“It’s the positive side of global warming,” said Ron Lemieux, government minister in Manitoba, Canada, referring to the Arctic polar ice that faded to the smallest size ever recorded this past summer. Global warming from massive greenhouse gas emissions has caused sea temperatures to rise, melting the ice quickly. The mass of floating ice in the Arctic that has been there for millions of years could disappear completely during this century.
An Oct. 10 New York Times article revealed that capitalists are rushing to seize control of the Arctic region as the polar icecap recedes. For them, the coming environmental disaster provides a way to reap more profits. Big corporations and governments of countries like the United States and Canada view the polar thaw as the key to unlocking vast untapped treasures, such as new lucrative shipping routes, more cruise ship destinations, expanded commercial fisheries, unexplored undersea oil and gas fields, and much more.
But the disappearance of the polar ice cap will be devastating for people all over the world and for the environment. As the ice melts entire species of plants and animals, including the polar bear, will be threatened with extinction. Over 150,000 Inuit people stand to lose their native fishing, hunting and travel areas. Global warming will accelerate at a quicker pace without a protective layer of ice to cool the Arctic region.
The capitalist system exploits workers on the job as it defiles the material world, and profiting from environmental decay only enriches a small class of owners at the expense of humanity as a whole.
Photo: Gary Braasch
