies that are beneficial for solving the problem of carbon dioxide emissions. The American left-wing scholar John Bellamy Foster points out that many people believe the standard method for solving environmental problems in developed capitalist economies is to guide technology in a more benign direction. However, some technologies have now reached a fully practical stage, yet capitalism will only decide whether to promote them based on profit. For example, the development of modern transportation means could completely reduce the use of private cars. However, the drive for capital accumulation has pushed developed capitalist countries onto a path of maximum dependence on automobiles, because this is the most effective way to create profit. The automobile industry and its related sectors still support capital accumulation in developed capitalist countries. Furthermore, capitalists actively promote the development of energy sources that can bring huge profits to capital, rather than those most beneficial to humanity and the planet; solar energy certainly does not belong to the former category.

资本主义阻碍一些有利于解决二氧化碳排放问题的新技术实际应用。美国左翼学者约翰·贝拉米·福斯特（John Bellamy Foster）指出，很多人认为在发达的资本主义经济体系中，解决环境问题的标准方法就是引导技术向较良性的方向发展。然而，当下有些技术已完全发展到了实用的阶段，资本主义却只会根据利益来决定是否推广。例如，现代化的运输手段的发展完全可以减少私人汽车的使用。但是，资本积累的驱动促使发达的资本主义国家走上了最大限度依赖汽车的道路，因为这是创造利润的最有效的方式。汽车工业及其相关行业目前仍然支撑着发达资本主义国家的资本积累。另外，资本家积极促进开发的是那些能为资本带来巨大利润的能源，而不是那些对人类和地球最有益处的能源，太阳能当然不属于前一种。

III. The socialist system is the fundamental way out of the global climate crisis

三、社会主义制度是解决全球气候危机的根本出路

Foreign left-wing forces believe that to solve the global climate crisis, social relations of production must be transformed in a socialist direction. Therefore, they also actively propagate the superiority of the socialist system and promote the development of the socialist cause in their own countries.

国外左翼力量认为,要想解决全球气候危机，必须沿着社会主义方向改造社会生产关系。因此他们也积极宣传社会主义制度的优越性，推动本国社会主义事业的发展。

(I) The socialist system can more effectively respond to the climate crisis

（一）社会主义制度能更有效应对气候危机

The socialist system is more conducive to achieving sustainable development. The Initiative of Communist and Workers' Parties of Europe proposed in 2021 that as long as private ownership of the means of production exists, the global environment will continue to be destroyed. Socialism, based on a centrally planned economy and meeting the needs of the masses, endows workers with the power and real possibility to protect the environment, enabling humanity’s conscious and planned influence on nature. Only socialism – a socialism where humanity must assume responsibility and stop destroying the global ecology – can truly establish an economic system conducive to environmental protection and allow all workers in the world to live a sustainable and healthy life. The Communist Party USA emphasizes that to solve ecological problems and achieve sustainable development, policies must be formulated based on the needs of the entire society and the requirements of environmental protection, rather than on private property and profit as the basis for decision-making. The permanent solution to ecological problems is socialism.

社会主义制度更有利于实现可持续发展。欧洲共产党和工人党倡议在2021年提出，只要生产资料私人所有制存在，全球环境就会继续遭到破坏，而社会主义以中央计划经济和满足群众需要为标准，赋予了劳动者保护环境的力量和现实可能性，人类对自然的有意识的、有计划的影响才能实现。只有社会主义——一种人类必须肩负起责任、停止破坏全球生态的社会主义，才能真正建立起有利于环境保护的经济体制，并让全世界所有劳动者过上可持续和健康的生活。美国共产党强调要解决生态问题、实现可持续发展，必须要根据整个社会的需求以及环境保护的要求制定政策，而不是以私有财产和利润作为决策依据，生态问题的永久性解决方案是社会主义。

The socialist system is more conducive to the development of the renewable energy industry. The European Left Party clearly states that achieving a clean energy transition must be based on national planning and public sector participation to ensure sustainable energy development. Without similar energy policy tools as safeguards, the industry could see a frenzy of large multinational corporations and venture capital funds pouring in, creating serious speculative bubbles (as in Spain). Besides the new energy industry, public sectors in other industries (such as housing, transportation, agriculture, etc.) should also formulate corresponding policies and encourage citizens, researchers, non-governmental organizations, trade unions, etc., to actively participate in decision-making.

