Counterfire log in

Environment

Students strike for climate as deadly US wildfires rage on

Students all over the world took part in the first climate strike since the pandemic broke out, reports Jamal Elaheebocus
US wildfires and extreme weather are a warning: we need system change to stop the climate crisis

The extreme weather and wildfires ripping through parts of the US show clearly why we need fundamental change to stop the climate crisis, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Extinction Rebellion marches in London to demand action

Protesters defied the police in the new wave of “rebellion” and called on Parliament to declare a climate emergency, reports Yonas Makoni
Dust Bowls of Empire. Imperialism, Environmental Politics and Injustice of ‘Green’ Capitalism - book review

Holleman’s Dust Bowls of Empire shows that ecological crisis on the Great Plains of America is rooted in racism, imperialism and capitalism, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh
Sunak's 'Green Homes Grant' only scratches the surface

Neither the government nor Starmer's Labour party are taking the climate crisis seriously - real action must be led from outside parliament, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Limits: Why Malthus Was Wrong and Why Environmentalists Should Care - book review

Giorgos Kallis criticises Malthus’ ideas and their modern influence, but sustainability requires structural change to move beyond capitalism, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Capitalism as a dynamic system: Marx and the Climate Crisis - extract

In the second of two extracts from her new book Marx and the Climate Crisis, Elaine Graham-Leigh explains why climate destruction is a structural feature of capitalism
Marx and the Climate Crisis

Elaine Graham-Leigh shows how Marx's analysis of capitalism explains the climate breakdown and how we fight for system change to protect people and the planet
No return to pre-lockdown air pollution

The lockdown is confirming just how damaging air pollution has been, we must demand a Green New Deal to make sure we don't go back, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
New horizons during Covid-19: beyond the limits of capitalist realism

Through the Covid-19 crisis we glimpse the need for change and the possibility of change, argues Mike Wayne
Shamrocks and Oil Slicks - book review

Wilcox’s Shamrocks and Oil Slicks recounts the inspiring resistance in county Mayo against their government and Shell Oil’s collusion to force oil development, finds Ellen Graubart
Coronavirus, climate, and capital: capitalism's destructive irrationality

Capitalism is subjecting itself to great strain and we must be prepared to help it on its way, writes John Clarke
Why HS2 is on the wrong track

Opposing HS2 in the name of reduction damages the working-class green movement, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Rail blockade: indigenous resistance shakes the Canadian state

Indigenous groups resisting a destructive gas pipeline have blockaded one of Canada's busiest rail lines bringing business as usual to a grinding halt, reports John Clarke
If you love the climate, you hate the Tories: reasons to join the Valentine's Day strike

Time is running out but the Tories don't care, join the Valentines Day climate strike and build the resistance, writes Shabbir Lakha
Fukushima: environmental vandalism on an industrial scale

The Japanese government is planning to dump millions of tons of radioactive water into the ocean, reports Pete Morgan
Coronavirus: an effect of global agribusiness

Growing profit first and food second is the reason for the virus. Look to modern industrial farming for the culprit, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
As Australia burns, climate strikes set for a new phase

Lucy Nichols reports on twelve months of student-led protest
Australia fires: where climate inaction leads to

The Australian government was warned, but it chose to ignore the warnings and the evidence, repeatedly, writes Pete Morgan
Protest has helped define the first two decades of the 21st century – here’s what’s next

We’re living in an unprecedented moment - the fortunes of popular protest will depend on the collective leadership of the movements, writes Feyzi Ismail
The climate election that never happened

As part of a series of opinion pieces on the election result, Elaine Graham-Leigh argues that the movement must turn to class on climate
What are the Greens' true colours?

