Can Capitalism Survive Climate Change/ Can Life Survive Capitalism?

Capitalism, as the governing economic, political and ideological system of our time, structures how we consume resources, how we share or take scarce resources, what we think of as fair and even how we imagine what a meaningful life looks like. In the face of impending climate crisis, the dominant question of our time is: can this economic system curtail climate change or is there something inherently at odds, as some argue, between solving climate change and the way that capitalism frames the world?

In this short talk Simon Walker, PhD Candidate at the University of New Mexico and member of UNM’s Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight (LEAF), will outline the main arguments for and against capitalism’s ability to face climate change and the main hurdles that it presents us to overcome.

This talk will not be polemic and will certainly not be politically partisan, as our current political choices do not reflect the question at the heart of this talk. Instead, it is meant to help us reflect on the big picture issues that our life will take place within.

Simon Walker, PhD Candidate
University of New Mexico

Simon is a PhD candidate at UNM in the philosophy department, where he works on questions of how we conceptualize violence and power in the climate crisis. Alongside this, he attempts to be as engaged as much as possible in local activism and helps run the divest from fossil fuel campaign at the University of New Mexico as part of student led environmental group, UNM Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight (LEAF). He looks after a veggie garden and believes that finding new ways to celebrate life is essential to building resilient communities.

Indi Blake, Moderator

Indi Blake is a Silver City local who is passionate about conserving New Mexico’s natural beauty and resources. He studied Biology and Earth Science at New Mexico Tech and has since been involved with projects around the world ranging from English classes in Malawi for people seeking jobs in the tourism industry, to local watershed stewardship with the Silver City Watershed Keepers.