社会主义制度更有利于可再生能源行业的发展。欧洲左翼党明确表示，实现清洁能源转型必须以国家规划和公共部门参与为基础，以确保能源可持续发展。如果没有类似的能源政策工具作为保障，该行业就可能出现大型跨国公司和风险投资基金疯狂涌入的局面，造成严重的投机泡沫（比如西班牙）。除了新能源行业，其他行业（如住房、交通、农业等）的公共部门也应当制定相应的政策，并鼓励公民、研究人员、非政府组织、工会等积极主动参与到决策中。

(II) The socialist system can better safeguard the interests of the people

（二）社会主义制度更能维护人民利益

The socialist system can ensure that green policies are accountable to the people. The Party for Socialism and Liberation in the United States believes that to solve the problem of global warming, the energy sector and financial institutions must be nationalized, and the wealth stolen from workers by these institutions must be directly used to implement policies to reduce carbon emissions. The American left-wing publication *Left Voice* states that to solve ecological problems, humanity cannot limit itself to partial policy reforms but must achieve thorough institutional change and struggle for socialism. Only in a socialist society can natural resources truly be owned and used by the people.

社会主义制度能够保障绿色政策对人民负责。美国争取社会主义和解放党认为，要想解决气候变暖问题，必须将能源部门和金融机构国有化，将这些机构从工人那里窃取的财富直接用于实施减少碳排放的政策。美国“左翼之声”发文称，人类要解决生态问题，就不能只局限于局部的政策改革，而是要实现彻底的制度变革，为社会主义而斗争。只有在社会主义社会中，自然资源才能够真正为人民所拥有和使用。

Socialist democracy can guarantee the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature. French scholar Michael Löwy points out that the core of ecological socialism is democratic planning, that is, the economy is guided by the people rather than by the capitalist market or the Soviet-style planned-economy departments. First, it liberates people from the “economic laws” of the capitalist system; second, ecological socialism means a substantial increase in free labor time, providing the basic conditions for working people to participate in democratic management at the economic and social levels; finally, democratic ecological planning means that society has the freedom to determine its own destiny. The Socialist Party USA stated in a document that the only way to solve a series of environmental problems such as the climate crisis is socialist democracy: “Marx shows us that unless we can create a truly democratic society, abandoning the false democracy of capitalist countries such as the United States, humanity, whether as individuals or as a species, cannot fully realize its potential.” The Party believes that the rapid development of capitalism will only cause more severe environmental destruction, and only socialist democracy can truly achieve the harmonious unity of humanity and nature.

社会主义民主可以保障人与自然和谐相处。法国学者迈克尔·洛伊指出，生态社会主义的核心是民主的规划，即由民众而不是资本主义市场或是苏联式的计划经济部门对经济进行主导。首先，它从资本主义制度的“经济法则”中将人们解救出来；其次，生态社会主义意味着大量增加自由劳动时间，为劳动人民在经济和社会层面参与民主管理提供基本条件；最后，民主的生态规划意味着社会拥有决定自身命运的自由。美国社会主义党发文称，解决气候危机等一系列环境问题的唯一出路是社会主义民主：“马克思向我们表明，除非我们能够创造一个真正的民主社会，抛弃美国等资本主义国家的虚假民主，否则人类无论是作为个体还是一个物种，都无法充分发挥自己的潜力。”该党认为，资本主义快速的发展只会造成更为严重的环境破坏，只有社会主义民主才能真正实现人与自然的和谐统一。

(III) The Global Climate Crisis Highlights the Importance of Achieving Socialism

（三）全球气候危机突出实现社会主义的重要性

Socialism must replace capitalism. Foster points out that since technology itself (under the conditions of the current mode of production) does not help us escape the environmental dilemma, we must either accept the conclusion of William Stanley Jevons (that technological progress does not help improve the ecological environment) or choose an alternative that he never touched upon and apparently never even thought of: transforming social relations of production along socialist lines. American biologist Barry Commoner believes that the capitalist system and its technology—rather than population growth—have caused environmental destruction, so it can be concluded that “some kind of socialism” is a realistic alternative. Paul Sweezy, a representative figure of American Marxist economics, also points out: “Although I believe, at least in principle, that there are some palliative prescriptions within the framework of the current monopoly capitalist system, I think that if the social order does not undergo fundamental change, a fundamental change in urban structure and the entire social relations (or a change of equal magnitude in the structure of production and consumption) cannot be achieved.”