The Green Party's electoral alliance with the Lib Dems is a tactic that will prevent a Corbyn government instead of getting the Tories out, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Fracking must stop for good, not just for the election: interview with activist at Preston North Road site

After the government’s sudden u-turn over fracking, Counterfire’s Katherine Connelly spoke to Allan Todd, a Green Left member and Extinction Rebellion activist, about the cynical politics behind the announcement, the importance of the anti-fracking campaign and how we can ensure the victory isn’t as short-lived as the election campaign
Election 2019: the chance for a green industrial revolution

Electing a Corbyn government that can implement a green industrial revolution is the essential next step to taking on climate change, argues Alex Snowdon
“We need to work together”: school student climate striker speaks to trade unionists about the way forward

The speech given by the 12-year-old school student and climate striker to Unite the Union’s Suffolk Area Activists Committee
Police ban on Extinction Rebellion is an attack on our civil liberties

The threat to our civil liberties from the police banning Extinction Rebellion protests is dangerous and we must resist, argues Sweta Choudhury
Education is a key front in the battle against climate breakdown

At a climate emergency conference organised by the National Education Union, teachers and union activists discussed how to build the movement against climate change, reports Orlando Hill
William Morris: father of socialist ecology

William Morris is one of the greatest environmentalists of the socialist tradition and his work becomes more relevant by the day, writes Gabriel Polley
Glasgow strikes for climate justice

This is an issue that unites the class, writes UCU activist Vladimir Unkovski-Korica
There are no jobs on a dead planet: we want system change not climate change

The message from Newcastle is clear
The Biofuels Deception: Going Hungry on the Green Carbon Diet - book review

Biofuels turn out not to be a sustainable replacement for fossil-fuels, but just another way for agribusiness to maintain profits, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh
Why we all have to support the climate strike

On 20 September, it is essential that socialists and trade unionists support the climate strike, writes Richard Allday
The planet is on fire: build the climate strike

Business as usual makes a climate catastrophe inevitable. It is time to stop business as usual. Join the global climate strike on 20 September, writes Bill Perry
The Amazon fire: a neoliberal crime scene

The destruction of the Amazon rainforest is no accident, it is the product of Bolsonaro's neoliberal policies, argues Nathan Street
Amazon fire: our lungs are on fire

Chrissy Brand joined the demonstrators outside the Brazilian Embassy in London on August 23rd. She is one of millions who realise that climate change can only be held at bay by a fundamental system change
Universities take global steps to fight climate disaster

Universities around the world are organising together to declare an emergency and combat climate change, reports Pete Morgan
The environmental cost of the United States war-machine

The sheer scale and perpetual nature of US military operations make it unimaginably destructive for the planet, argues Pete Morgan
School striker for climate: join the Trump demo

Ahead of the Together Against Trump: Stop the State Visit Demonstration on Tuesday 4^th June, Nathan Street interviews Elijah Mckenzie-Jackson
Listen to the kids: school strikes for climate continue - video

Thousands of students walked out of school once again to protest against inaction on climate change
Manual for Survival. A Chernobyl Guide to the Future - book review

An important new book rigorously examines the impact of nuclear accidents. The evidence underlines just how destructive nuclear is, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Dump Trump: Protest the State Visit, June 3/4/5 - Counterfire freesheet May 2019

Protest against Trump's state visit, austerity and record levels of inequality, Algeria in revolt, Marxism made easy, Palestine, eco-demands and more in this month's Counterfire Freesheet
Climate emergency and the power of protest

The school strikes and Extinction Rebellion protests changed the political agenda, leading to Parliament declaring a climate emergency, reports Ellen Graubart
We need the labour movement to win the fight against climate change

The fight for workers' rights and jobs goes hand in hand with the fight against climate change, so we need the environmental movement and trade unionists to work together, writes Richard Allday
Extinction Rebellion: a movement recharged

Environmental politics has been given a much-needed shot in the arm, reports Bill Perry
Capitalism and climate change - can we avert disaster? - video

At a London public meeting, Elaine Graham-Leigh explains why climate change is a product of capitalism and the solution has to be one that confronts the system
The kids are still alright: the climate fightback continues

Climate change is bringing young people on to the streets, where they are talking about system change, reports Newcastle Counterfire
Seven demands for stopping climate change

Environmental activist and author, Elaine Graham-Leigh, highlights seven key demands the movement against climate change needs to be making
Strike to demand action on climate change

