Systemic change – not climate change

The Socialist Party of Iceland's (Sósíalistaflokkur Íslands) message in the parliamentary (Alþingi) elections on September 25, 2021:Tenth offer to voters presented on August 25:SYSTEMIC CHANGE – NOT CLIMATE CHANGE

Man-made destruction of nature, climate change, and pollution are consequences of capitalism, of capital being allowed to lead the way and have its way. The environmental threat therefore has the same root as the danger looming over societies, which is the absolute rule of capital. The only way to build a good society and protect natural resources is for the public to take power from capital.

Capital refers to the rich who live above the common people's society and believe they have no need for the basic systems built up in the last century to improve the living standards and rights of the public. They also do not consider themselves bound by the rules of society, operating under the sole commandment that what they profit from must be right.

And the rich also believe they can protect themselves from natural disasters and climate change, buying mansions in areas where the consequences of climate change are less likely to cause harm. They even buy land in Iceland to have a refuge here from the harm they themselves cause.

It is therefore unthinkable to find a solution to the destruction of the environment and society without changing the balance of power in societies. Under the absolute rule of capital, societies will be broken and natural resources destroyed. The primary prerequisite for combating climate change and stopping the destruction of natural resources is therefore to take power from capital. This is the biggest action in climate matters.

We will only succeed in turning away from the path of destruction if we manage to mobilize the public to take power into their own hands, to drive capital from power. Societies that continue to let the interests of the few lead them will not only dissolve into disunity and their infrastructures break down; such societies are also dangerous to nature and the living conditions of future generations.

All talk of climate action and environmental protection within capitalism and on its premises is a deception. Such talk only serves capital, which is buying time, trying to find a way to profit even further from the situation it has put humanity in.

Environmental Actions

The Socialist Party has discussed elsewhere how public movements can be built; how to rebuild the labor movement, the cooperative movement, and other public organizations; how to build popular politics that will take over from the elite politics of the neoliberal era; how to combat the corruption of intertwined politics and capital and bend state power to the needs and interests of the public.

Socialists know that we will get nowhere in environmental matters until capital is removed from the decision-making table. The foundation is fairness, not the preservation of profit; that the quality of life and consumption that the environment can sustain will be distributed equally regardless of people's economic status.

To remove these important issues, defenses against climate change and land reclamation, from the hands of monetary interests, it is important to build a platform for the participation of the public, municipalities, cooperatives, public organizations, and individuals for ideas, solutions, actions, and implementation. The state power, the public authority, must respond, but it is equally necessary that the implementation is decentralized and all citizens participate.

But this is what the party specifically proposes in environmental matters:

Transport

The ecological footprint of Icelanders is among the highest in the world. For example, each Icelander emits an average of 40.9 tons of greenhouse gases, while in Sweden the corresponding figure is only 1.8 tons. Every time a reduction in these emissions is planned, the interests of capital and special interests are prioritized, so that all transformation happens on their terms, at their pace, and to their liking.

In recent years, the government has primarily focused on reducing road emissions by offering discounts on new electric cars and waiting for the car fleet to cycle through high-income households, into the used car market, and to all households in the country over about 20-25 years. The discount, which mostly goes to high-income groups, amounts to billions annually. Low-income groups, meanwhile, are left to continue paying high taxes at the pump, which are intended to support one of society's most important infrastructures, the road system. This imbalance needs to be corrected by significantly increasing the participation of high-income groups in the development of societal infrastructure and using other methods of car fleet renewal that primarily benefit those social groups who need support for it. This can be done with generous support for emission-free public transport and by directly supporting the lowest-income individuals to buy, lease, or use vehicles powered by green energy.

Climate actions must be socially just. This means starting with the lowest-income individuals, not with subsidies for the highest-income individuals.

Road transport accounts for about one-third of the emissions directly attributable to the government. Socialists want to increase the participation of companies in energy transition. The fleet of rental and taxi cars should be earmarked with special requirements for stricter renewal and decommissioning. The same applies to group transport, buses, public transport, and company-related errands.

Land Cultivation and Green Economic Development

With the Kyoto Protocol, Iceland was allowed to account for new sequestration in biomass and ecosystems, e.g., through forestry, towards targets for reduced net emissions. This opportunity was not new, as if the Icelandic government believed that a binding, international agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions would evaporate, without follow-up for individual member states of the UN climate agreement.

After the entry into force of the Paris Agreement (2015), the outcome was that the European Union, Norway, and Iceland should work together on its implementation. This agreement requires states to significantly reduce direct emissions and for emissions from land to be carbon offset, i.e., that sequestration in vegetation offsets emissions that cannot otherwise be reduced.

Currently, emissions from land are the largest source of emissions from Iceland and much higher than in other European countries. It would therefore be easy to change this for the better. Throughout the country, sheep grazing could be limited, among other things, by stopping free-ranging livestock and turning defense into offense with a major effort in land reclamation and forestry.

Socialists want to establish a support system for landowners and a major offensive in economic development throughout the country, where the goal is increased sequestration and value creation in Iceland's forests. Commercial forests are ecosystems for diverse biodiversity but can also yield usable building materials so that carbon can be sequestered in structures and, at the same time, reduce the import of cement, which emits significantly during production.

Offer to voters: Capital excluded from the environmental discussionKeys to success:

• Capital removed from decision-making on climate actions. All climate transformation will be based on the interests of the public and the environment, in the long and short term. The quality of life of the public will be the guiding principle of all climate actions, not the profit demands of business owners.
• Increased demands will be placed on companies for faster renewal and decommissioning of older vehicles. Fuel taxes will be reduced, as many households currently have no other option but to rely on vehicles powered by polluting energy sources. A fairer yet faster path to energy transition will be taken.
• Green transport between regions. Frequent bus services and greatly improved public transport between regions. With the help of tourists, a dense and reliable route network can be built throughout the country. The transport will be operated by public entities and not tendered, and facilities and equipment will be first-class with minimal road emissions. Special attention will be paid to improved public transport between Keflavík Airport and the capital area. That the route network will be dense and built in consultation with its most important users, the people of the country.
• Green economy: "New Green Gift": Is part of an employment guarantee where everyone who can and wants to, gets jobs in forestry and the development of Iceland's forest resource. Farmers who can and want to reduce sheep farming will receive a generous support system that assists landowners in starting green value creation in new sectors, including forestry.