必须由社会主义代替资本主义。福斯特指出，由于技术本身（在现行生产方式的条件下）无助于我们摆脱环境的两难境况，所以我们要么接受威廉·斯坦利·杰文斯（William Stanley Jevons）的结论（即技术的进步对生态环境的改善并没有帮助），要么选择一种他从未触及而且显然也从未想到过的替代方案：沿着社会主义方向改造社会生产关系。美国生物学家巴里·康芒纳（Barry Commoner）认为，资本主义制度及其技术——而不是人口增长，导致了环境破坏，因此可以得出这样一个结论：“某种社会主义”是现实的替代方案。美国马克思主义经济学代表人物保罗·斯威齐也指出：“虽然我相信，至少是原则上相信，在目前的垄断资本主义体制框架内有一些治标的药方，但我认为，如果社会秩序不发生根本变革，城市结构和整个社会关系的根本变革（或同等程度的生产与消费结构的巨变）就不能实现。”

The survival crisis forces people to choose socialism. British left-wing scholar Alex Callinicos emphasizes that global warming is the most serious disaster caused by capitalism’s destruction of nature. The survival crisis caused by global warming forces people to take action and seek an alternative to capitalism—socialism. Joel Kovel, a professor at Bard College in New York, and others propose that the ecological crisis is mainly caused by the frenzied industrialization process exceeding the limits the earth can bear. The capitalist system, due to its endless pursuit of profit, constantly affects the ecological balance of nature, causing severe damage to the ecosystem. Therefore, to achieve human survival, people around the world will ultimately choose socialism.

生存危机迫使人民选择社会主义。英国左翼学者亚历克斯·卡利尼科斯（Alex Callinicos）强调，气候变暖是资本主义破坏自然界导致的最严重的灾难。气候变暖所造成的生存危机迫使人们行动起来，寻找资本主义的替代方案——社会主义。美国纽约伯德大学教授乔尔·科威尔（Joel Kovel）等人提出，生态危机主要是由于疯狂的工业化进程超过了地球所能承受的限度而引起的。资本主义体制由于对利润的无限追逐，不断影响着大自然的生态平衡，使生态系统遭到严重破坏。因此，全球民众为了实现人类的生存，会最终选择社会主义。

IV. Other Effective Ways to Solve the Global Climate Crisis

四、其他解决全球气候危机的有效途径

While criticizing the green policies of capitalism, foreign left-wing forces also attempt to improve these green policies so that their achievements can truly be shared by the people, and they call for combining the socialist movement with other political movements.

国外左翼力量在批评资本主义绿色政策同时，也试图完善这些绿色政策，使其成果能够真正为人民所共享，并且呼吁将社会主义运动与其他政治运动结合起来。

(I) Fair and Reasonable Low-Carbon Living

（一）公平合理的低碳生活

Oppose excessive consumption and promote green living. Simon Mair, a researcher at the University of Surrey in the United States, believes that the widespread use of fossil fuels is necessary for capitalist expansion, and global warming is not only a result of capitalist development but also its foundation. To avoid a catastrophic climate crisis, it is necessary to break the capitalist expansion cycle based on consumerism; otherwise, technological improvements, the use of renewable energy, and increased energy efficiency will only increase the ways for capitalists to pursue profit. He advocates focusing on criticizing consumerism and calling on the public to break free from their obsession with consumption: “Consumption is an ineffective way to build a good life. Jointly limiting our consumption can open the way for a better economic system.” The Hungarian Workers’ Party also points out that as long as money remains the decisive force in society and society remains a wasteful consumer society, the green climate plans of bourgeois parties are nothing but empty talk; only by overcoming the obsession with consumption can true environmental protection be achieved.

反对过度消费，推行绿色生活。美国萨里大学研究员西蒙·梅尔（Simon Mair）认为广泛使用化石燃料对于资本主义扩张是必要的，气候变暖不仅是资本主义发展的结果，更是其根本。避免灾难性的气候危机，必须要打破基于消费主义至上的资本主义扩张周期，否则技术的改进、可再生能源的使用和能源效率的提高只会增加资本家追求利润的方式。他主张应着重批判消费主义，呼吁民众摆脱对消费的痴迷：“消费是建立美好生活的一种无效方式。共同限制我们的消费可以为更好的经济体系开辟道路。”匈牙利工人党（Hungarian Workers’ Party）同样也指出，只要金钱仍是社会的决定性力量且社会仍是浪费型的消费社会，资产阶级政党的绿色气候计划只不过是纸上之谈，只有克服对消费的痴迷，才能实现真正的环境保护。