Joanne Davis reports on the young activists leading the fight for our futures
Keep fighting for Corbyn: Stop the attacks - Counterfire freesheet March 2019

The soft coup against Corbyn and the weaponisation of antisemitism, Tory Brexit crisis, Winston Churchill, Venezuela, climate change, Palestine and more in this month's Counterfire Freesheet
Climate strikers: ‘capitalism is ill-equipped to deal with the crisis’

School students spoke to Feyzi Ismail at the second Youth Strike 4 Climate in London on Friday. They are informed, defiant and resolute
US military: the world's biggest polluter

The fight against ecological disaster must include fighting the war machine of the US state, argues Jago Corry
Global school strike for climate kicks off

Thousands of school students across the world have already taken to the streets in today's coordinated stand against climate change, reports John Westmoreland
Climate Leviathan and A Foodie's Guide to Capitalism - book reviews

Two books on environmental crisis say that anti-capitalist politics are needed, but mistakenly reject the existing revolutionary tradition, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
School's out for the Tories – weekly briefing

Students have put politics back on the streets again: this is an object lesson for everyone who wants a better world, argues Lindsey German
Youth Strike 4 Climate: we're fighting for our future

A video report from the YouthStrike4Climate in London
National school students' climate strike in pictures

The hugely inspiring national school students' strike against climate change should be the start of a coordinated, international campaign, reports Jago Corry
School climate strike: thousands of students shut down Parliament Square

School students brought Westminster to a standstill as around ten thousand protested against government inaction on climate change, reports Richard Pratt
What would a ‘Green New Deal’ look like in Britain?

A Green New Deal, now a popular idea in Britain as well as the US, can help to merge environmental struggle with class struggle, argues Jago Corry
Climate chaos is the most political issue of our time, to stop it we need systemic change

Climate breakdown is a political issue, and to stop it we need to tackle it at the root, argues Jim Scott
Revolt in France: could Macron be under threat?

Yellow Vests mass protests enjoyed a third weekend of militant action across France, with trades unionists and other groups supporting. John Mullen reports from Paris
Averting chaos: class, climate change and the movements

Profit and powerful interests are precipitating planetary disaster. Protests such as Saturday's in London must be developed into a mass movement to force political change, argues Feyzi Ismail
The People's Assembly launch the Britain is Broken campaign

Austerity has failed but it continues to wreak havoc for millions of people. Shabbir Lakha reports from the launch of a new campaign to end austerity
The public supports urgent action on climate chaos: it's government that is failing

There's just 12 years left to keep our environmental inhabitable. Campaigning from below is crucial; we can't depend on the climate dealmakers, writes Nathan Street
Stop Tommy Robinson, All out for 17 November - Counterfire Freesheet November 2018

Opposing the far right, people's vote, police racism, precarious workers, climate chaos, universal credit and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Marx and the fight against climate change - Counterfire Media Podcast

Elaine Graham-Leigh and Tom Lock Griffiths discuss the Marxist perspective on ecology and the fight against climate change in the third episode of Counterfire Media's Podcast
Decarbonisation, jobs and justice

As the IPCC report stresses the urgent action needed to tackle climate change, we must challenge the narrative that an ecologically sound economy would be bad for workers
Project Macron in crisis

From the Benalla affair to the Hulot resignation and plunging poll ratings, there's no end in sight for the troubles of the French President, writes Susan Ram
UK councils invest over £9bn in fracking industry

Newly released data shows that councils in the UK are investing billions in fracking, we need to keep pushing for divestment commitments
The summer of climate chaos

The heatwave seems to be over, but with floods in Kerala to wildfires in California making history, capitalism still can’t fix climate change, writes Elaine Graham-Leigh
The dynamics of disaster

Capitalism will destroy humanity. Only working class mass mobilisation and struggle can stop this, argues John Westmoreland
Adrift: A Secret Life of London's Waterways - book review

The fight against rapacious developers is at the heart of a new account of life on London’s canals, says John Rees
Town and country attitudes

Is there really the great divide? John Rees examines the changing landscape of the countryside
Justin Trudeau's dirty deeds for dirty oil

