Below I copied some of John Stepling’s post, that is titled ‘No Class’.

It is interestig that Stepling cites several authors in connection with climate change, capitalism and class. He cites for instance John Bellamy Foster who talks about

‘the growth of various movements in the fascist genre (whether prefascism, protofascism, classical fascism, postfascism, neofascism, neoliberal fascism, ur-fascism, peripheral fascism, white supremacism, or national populism …..’

Stepling says that ‘global warming is a fact that humanity will have to adjust to and learn to live with.’ And that the ‘so labeled *Climate Change* crisis has very little to do with protecting Nature.’

He also says: ‘The incursion of technology into nearly every waking moment of the daily life of the Westerner has conditioned a populace, one that doesn’t read, to see the acceleration of everything as natural. . . And capitalism is not compatible with the direction those changes and care must take. Risking the direction for needed change by allowing capital investments to chart the course is a very dangerous idea.’ 

“I think that most of the confusion in this respect has been the product of a failure to develop a class analysis of these changes. From a class perspective, it is clear that what we are seeing is the growth of various movements in the fascist genre (whether prefascism, protofascism, classical fascism, postfascism, neofascism, neoliberal fascism, ur-fascism, peripheral fascism, white supremacism, or national populism—you can take your pick). Fascist-type movements share certain definite class-based characteristics or tendencies. Although it is common in liberal discourse to approach such movements at the level of appearance, in terms of their ideological characteristics, such an idealist methodology only throws a veil over the underlying reality. — John Bellamy Foster, Interview, Monthly Review, September 2019″

The purveyors of free-market global capitalism believe that they have a right to plunder the remaining natural resources of this planet as they choose. Anyone who challenges their agenda is to be subjected to whatever misrepresentation and calumny that serves the free market corporate agenda. — Michael Parenti, Interview with Jason Miller, 2016

When environmentalism unfolds within a system of heightened inequality and inadequate democratization, it does so unequally and autocratically. The result is not a “saved” climate, but rather enhanced revenue streams for corporations. — Maximillian Forte, Climate Propaganda for Corporate Profit: Bell Canada

 

The following I copied from Stepling’s writing:

“John Bellamy Foster noted that it was a lack of class analysis that has stifled left discourse over the last twenty years. And I have noted that when one does engage in class analysis the first response, very often, is to be called a conspiracy theorist. Now, this is largely because any class dissection will tend to unearth connections that have been hidden, consciously, by Capital — that those hidden forces and histories are experienced by the liberal left and faux left as somehow impossible. Class analysis means that the non-marxist liberal left is going to be faced with the malevolence of the ruling class, and in the U.S. certainly, the ruling class tends to be adored, secretly or otherwise, by the bourgeoisie.”

“When the U.S.S.R. dissolved the West intensified its propaganda onslaught immediately. And a good part of this propaganda was focused on the denial of class. On the right, the FOX News right, “class warfare” became a term of derision and also humour. And among liberal and educated bourgeoisie the avoidance of class was the result of a focus on, and validations of, rights for marginalized groups — even if that meant inventing new groups on occasion. Class was conspicuously missing in most identity rights discourse.”

“And the climate discourse, which was suddenly visible in mainstream media early 2000s, there was almost never a mention of class. Hence the new appropriation of that discourse by open racist eugenicists like “Sir” David Attenborough, and billionaire investors and publishers. Even by royalty. By 2015 or so there was what Denis Rancourt called the institutionalisation of a climate ethos. I have even seen of late self-identified leftists suggesting the “Greta” phenomenon was the working class finding its voice. (No, I’m not making that up). I have also seen many leftists — many of whom I have known for years — simply hysterical around the subject of this teenager. Her greatest appeal is to middle aged white men. I have no real explanation for that. But then these same men quote, often, everyone from Guy McPherson (who I think needs a padded cell, frankly) to Bill McKibben — an apologist for militarism and wealth… here …. […]”

I have read Stepling’s post several times. I am not sure what his opinion is as far as capital investment goes. Does he think that capital investment should not chart the course of needed change? He also says capitalism is not compatible with the direction those changes and care must take’.

Another thing is that he  describes Bill McKibben as an ‘apologist for militarism and wealth’. Is it perhaps that he means that the class of right wing ‘capitalists’ cannot be trusted to do something for the majority of people about climate change that would help the ordinary people in some way?

And what about Guy McPherson? This is what Wikipedia says about him:

“Guy R. McPherson is an American scientist, professor emeritus^[2] of natural resources and ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona.^[3][4] He is known for the idea of Near-Term Human Extinction (NTHE), a term he coined^[4] about the likelihood of human extinction by 2030.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_McPherson

Here I copied something about Guy McPherson’s latest book:

https://auntyuta.com/2019/10/10/only-love-remains-dancing-at-the-edge-of-extinction/

Stepling does insist that ‘Class exists and is part of the hierarchical system of global capitalism.’