Increase employment positions in the new energy sector. Nick Hart, a committee member of the Socialist Party UK, proposes that during the rapid transition to renewable energy production, workers in traditional energy industries such as oil and natural gas can easily become unemployed. Therefore, “workers in the traditional energy industry should have a say in planning the future development of that industry, and trade unions should create new job training opportunities for them according to corresponding regulations and conditions.” American left-wing scholar Calvin Priest believes that the use of renewable energy can create more job opportunities than fossil fuels, but the workers in other fossil fuel industries such as coal and oil cannot be ignored; what socialists need to do is to unite these workers, provide them with free vocational retraining, formulate new employment plans, and provide full employment. The New Democratic Party of Canada proposed in its party platform that in the future low-carbon life, it will provide Canadian workers with more than 1 million new, good-quality jobs. The Party also stated that it will strengthen cooperation with trade unions, employers, and local governments to seek solutions for workers and communities significantly affected by climate change, such as providing specialized employment support, subsidies and funding for retraining and job placement services, ensuring that companies can retain or properly place workers as much as possible during the transition, ensuring that workers who retire early can still receive their pensions normally, supporting sustainable agriculture, cooperating with farmers to promote sustainable land management technologies, and so on.

增加新能源领域的就业岗位。英国社会主义党（Socialist Party UK）委员会成员尼克·哈特（Nick Hart）提出，在向可再生能源生产的快速转型过程中，石油、天然气等传统能源行业的工人们很容易成为失业者。因此，“传统能源行业的工人在规划该行业的未来发展方面应该拥有话语权，同时工会应该根据相应规定和条件，为他们创造新的就业培训机会。”美国左翼学者加尔文·普里斯特（Calvin Priest）认为，可再生能源的使用能够比化石燃料创造出更多的就业机会，但不能忽视在煤炭石油等其他化石燃料行业的工人；社会主义者需要做的是将这些工人团结起来，为其进行免费的职业再培训，制定新的就业计划，提供充分就业。加拿大新民主党（New Democratic Party of Canada）在党纲中提出，在未来低碳生活中，会为加拿大工人提供超过100万个新的良好的就业岗位。该党还称要加强与工会、雇主和地方政府的合作，为受气候变化影响较大的工人和社区寻求解决之道，如提供专门的就业支持，补贴和资助再培训及就业安置服务，确保公司转型过程中能够尽量保留或妥善安置工人，确保工人提前退休的话仍能正常享受到养老金，支持可持续农业、与农民合作推广可持续土地管理技术，等等。

(II) Combining the Socialist Movement with Other Political Movements

（二）社会主义运动与其他政治运动相结合

Promote cooperation among different left-wing forces. The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia calls on left-wing forces to unite to address climate issues. “The unity of left-wing forces in France has set a good example, but left-wing political parties in the Czech Republic are still in a state of division. The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia will henceforth work to achieve effective cooperation among domestic left-wing forces and establish a left-wing united front.” [2]2 The Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSČM) is a left-wing political party in the Czech Republic, the successor to the former ruling Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. British left-wing scholar Alex Callinicos proposes that the only way for humanity to protect itself is to get rid of capitalism, so rebuilding strong left-wing forces with revolutionary socialists at the core is the most urgent task.

推动不同左翼力量之间的合作。捷摩共呼吁左翼力量团结起来共同应对气候问题。“法国国内左翼力量的联合已经作出了很好的榜样，而捷克左翼政党却还处在分裂状态。捷摩共今后将致力于实现国内左翼力量的有效合作，建立一条左翼联合阵线。”英国左翼学者亚历克斯·卡利尼科斯提出人类保护自身的唯一方法就是摆脱资本主义，因而重建以革命社会主义者为核心的强大左翼力量是最紧迫的任务。

Promote the combination of the workers’ movement and the environmental movement. The International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations (ICOR) launched an initiative calling on the working class to promote the environmental movement. “The most advanced struggles often occur where the working class and environmental struggles combine. In Latin America, the broad masses are uniting against the privatization of water resources, the privatization of sewage systems, the privatization of drinking water, and pollution… Consciously promoting this unity is the task of the international Marxist-Leninist and workers’ movement… Transform the environmental movement into a worldwide mass movement! Unite the workers’ movement and the environmental movement! March forward with the ICOR! March forward towards building socialism worldwide, only in the unity of humanity and nature can a path of sustainable and equal development be opened!” This initiative has so far been signed by 32 left-wing political party organizations.

