System Change is an open and heterogenous socio-political group. As part of a global movement, we are fighting for climate justice and a good life for all within the planetary boundaries – and to this end, we are striving for radical systemic change in the form of a socio-ecological transformation.
*Note: Terms in italics are explained in the boxes below
System change means overcoming capitalism
Through our work, we advocate for systemic change, the necessity of which is constantly shown to us by the multiple crises we face. Of these, the climate crisis is the most pressing problem of our time. Our criticism and proposed solutions address the root cause of these multiple crises: the capitalist economic and social order! We must overcome capitalism and the underlying compulsion for growth and competitive pressure.
We reject the solution strategies put forward by the political and economic mainstream – such as the ‘green economy’ and market-based climate protection mechanisms (such as CDM, REDD+ or emissions trading) – as ineffective and harmful pseudo-solutions, as they remain trapped within the capitalist system’s compulsion for growth and logic of competition, and even make environmental destruction profitable.
We want a transition to a peaceful, socio-ecological, solidarity-based and just society that enables a good life for everyone! We therefore view socio-ecological transformation as a socio-political project. Even though there can be no absolute roadmap for this, we need a civil society that paints an attractive picture of an emancipatory society through concrete and creative approaches.
Our actions are aimed, in the long term, at achieving comprehensive systemic change. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, we also fight for small changes within the system, but reject measures that merely treat the symptoms or are purely cosmetic.
The imperial way of life is fundamentally at odds with such a systemic transformation. It is based on the boundless exploitation and appropriation of natural resources and labour, and entails a life of material abundance for the few, rather than enabling a good life for everyone.
We are currently witnessing the rise of authoritarian right-wing populist and far-right movements that promote an ideology of inequality and exclusion, and of racist and nationalist isolationism. They ignore or deny the climate catastrophe and seek to preserve the existing imperial way of life. To overcome such conservative and reactionary forces, a broad alliance and the building of progressive movements are necessary.
Multiple crisis The term ‘multiple crisis’ is used by various academics drawing on Marxist crisis theory. These include the economic and financial crisis, the socio-ecological crisis, the energy and food crisis, global social divisions, forced migration and open violence, the crisis of gender relations and hegemonic masculinity, as well as the crisis of social integration and political institutions. The common basis of these crisis dynamics lies in the capitalist economic and social order, which has been co-opted by neoliberalism over the last 30 years.
Ausklappen +Socio-ecological transformation There is no single, universally accepted definition of the term. There is agreement, however, that the current and future challenges facing a ‘sustainable’ society lie in finding solutions to environmental problems such as the climate crisis, the over-exploitation of resources, the loss of biodiversity, etc., and that this is only possible through comprehensive and radical social change. Environmental and social issues cannot be separated in this context; for example, when it comes to the distribution of wealth, income, power, land, resources, etc. A critical concept of transformation should identify the capitalist mode of production as the central root cause of current problems.
Ausklappen +Imperial way of life The concept of the imperial way of life describes the societal entrenchment of capitalist patterns of production and consumption, as well as societal relations with nature. For a section of the world’s population – particularly in the Global North – this translates into a life of comparatively high material prosperity. However, maintaining this way of life is only possible through the unsustainable exploitation of resources and labour, as well as the externalisation of negative consequences onto countries in the Global South, future generations and disadvantaged sections of the population. This is reflected not only in the over-use of carbon sinks – which in turn manifests itself, amongst other things, in climate catastrophe – but also in the exacerbation of social injustices.
Ausklappen +System Change as a part of a movement
We see ourselves as part of the global climate justice movement. Since its inception, the defining feature of this movement has been the quest to overcome the capitalist relationship with nature, which has already led to the exceeding of numerous ecological limits. Capitalism is fundamentally based on the use of fossil fuels. It is precisely these fossil fuels that are fuelling the climate crisis.
