Tina Landis is the author of the book Climate Solutions Beyond Capitalism. Below is a talk she gave for an Earth Month event hosted by the Unitarian Universalist EcoSocialist Network and the PSL on April 25, 2025.
Climate policy under Trump’s billionaire agenda
Since Trump came into office, we’ve seen a barrage of attacks on people and the planet that are attempting to undo all the gains we have won through the people’s struggle over the last century. It is an attempt to implement the nightmarish vision that was laid out in Project 2025 by the rightwing Heritage Foundation.
The EPA is undergoing the largest deregulatory action since it was created in 1970 through 31 actions that undo environmental protections and climate change mitigation measures. The Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Endangered Species Act and many other legislative measures that curb industry pollution and degradation of ecosystems are being rapidly eroded. All federal agencies that protect the planet and provide services to the people are being slashed through staffing and funding cuts.
The Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, which all have a role in protecting federal lands from extractivist industries, are being gutted as the billionaires in the White House attempt to take us back to the gilded age when capitalism was unrestricted by environmental or labor protections. Research programs at NASA and NOAA related to climate change are being halted. The institutional knowledge and expertise that is being lost will be hard to replace.
Untold numbers of species will become extinct and climate change will accelerate if their plans aren’t halted by a mass movement of the people. All the gains ever achieved that benefit people and the planet were won because we organized ourselves and demanded it. Our collective action does have an impact and it is the only force that will stop this wave of reactionary policies.
The administration is planning to greatly expand fossil fuel extraction and production, and use eminent domain to exploit resources on private lands. They are also undoing environmental justice measures that were attempting to address the long history of the disproportionate level of pollution forced on to communities of color and low-income communities by industry. Trump has once again backed out of the Paris Climate Agreement, signaling its overall rejection of science and refusal to accept any responsibility for the existential crisis that all of humanity faces. The billionaire clique in Washington is also undoing incentives for electric vehicles and are hoping to undo California’s more stringent vehicle emissions standards, which many other states have adopted.
Gene Likens, the scientist who first discovered the existence of acid rain in the 1960s, recently warned that Trump’s rollbacks on emission controls and ramping up of coal power could result in a return of acid rain.
Agriculture accounts for 80% of freshwater consumption in the western U.S., 10% of all greenhouse gases nationally, and its detrimental impacts on biodiversity from GMO and pesticide use and habitat loss are incalculable. Trump has cut payments to over 30,000 farmers established under the Inflation Reduction Act that went toward the implementation of conservation practices. This funding was attempting to reduce some of the climate and ecological impacts from the agriculture sector through practices like planting cover crops, prescribed grazing, efficient irrigation, nutrient management, reducing pesticide use and over tilling of the soil, and creating wildlife habitat. Much of the money has already been spent on shifting operations to more sustainable practices and without the expected reimbursements, already struggling small farmers are at risk of losing their livelihoods.
Trump’s cuts to the Forest Service and other agencies responsible for land management will negatively impact ecosystem health, cause an increase in invasive species, disease and insect infestation in forests, and increase wildfire risk as fuel reduction programs are eroded. All of these things will add to climate change and reduce the overall resilience of ecosystems.
The problem is capitalism!
While the current rollbacks are alarming, I want to put the actions of the U.S. capitalist class – Republican and Democrat – into perspective. Under Biden, U.S. crude oil production was at an all time high and his administration approved more oil and gas drilling permits than at any other time in U.S. history.
Biden also undid vital protections in the Clean Water Act that put 50% of wetlands at risk, which will impact our already dwindling freshwater resources and exacerbate climate change. The minor climate initiatives in the Inflation Reduction Act were largely greenwashing and a transfer of public funds to corporations in the form of financial incentives for “green” technologies. The Biden administration also approved ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project in Alaska, which environmentalists call a “carbon bomb” due to the immense volume of oil it will produce that is equal to the annual emissions of around 66 new coal-fired power plants.
When you look at the real cause of climate change, it’s not due to one bad politician or another or that humans just can’t live sustainably. It’s the endless quest for profits – which is the very bedrock of capitalism – that has caused the climate crisis and acts as a barrier to real solutions. The system of capitalism requires endless growth and endless expansion of markets, which means endless exploitation of people and the planet. Thirteen major corporations are responsible for the majority of deforestation globally. And just 100 companies are responsible for 71% of global emissions since 1988.
It is not a problem that can be solved by a few more of us recycling or taking transit. Of course, we should all attempt to conserve more and reduce our impact, but our individual actions do little to impact the root cause of climate change.
The problem is systemic and requires societal transformation and a renewed respect for the natural world, like exists within indigenous communities globally. Indigenous-held territories account for only 20% of the earth’s land mass, yet hold 80% of remaining biodiversity due to a deep understanding of local ecology and a reciprocal relationship for the natural world.
Chart from the book Climate Solutions Beyond Capitalism
The imperialist countries of the Global North hold the largest share of responsibility for causing climate change. The U.S. has contributed 27% of cumulative carbon emissions since the industrial revolution with the EU in close second with 25% of emissions. The U.S. military industrial complex is the largest consumer of fossil fuels on the planet and the largest unregulated polluter. The U.S. has an exemption on military-related emissions reporting to the UN, but it is estimated that these emissions stemming from U.S. military operations equals that of 140 countries combined.