He reps for poisonous pipelines whilst claiming climate piety; Trudeau’s slick cynicism springs protest from London to British Colombia, reports John Clarke
A Redder Shade of Green - book review

Ian Angus’ essays range across many issues at the intersection of politics and environmental science, illuminating the meaning of ecosocialism, finds Kevin Crane
Marx the ecologist

Some criticise Marx as anti-environmental, but understanding his ecology is essential to grasping his critique of capitalism, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh
Environmental entropy is inescapable in capitalism

No truly effective green politics can do without a coherent argument against the capitalist mode of production, argues Nathan Street
Creating an Ecological Society: Towards a Revolutionary Transformation - book review

Magdoff and Williams provide a powerful case that ecological disaster can be overcome by a revolutionary transformation of social relations
Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System - review

The Anthropocene is the result of post-1945 capitalism, according to Ian Angus, in a vital contribution to the ecosocialist argument, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Suez Sita’s brand of eco-capitalism is a trap

Hippy styled waste management in Doncaster has got workers’ resistance to look forward to, reports Mick Wattam
Capitalism in the Web of Life: Ecology and the Accumulation of Capital

Jason Moore shows that capitalism is innately destructive of its environment, but the solution is revolutionary socialist organisation, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Monbiot and the media

George Monbiot’s essays are a valuable and stimulating exception in the mainstream media where dissenting voices are rarely heard, argues Ian Middlebrook
Only a People‘s Brexit will bring the change we need

We need to get organised in order to avert the economic and ecological disaster that the Tories' Brexit will cause
Beneath the bonnet: capitalism and cars

A clash of new and old forms of capitalism exposes the anarchy and wastefulness within our rotten system, writes Chris Bambery
Austerity Ecology And The Collapse-Porn Addicts

Austerity Ecology provides a valid critique of lifestyle greenism, but its techno-fix approach is no replacement for a mass movement for system change, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Turquoise Tories? The government and climate change

Cameron argued that his government would be the greenest ever, but market solutions are turning out to be no solutions at all, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
The Anthropocene. The human era and how it shapes our planet

Our effect on the planet may well mean that we’re entering a new geological epoch, but what really matters is organising to fight for the world we need, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh
A Diet of Austerity

A Diet of Austerityargues that to fight climate change, we need system change, and the blame must not be shifted onto individuals, finds Orlando Hill
A Diet of Austerity: Class, Food and Climate Change

How and why the working class are being blamed for climate change, and what we can do about it
Time to Act against climate change

On March 7th more than 20,000 people marched in London against climate change. Elaine Graham-Leigh reports
The Burning Answer. A User’s Guide to the Solar Revolution

The Burning Answer shows that all our energy could come from clean, renewable sources without much technical difficulty, but getting there is a political problem, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
The Green surge and the new politics in Britain

The surge in membership of the Green party shows that British politics is not marching to the right - James Meadway looks at the implications for the Left
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate

System change not climate change: ultimately revolutionary change is needed. This is the message of Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Green Capitalism: Why It Can’t Work

The urgency of action on climate change is undeniable, but Green Capitalism: Why It Can’t Work, shows clearly why capitalism is the problem, argues Marienna Pope-Weidemann
The People’s Climate March: thousands demand action

Elaine Graham-Leigh: The People’s Climate March sent a clear message to the politicians - climate change remains an issue of central importance and we are watching what they do
Direct action success for anti-fracking camp
$March for a frack free future - Blackpool.$
Matt Bonner reports how activists from Reclaim the Power targeted thirteen companies, government departments and academics who stand to profit from the industry

Environment

Environment

Students all over the world took part in the first climate strike since the pandemic broke out, reports Jamal Elaheebocus

The extreme weather and wildfires ripping through parts of the US show clearly why we need fundamental change to stop the climate crisis, argues Jamal Elaheebocus

Protesters defied the police in the new wave of “rebellion” and called on Parliament to declare a climate emergency, reports Yonas Makoni

Holleman’s Dust Bowls of Empire shows that ecological crisis on the Great Plains of America is rooted in racism, imperialism and capitalism, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh

Neither the government nor Starmer's Labour party are taking the climate crisis seriously - real action must be led from outside parliament, argues Jamal Elaheebocus

Giorgos Kallis criticises Malthus’ ideas and their modern influence, but sustainability requires structural change to move beyond capitalism, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

In the second of two extracts from her new book Marx and the Climate Crisis, Elaine Graham-Leigh explains why climate destruction is a structural feature of capitalism

Elaine Graham-Leigh shows how Marx's analysis of capitalism explains the climate breakdown and how we fight for system change to protect people and the planet

The lockdown is confirming just how damaging air pollution has been, we must demand a Green New Deal to make sure we don't go back, argues Jamal Elaheebocus

Through the Covid-19 crisis we glimpse the need for change and the possibility of change, argues Mike Wayne

Wilcox’s Shamrocks and Oil Slicks recounts the inspiring resistance in county Mayo against their government and Shell Oil’s collusion to force oil development, finds Ellen Graubart

Capitalism is subjecting itself to great strain and we must be prepared to help it on its way, writes John Clarke

Opposing HS2 in the name of reduction damages the working-class green movement, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Indigenous groups resisting a destructive gas pipeline have blockaded one of Canada's busiest rail lines bringing business as usual to a grinding halt, reports John Clarke

Time is running out but the Tories don't care, join the Valentines Day climate strike and build the resistance, writes Shabbir Lakha

The Japanese government is planning to dump millions of tons of radioactive water into the ocean, reports Pete Morgan

Growing profit first and food second is the reason for the virus. Look to modern industrial farming for the culprit, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Lucy Nichols reports on twelve months of student-led protest

The Australian government was warned, but it chose to ignore the warnings and the evidence, repeatedly, writes Pete Morgan

We’re living in an unprecedented moment - the fortunes of popular protest will depend on the collective leadership of the movements, writes Feyzi Ismail

As part of a series of opinion pieces on the election result, Elaine Graham-Leigh argues that the movement must turn to class on climate

The Green Party's electoral alliance with the Lib Dems is a tactic that will prevent a Corbyn government instead of getting the Tories out, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Electing a Corbyn government that can implement a green industrial revolution is the essential next step to taking on climate change, argues Alex Snowdon

The speech given by the 12-year-old school student and climate striker to Unite the Union’s Suffolk Area Activists Committee

The threat to our civil liberties from the police banning Extinction Rebellion protests is dangerous and we must resist, argues Sweta Choudhury

At a climate emergency conference organised by the National Education Union, teachers and union activists discussed how to build the movement against climate change, reports Orlando Hill

William Morris is one of the greatest environmentalists of the socialist tradition and his work becomes more relevant by the day, writes Gabriel Polley

This is an issue that unites the class, writes UCU activist Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

The message from Newcastle is clear

Biofuels turn out not to be a sustainable replacement for fossil-fuels, but just another way for agribusiness to maintain profits, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh

On 20 September, it is essential that socialists and trade unionists support the climate strike, writes Richard Allday

Business as usual makes a climate catastrophe inevitable. It is time to stop business as usual. Join the global climate strike on 20 September, writes Bill Perry

The destruction of the Amazon rainforest is no accident, it is the product of Bolsonaro's neoliberal policies, argues Nathan Street

Chrissy Brand joined the demonstrators outside the Brazilian Embassy in London on August 23rd. She is one of millions who realise that climate change can only be held at bay by a fundamental system change

Universities around the world are organising together to declare an emergency and combat climate change, reports Pete Morgan

The sheer scale and perpetual nature of US military operations make it unimaginably destructive for the planet, argues Pete Morgan

Ahead of the Together Against Trump: Stop the State Visit Demonstration on Tuesday 4th June, Nathan Street interviews Elijah Mckenzie-Jackson

Thousands of students walked out of school once again to protest against inaction on climate change

An important new book rigorously examines the impact of nuclear accidents. The evidence underlines just how destructive nuclear is, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Protest against Trump's state visit, austerity and record levels of inequality, Algeria in revolt, Marxism made easy, Palestine, eco-demands and more in this month's Counterfire Freesheet