We are an open socio-political group which, through our political work, highlights the need for a comprehensive critique of the system and the demands for systemic change. Our focus is on the climate crisis in order to demonstrate the necessity of systemic change. Building on this, we address related and equally important issues for an emancipatory Left that stand in the way of a climate-just society and a good life for all: racism, sexism, patriarchy, nationalism, national borders, etc.
Climate Justice Movement The Climate Justice Movement is the international environmental justice movement’s response to the climate crisis. It views the crisis as a complex issue of social justice, rather than merely an environmental problem. Whilst mainstream politics and business, as well as large sections of the environmental movement, view climate change as the result of inadequately regulated industries or even market failure, the climate justice movement regards it as a product of social power relations and a capitalist economic system obsessed with growth as an end in itself. Racism, sexism and class discrimination are inextricably linked to the climate crisis. Climate change hits hardest those who have contributed least to it. That is why the struggle for climate justice must also be understood as a struggle against patriarchy, racism, nationalism, militarism and the exploitation of animals.
Ausklappen +Capitalist Relations with Nature The concept of society’s relations with nature has its origins in Marx’s theory and was further developed within the framework of Critical Theory. It forms part of the field of research known as political ecology. Its central tenet is that society and nature cannot be considered in isolation from one another. Social development is always dependent on the metabolism (appropriation, use and transformation) of nature. Conversely, nature cannot be understood without reference to the historically specific social relations that are inscribed in nature through its use and appropriation.
Ausklappen +One goal, one struggle – many forms of resistance
The capitalist drive for exploitation acts as a form of structural violence, preventing a good life for everyone by fostering processes of confinement and exclusion. At the same time, this goes hand in hand with the boundless squandering of resources and the destruction of the foundations of our existence – not to satisfy needs, but solely for the accumulation of capital.
We counter this violence with creative forms of resistance, including the use of our bodies (e.g. passive resistance, civil disobedience). In our actions, we do not endanger people or other living beings. We ensure that our actions are strategically effective, strengthen the movement and are open to collaboration – they do not reproduce discriminatory conditions nor are they an end in themselves, but rather pursue the goals of climate justice and systemic change.
As we see ourselves, in this sense, as a community committed to a good life for everyone, we stand in solidarity with people affected by repression. This applies, for example, to groups and individuals who face fines or custodial sentences as a result of their political work for climate justice and systemic change and/or against racism. This solidarity applies worldwide.
We do not cooperate with groups that call for violence against people or for violence as an end in itself. However, we recognise that certain circumstances may require other forms of resistance. We refuse to condemn a group solely on the basis of negative media coverage; instead, we endeavour to do justice to even complex situations through our analysis, assessment and communication.
Awareness of power and the state
We recognise that certain forms of hierarchy also exist within our group, but we aim to avoid and reduce them wherever possible. We act in a spirit of solidarity with one another, ensuring that we treat each other with respect and maintain honest, constructive and adequate communication. Through these measures, we achieve, amongst other things, a reduction in power structures (e.g. knowledge hierarchies) within our group.
A critical examination of the state is indispensable in the discourse on radical transformation.
We take an extremely critical view of the state, but are aware of our ambivalent strategy: the state is a cornerstone of capitalism; its central purpose is, amongst other things, to safeguard existing social relations and to uphold the capitalist economic and social order. The establishment of capitalism was an extremely violent imposition by the state. A fundamental shift away from existing social conditions therefore comes up against systemic limits.
That is why, in certain cases, we are compelled to make use of state structures in order to achieve short- to medium-term goals (a socially just energy transition, environmentally friendly and affordable mobility, and compliance with binding regulations, enforceable by sanctions, to limit global warming to 2 degrees). We are aware that a comprehensive transformation cannot be driven by the state and is not possible through the state alone. A certain ambivalence therefore stems from the fact that short- to medium-term demands and direct appeals to the state and the government serve only as partial solutions and interim targets, but are difficult to avoid given the urgency of the climate crisis.