推动工人运动与环保运动的结合。革命政党国际协调组织（ICOR）发起倡议，呼吁工人阶级推动环保运动。“最先进的斗争往往发生在工人阶级和环境斗争相结合的地方。在拉丁美洲，广大民众正在联合起来反对水资源私有化、污水系统私有化、饮用水私有化和污染……自觉地促进这种团结，是国际马克思列宁主义和工人运动的任务……将环保运动转变为世界范围的群众运动！团结工人运动和环保运动！与ICOR一起前进！向全世界建设社会主义前进，只有在人与自然的统一中，才能开辟可持续、平等发展的道路！”该倡议目前已经有32个左翼政党组织签名。

Promote the unity of various progressive social movements. The Communist Party of the United States proposes to establish connections between the environmental movement and other social movements, such as the workers’ movement, the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, the youth movement, the peace movement, and the immigration movement. Australian left-wing scholars Brian Tokar and Tamra Gilbertson write in their book *Climate Justice and Community Renewal*: “There are various initiatives, networks, and movements in the world today… Any debate on climate change cannot be detached from discussions on colonialism, racism, gender, women’s rights, imperialism, exploitation, land grabbing, and other issues. Capitalism will never solve these key problems, because the struggle for environmental and climate justice must become part of the struggle for a new, more just world.”

推动各类进步社会运动的联合。美国共产党提议要建立环保运动与其他社会运动之间的联系，如工人运动、公民维权运动、妇女运动、青年运动、和平运动、移民运动等。澳大利亚左翼学者布赖恩·托卡（Brian Tokar）和塔姆拉·吉尔伯森（Tamra Gilbertson）在其《气候正义与共同体复兴》一书中写道：“当今世界存在着各种倡议、网络组织和运动……关于气候变化的任何辩论都不能跟关于殖民主义、种族主义、性别、妇女权利、帝国主义、剥削、土地掠夺等问题的讨论相脱节。资本主义永远不会解决这些关键问题，因为争取环境和气候正义的斗争必须成为争取一个新的更加公正的世界斗争的一部分。”

V. Conclusion

五、结 语

The increasing severity of the global climate crisis has deepened foreign left-wing forces’ understanding and recognition of capitalism. The green policies implemented by capitalist countries to address the climate crisis have brought a series of negative effects, such as widening the gap between rich and poor, intensifying class contradictions, and the rise of environmental racism. The capitalist mode of production and distribution is the root cause of the global climate crisis; therefore, establishing a socialist system is the only correct choice for solving the climate crisis. In addition, foreign left-wing forces have also proposed some other effective ways to address the climate crisis, such as opposing excessive consumption, promoting a fair and reasonable carbon tax, creating more jobs in the new energy industry, and implementing employment training. Moreover, foreign left-wing forces adhere to a progressive stance, seeking cooperation with other political movements to concentrate efforts on jointly promoting the resolution of the climate crisis. Looking ahead, if foreign left-wing forces are to play a greater role in solving the climate crisis, they still need to continuously make new explorations in both theory and practice. (Notes omitted)

全球气候危机的日益严重，让国外左翼力量加深了对资本主义的理解和认识。资本主义国家为解决气候危机而推行的绿色政策，带来了一系列的负面效应，如贫富差距加大，阶级矛盾激化，环境种族主义兴起等。资本主义的生产方式和分配方式是导致全球气候危机的根本原因，因而建立社会主义制度是解决气候危机的唯一正确选择。此外，国外左翼力量还提出了一些其他解决气候危机的有效途径，如反对过度消费，推行公正合理的碳税，在新能源行业中增加更多就业岗位、实施就业培训等。不仅如此，国外左翼力量还坚持进步的立场，寻求与其他政治运动进行合作，集中力量共同推动气候危机的解决。展望未来，国外左翼力量若想在解决气候危机方面发挥更大的作用，仍需在理论和实践上不断进行新的探索。（注释略）

(The author is an assistant researcher at the School of Marxism, Shandong University)

（作者系山东大学马克思主义学院助理研究员）

Online editor: Zhang Jian

网络编辑：张剑