Why has this November been SO hot?

As we approach the end of what is on track to be the hottest year ever recorded (a record that, without fail, continues to be broken with each successive year), this question seems to have crossed most peoples’ minds at some point or another over the last few months. For the last several years now, one could replace ‘November’ in that question with any month and be correct that it was the hottest one in memory. In an effort to maintain perpetually increasing profits and the stranglehold of imperialism, humanity and the planet are put on the chopping block, and kept there at all times. 

The warmest 10 years of global temperatures in recorded history all occurred within the last decade (see figure below).  

This figure from NOAA shows the deviation from 20th century global average temperatures for the 10 warmest years on record, which also happen to be the last 10 years. 2024 data is denoted by the black line.

The intensifying climate phenomena we are experiencing (back to back hurricanes ravaging the Southeast, nearly all US states facing drought for the first time on record, rare wildfires in the Northeast caused by said droughts, and more) are an inevitable outcome of capitalism’s disregard for sustainability, in any sense of the word. 

Overconsumption and Resource Exploitation

An example of how capitalism ravages our planet is the promotion of endless and mindless consumption. After all, humans are only valued in the eyes of the capitalist class in terms of our ability to consume or produce surplus-value. The waste generated by all of the goods that people purchase and throw into that ambiguous ‘away’ (aka landfills, often in the global south) is tremendous, especially in terms of food and fashion. This consumption of goods relies on the consumption of resources that went into creating the goods in the first place.

Hadas Thier elaborated on this point extensively in her piece, “A People’s Guide to Capitalism: An Introduction to Marxist Economics.”

The explosion of goods in modern society is not only the result of a growing number of commodities in any given market but is also a consequence of the number of things which are now considered marketable. The types of things that are now for sale continue to increase as capitalism commodifies a greater and greater share of our lives. This has happened through the privatization of things like health care and education, which used to be outside the laws of the capitalist market. It has also happened by attaching a price tag to things that previously had none. Rather than finding collective solutions to social problems, all issues are subjugated to the machinations of the market.

Products marketed as ‘environmentally-friendly’, such as electric vehicles, rely on such levels of labor and resource exploitation that cancel out any positive impacts the product may have environmentally. As a growing number of people (though, still far from enough) begin to have concerns with the source of the products they consume, corporations have turned to greenwashing in order to trick people into thinking that their products, and the way they are made, are ‘safe’ for the planet. Recycled packaging, carbon offsets, and other greenwashing techniques are ultimately just a Band-Aid fix (and often, a complete grift) adopted by corporations to give people the illusion that caring about the environment can coexist with capitalism. These corporations have successfully turned would-be contributions to sustainability into commodities—instead of organizing to fight for a more sustainable world, you can simply buy a Tesla. These actions do absolutely nothing to address the more fundamental issue at hand, which is that far too many products are made in unsustainable ways and consumed in far too great quantities. 

Imperialism 

The interests of capitalism are also inherently aligned with and dependent upon the interests of imperialism, military activity, and their environmental consequences cannot be overstated. Globally, militaries account for about 5.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions—though the real figure may be considerably higher due to the fact that there are no international reporting requirements for military emissions. The US military alone makes up a majority of that amount since it makes up at least 75% of all global military forces.

Historically, the US military abroad has had other harmful and lasting environmental impacts, such as worsening air, water quality, the health of people living in areas surrounding military bases, whether that be due to the use of “forever chemicals,” burning toxic waste in burn pits, or through nuclear testing. By purchasing Emission Reduction Credits (ERCs), the capitalist ruling class and the state can pollute past regulatory standards and effectively pay off inspectors to avoid the consequences of their actions.

The exploitative nature of mining for cobalt in the Congo for the creation of electric vehicles has contaminated local drinking water and agricultural systems, causing health issues and a lack of food and water (as well as a lack of healthcare) for people living in the region. It's also worth mentioning the endless destabilization and violence in the Congo that is designed to keep resources cheap, as well as the slavery and horrific abuse of miners, many of whom are children, that are so pervasive in the cobalt industry. One resident said, “We are the big losers from mining… These companies have come only to enrich themselves and to bring us death.” 

Additionally, the climate impact of Israel’s genocide of Palestine (and attacks on Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran) is massive. A study published earlier in 2024 estimated that the emissions from the first 120 days of the genocide (between 420,265 and 652,552 tons of CO2) were higher than the annual emissions of 26 individual countries. That tonnage rises to somewhere between 47,669,097 and 61,443,739 when taking pre-war and post-war construction activities into consideration. These numbers only account for the first 120 days of what has become a 400+ day genocide. The amount of bombings and other military activity has only increased since that 120-day mark. Given the amount of money, weapons, and personnel that the US has provided to Israel since October 7, 2023, it is clear to see how our imperialist activity contributes directly to climate change. 

Neoliberal Policy 

In recent weeks, it has become clear that under the incoming Trump presidency (and the recently announced incoming EPA Administrator and Energy Secretary), our planet will only continue to suffer at an accelerated rate. That isn’t to say, however, that the Democrats have a concerted interest in taking meaningful action on environmental issues either. In her run for President, Kamala Harris made almost no mention of climate change, and even doubled down on her stances on fracking. 

President Biden’s 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill (BIL, more formally known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) was hailed as a piece of legislation that would have massive positive impacts on climate and energy in the United States, aiming to “repair and rebuild” vital infrastructure, with a major focus on climate change mitigation and resilience. Unfortunately (and perhaps unsurprisingly) this has not turned out to be the case. According to an analysis by Transportation for America, 51% of the funding allocated by this law has been awarded to highway resurfacing and expansion projects (more lanes). Another 18% was given to projects working to maintain current infrastructure without any demonstrable greenhouse gas reductions. Altogether, this report extrapolates that “states’ federal formula-funded investments made over the course of the IIJA could cumulatively increase emissions by nearly 190 million metric tonnes of emissions over baseline levels through 2040 from added driving.” 

Climate solutions proposed by bourgeois politicians will never achieve the [intentionally vague, feel-good] goals they set out to achieve because maintaining the status quo will continue to benefit these politicians, elites, and corporations whose interests they serve. These solutions may even (as in the case of the BIL) end up making things worse.

In All…

… it is growing increasingly obvious that the state of the environment—which underlies every other aspect of our lives and the lives of every creature on the planet—will always be at odds with capitalism and all that it stands for. Continuing business as usual will only dig humanity into a deeper hole over time, with marginalized communities and the Global South bearing the brunt of the climate emergency, until its impacts are inevitably felt by everyone, everywhere. Only with the overthrow of capitalism can we stop the degradation of the environment, and by extension, the downfall of humanity.

Worth Noting: El Niño

It is worth noting that earlier this year, there was a strong “El Niño” event (source) through June of 2024. El Niño, which is more formally referred to within climate science as the “El Niño-Southern Oscillation” (or ENSO) is a cyclic climactic change that occurs in the southern Pacific. ENSO causes warmer sea surface temperatures in the southern Pacific and higher barometric pressures in the southwestern Pacific. These changes impact weather in the Southern Hemisphere and parts of North America. 

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, data appears to show that  the climate crisis is increasing both the frequency and strength of ENSO events. This means that the more intense climate-related phenomena this year may have been made even more intense due to the El Niño, and that such impacts may occur more frequently in the future due to the impacts of the climate crisis. What happens in coming, non-El Niño years will make clear exactly where we are at in terms of the climate crisis.