The school strikes and Extinction Rebellion protests changed the political agenda, leading to Parliament declaring a climate emergency, reports Ellen Graubart

The fight for workers' rights and jobs goes hand in hand with the fight against climate change, so we need the environmental movement and trade unionists to work together, writes Richard Allday

Environmental politics has been given a much-needed shot in the arm, reports Bill Perry

At a London public meeting, Elaine Graham-Leigh explains why climate change is a product of capitalism and the solution has to be one that confronts the system

Climate change is bringing young people on to the streets, where they are talking about system change, reports Newcastle Counterfire

Environmental activist and author, Elaine Graham-Leigh, highlights seven key demands the movement against climate change needs to be making

Joanne Davis reports on the young activists leading the fight for our futures

The soft coup against Corbyn and the weaponisation of antisemitism, Tory Brexit crisis, Winston Churchill, Venezuela, climate change, Palestine and more in this month's Counterfire Freesheet

School students spoke to Feyzi Ismail at the second Youth Strike 4 Climate in London on Friday. They are informed, defiant and resolute

The fight against ecological disaster must include fighting the war machine of the US state, argues Jago Corry

Thousands of school students across the world have already taken to the streets in today's coordinated stand against climate change, reports John Westmoreland

Two books on environmental crisis say that anti-capitalist politics are needed, but mistakenly reject the existing revolutionary tradition, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

Students have put politics back on the streets again: this is an object lesson for everyone who wants a better world, argues Lindsey German

A video report from the YouthStrike4Climate in London

The hugely inspiring national school students' strike against climate change should be the start of a coordinated, international campaign, reports Jago Corry

School students brought Westminster to a standstill as around ten thousand protested against government inaction on climate change, reports Richard Pratt

A Green New Deal, now a popular idea in Britain as well as the US, can help to merge environmental struggle with class struggle, argues Jago Corry

Climate breakdown is a political issue, and to stop it we need to tackle it at the root, argues Jim Scott

Yellow Vests mass protests enjoyed a third weekend of militant action across France, with trades unionists and other groups supporting. John Mullen reports from Paris

Profit and powerful interests are precipitating planetary disaster. Protests such as Saturday's in London must be developed into a mass movement to force political change, argues Feyzi Ismail

Austerity has failed but it continues to wreak havoc for millions of people. Shabbir Lakha reports from the launch of a new campaign to end austerity

There's just 12 years left to keep our environmental inhabitable. Campaigning from below is crucial; we can't depend on the climate dealmakers, writes Nathan Street

Opposing the far right, people's vote, police racism, precarious workers, climate chaos, universal credit and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

Elaine Graham-Leigh and Tom Lock Griffiths discuss the Marxist perspective on ecology and the fight against climate change in the third episode of Counterfire Media's Podcast

As the IPCC report stresses the urgent action needed to tackle climate change, we must challenge the narrative that an ecologically sound economy would be bad for workers

From the Benalla affair to the Hulot resignation and plunging poll ratings, there's no end in sight for the troubles of the French President, writes Susan Ram

Newly released data shows that councils in the UK are investing billions in fracking, we need to keep pushing for divestment commitments

The heatwave seems to be over, but with floods in Kerala to wildfires in California making history, capitalism still can’t fix climate change, writes Elaine Graham-Leigh

Capitalism will destroy humanity. Only working class mass mobilisation and struggle can stop this, argues John Westmoreland

The fight against rapacious developers is at the heart of a new account of life on London’s canals, says John Rees

Is there really the great divide? John Rees examines the changing landscape of the countryside

He reps for poisonous pipelines whilst claiming climate piety; Trudeau’s slick cynicism springs protest from London to British Colombia, reports John Clarke

Ian Angus’ essays range across many issues at the intersection of politics and environmental science, illuminating the meaning of ecosocialism, finds Kevin Crane

Ahead of the Together Against Trump: Stop the State Visit Demonstration on Tuesday 4^th June, Nathan Street interviews Elijah Mckenzie-Jackson