The label “climate crisis” is not adequate to describe the dramatic
changes that the planet and its inhabitants are undergoing. It is
about something much more comprehensive. The climate justice movement recognized this early on: the cause lies in an economic system that is undermining its own foundations.

The system: turning money into more money

No one represents capitalism as well as Donald Trump. And never before
has climate action been so justified.

Commentary by Bettina Dyttrich

[This article posted on 4/10/2025 is translated from the German on the
Internet, https://www.woz.ch/2515/das-system/aus-geld-mehr-geld/!C0J1K1CWC3JH.]

In the wealthy Upper Engadine region, the risk of dying from heat will
remain negligible in the coming decades. This was shown by a climate
map from the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape
Research (WSL), which presented the results of its extreme weather
research last week.

The “Extremes” research program did not make it into the media—the
climate is not getting much attention at the moment. Although it is
dry in Europe, boats are lying on sand at Lake Constance, and only a
fifth of the usual rainfall fell in Germany in March. Poland, Belarus,
and parts of Ukraine are on the brink of drought.

Globally, it is on average 1.3 degrees warmer than at the end of the
19th century, and in Switzerland it is already 2.9 degrees warmer. In
the summer of 2023, there were 542 heat-related deaths in Switzerland;
the excess mortality in the hottest weeks clearly shows the effect.
These are some disturbing facts from one of the most privileged
regions in the world – which as a whole benefits from global
inequality, but internally also has a few class issues to contend
with. See the Upper Engadine.

The label “climate crisis” is not adequate to describe the dramatic
changes that the planet and its inhabitants are undergoing. It is
about something much more comprehensive. The climate justice movement
recognized this early on: the cause lies in an economic system that is
undermining its own foundations. But it was already clear at the first
major climate demonstrations over six years ago that the general
population would not follow this analysis – even if many people
intuitively feel that it is correct. Too many media outlets and
politicians conjure up the specter of extremism whenever someone
expresses criticism of capitalism.

How can we escape this irrational economic system? Leftists who do not
believe that “overthrow” is a simple solution have been racking their
brains over this question for decades. Capitalism needs growth to
function; a transition to an economy without growth would be
accompanied by severe turbulence.

However, capitalists themselves are causing the turmoil today. Even if
Donald Trump’s economic policy horrifies economists, the man embodies
the central capitalist principle that Karl Marx recognized: making
more money from money. The whole world is a raw materials warehouse,
and other people are only relevant as partners for “deals.” All of
this is as banal as it is destructive – and yet attractive to many who
have been badly served by capitalism but have internalized its
principles. With Trumpian crudeness, this economic system is rapidly
tearing itself apart, which is why it has been held in check until now
by laws, agreements, and the welfare state. Perhaps it is more than a
historical coincidence that its principles are now laid bare.

What is happening now confirms many left-wing analyses, such as the
criticism of “green capitalism.” Capital flows where it expects
profit, and “green” is currently out of fashion. This is reflected
even in Swiss institutions that used to claim to operate differently:
Migros recently announced that sustainability is no longer a priority
for it.

It is easy for critics of capitalism to become arrogant and passive:
politics is “reformist” anyway, so I’m not getting involved. But the
opposite is true: we need to stick to radical analyses and get
involved everywhere, in federal politics as well as in NGOs and
movements. Defending the achievements of environmental policy, such as
the right of associations to appeal or genetic engineering legislation
(which Federal Councilor Albert Rösti is currently trying to
dismantle), living a life of solidarity that eschews the logic of
exploitation as much as possible (see “Ein Leben ohne Tauschen” [A
Life Without Bartering]). Or making it clear at the climate strike on
April 11 that the Federal Council and Parliament do not represent a
large part of the population on environmental issues.