Chart from the book Climate Solutions Beyond Capitalism
The U.S. also has the largest per capita emissions of any country today. If every country on the planet had the ecological footprint of the U.S., we’d need five Earths to sustain us.
Climate policy under capitalism vs. socialism
Imperialist wars, genocide, destabilization campaigns, debt traps and sanctions that impact developing countries only add to the problem of climate change. The legacy of colonialism and the continuing impacts from imperialism today have left large parts of the world behind in development. Countries that are struggling to simply provide the basic needs for their populations are not able to focus on transitions to ecological sustainability and zero-emission energy and transportation systems.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative is attempting to address this issue of underdevelopment of the Global South through infrastructure projects, trade alliances and sharing of technology without the austerity measures that imperialist countries demand in exchange for assistance. If countries have the means to provide for their people and have economic stability, they can also implement climate change mitigation measures.
While China is still coming out of the legacy of underdevelopment and still relies on fossil fuels for around 60% of its energy production, it is at the same time leading the world in renewable energy and electric vehicle production – and is the global leader in the production of electric buses and trucks.
China also has the most extensive high speed rail system in the world, with nearly 29,000 miles of rail line as of 2024. How much high-speed rail does the U.S. have? Zero!
China has also undertaken major ecological restoration projects like the Great Green Wall, which includes planting 88 million acres of drought-resistant trees along with the installation of solar-powered sand control technology to stem desertification. Employing 600,000 workers, the Taklamakan Desert portion of the project was completed in 2022, while work along the Gobi Desert will be completed by 2050.
They have also restored a massive area of depleted agricultural lands in the Loess Plateau that equals an area the size of Belgium, which also brought 2.5 million people in that area out of poverty.
In 2012, China formally adopted the goal of building an ecological civilization into their constitution and soon after achieved major reductions in particulate matter pollution, with a 35% reduction within a 4-year period in Beijing, which is an unprecedented level of reductions for such a short timeframe. By 2020, China had also lifted 850 million of their people out of extreme poverty.
In alignment with their constitution, China is creating over 300 eco-cities and converting 30 of their cities into “sponge cities” to address increasing flooding and drought. These sponge cities capture rainwater to be used in times of drought. Expansive parks and adjacent wetlands serve as recreation areas during drier months and act as flood control zones when heavy rain comes.
These types of large-scale projects that uplift the population and address climate change can only be achieved under a centralized, socialist planned economy.
Compare this to the capitalist U.S. where life is becoming dire for more people every day. The hardships we face under capitalism from climate change impacts to homelessness to lack of health care and education, to unemployment and poverty all have solutions. It’s not that humanity doesn’t have the tools to overcome these issues. All of these crises can be resolved under a socialist system.
The criminal, unjust nature of capitalism is clear. We live in the wealthiest country in the world, yet more and more wealth is being concentrated at the top, while more and more of us are driven into destitution by the day.
As of 2022, there were around 15 million empty homes in the U.S. and around 700,000 people without a home and countless others with inadequate housing. Around 44,000 people die each year in the U.S. from lack of healthcare. Student debt has reached $1.7 trillion, holding back young people’s ability to truly contribute to society.
All the while global temperatures are climbing each year, breaking records every month, while business as usual continues – not because our so-called leaders aren’t aware of the problem, but because they prefer short-term profits for their class over a livable planet.
Billion-dollar disasters are now occurring every 15 to 20 days on average, leaving more and more people destitute in their wake, with little to no government assistance. The longer we wait the more costly and challenging it will become to address climate change. Which is why we need to keep building the movement and keep organizing our class until we overturn this system — a system that is inherently cruel and unsustainable.
What would a socialist future in the US look like?
This brings me to the future that we in the PSL and many others around the globe are fighting for. And that’s a socialist future. Only under a planned socialist economy can we meet the needs of society and live in an environmentally sustainable way. Unlike capitalism, where what is produced, how much is produced, what materials are used and how much waste is created is up to each capitalist to determine based on what will make the most profits — socialism instead looks at what is needed by society and produces that with long term environmental sustainability in mind. Unlike previous socialist revolutions that occurred in underdeveloped countries that had the challenge of overcoming scarcity, in the U.S., we already have the knowledge, technology and wealth available for the socialist transformation of our economy without having to overcome scarcity.
Now I want to take you on a journey into the near future, just after the workers have taken state power. The new worker-led government has just seized the banks and corporations and is using that wealth and resources to rebuild society where resources are allocated to all the things we lacked under capitalism. All debt – student debt, healthcare debt, credit card debt, housing debt – is now cancelled so everyone can equally participate in society.
Parasitic landlords no longer exist and everyone who lacks adequate housing is moved into a safe, quality home. Housing is no longer a commodity and costs drop to a small fraction of our income, which means we all can afford to live close to where we work and go to school. Private car ownership is no longer needed in most areas.
Community-based zero-emission car share services are available for rural travel and for those who can’t manage transit. And a zero-emission mass transit and high-speed rail system is built across the country that is free and accessible.
Cities are being transformed so that everything a neighborhood needs is close by, like markets with healthy food, education and cultural centers, and recreation and green spaces. There are now free healthcare clinics in every neighborhood that provide high-quality care. And health outcomes within the population are improving steadily due to a holistic health care system that includes extensive preventive care, and accessibility to nutrition and exercise programs, rehabilitation and addiction treatment and mental health services.
Private utilities like Pacific Gas & Electric are nationalized. Utility bills immediately drop to a small fraction of what they were. Without the requirement of investor profits, we rapidly shift our energy system to wind and solar energy production. Degraded power lines no longer spark wildfires. We also greatly reduce energy needs by weatherizing older buildings to reduce energy wasted for heating and cooling drafty spaces. We distribute the most energy efficient appliances to all households.
We begin the process of transforming all our homes and buildings to be net-zero energy and zero-waste, meaning all the energy needed by the building is produced on site with a greywater system to recycle wastewater. Allocation of these housing units goes first to those who were previously homeless or lacked adequate housing.
We begin the process of greening our cities to address the heat island effect. Concrete, pavement, bare earth, buildings and vehicles all absorb solar energy and continue to release heat back into the atmosphere long after the sun goes down. So, we plant native vegetation, trees and food gardens, unearth streams and wetlands that had been paved over, and integrate vegetation into buildings to cool air temperatures, increase biodiversity, make cities more resilient to extreme weather, and improve our physical and mental health.
The toxic industrial agricultural system that poisoned people, other species and ecosystems is replaced with a regenerative organic agriculture system with millions of farmers receiving free training and resources. These practices are resulting in the production of more nutrient dense food, and greenhouse gases from the agricultural sector have been largely eliminated.
These agroecological methods eliminate the need for chemical inputs and irrigation and have increased biodiversity and improved human health. Sustainably grown organic food is now affordable and accessible to all unlike under capitalism.
All oppressed nationalities, women and LGBTQ people are now fully represented in the new socialist government. Those with disabilities are given the support that is needed to fully participate in society.
Under capitalism, extractivist industries had deforested and degraded ecosystems around the globe. The traditional knowledge and practices of Indigenous communities have been vital to ecological restoration efforts due to their close relationship with the land and all species.
Millions of rural workers and young people have been trained in restoration of forests, grasslands, watersheds, oceans and wetlands. Biodiversity is rebounding and strengthening ecosystems’ ability to withstand climate impacts and capture carbon.
Native keystone species like sea otters, beaver, bison, prairie dogs and wolves are now fully protected and have been reintroduced in areas where they had been lost, which is restoring ecosystem functions.
Coral reefs, kelp forests, shellfish beds, mangrove forests and salt marshes are restored to help protect coasts from rising seas and storm surge and to also provide vital habitats, increasing marine life populations and reducing ocean acidification.
This socialist reconstruction of society requires the contributions of everyone who is able to work. It’s a collaborative, collective effort where all our efforts go to improving life for ourselves, our communities, and for future generations and all species. Under capitalism most people were forced to sell their labor to make some capitalist richer, while wasting human potential at the expense of the planet. Those who worked in jobs in parasitic or destructive industries under capitalism, like insurance, marketing or fossil fuels, are now able to work in new fields that contribute to the rebuilding of society.
Many sectors have free on-the-job training for workers in order to expedite climate change mitigation projects that need to expand quickly in order to stem the crisis. A free education system from pre-school through college allows everyone to learn new skills throughout their lives.
All the 1200+ U.S. military sites at home and around the globe are closed. And U.S. support for repressive regimes has ended. NATO has been dissolved and Palestine is free. All the toxic sites left behind by the military around the globe and at home are cleaned up and restored to health. The new socialist government immediately adopts an internationalist position where resources are shared globally with assistance provided for development of the global south on a sustainable path.
That’s the future I’d like to see! How about you? Nothing I described is utopian. Humanity has the knowledge and capacity to stem the climate crisis and build a better future. It is all achievable under a socialist system.
Let’s get organized to fight for the future we deserve!
Sisters and brothers, we are at a decisive moment in history. Climate change, the threat of WWIII and the rise of AI – which under capitalism will result in massive job loss – are all threatening humanity’s survival. The billionaire gangsters that control our economic system are not all powerful despite their posturing. The path before us leads to either socialism or an unlivable planet and what we do collectively determines that path.
The ruling class wants us to remain demoralized and divided. But more are joining the struggle by the day. Millions have been radicalized since the genocide in Gaza began, and those millions now see the true nature of U.S. imperialism. The recent repression against student organizers has only fueled more growth in the movement. The PSL is a multinational, multi-generational, diverse party of working-class organizers unified in the fight for socialism. We not only engage in the struggle for climate action but against all the injustices we collectively face under capitalism. By organizing alongside each other in solidarity and supporting each other’s struggles, we can create a broad social movement that can win socialism and stem climate change.
It’s time to set aside our fears, take a leap of faith, organize ourselves and win the world we deserve. I hope you join us in that fight.
Feature image: Liberation photo
