carbon to drop by more than 60%, creating even more disincentives for industries to lower emissions at source.
Market analyst Franck Schuttellar estimated that in the scheme's first year, the UK's most polluting industries earned collectively £940m in windfall profits from generous ETS allocations.
The reality is that capitalists will only cut greenhouse gas emissions if it is profitable for them to do so, and if there is a choice between cutting emissions or raising profits they will choose profits every time. And that is simply unacceptable.
Indeed, relying on the market to resolve the environmental crisis is nothing less than collective suicide. It is based on a deep cynicism, a belief that the only motivating force for developing renewable technologies and a sustainable economy is the profit motive, in other words individual greed.
It should be obvious that the drive for unlimited growth and individual enrichment that lies at the heart of capitalism is the primary cause of the environmental crisis and not its solution.
Furthermore, sewing illusions in the potential of international treaties and the capitalist market to resolve the environmental crisis demobilizes the movement. Our activities are restricted to lobbying politicians, trying to reduce our individual carbon footprints, and ultimately praying for an international treaty.
So what strategy should we be pursuing instead? First and foremost we need to build up a powerful and militant mass movement that directs its fire at our own governStormy weather ahead: current policies and the system that drives them are unsustainable and harmful production, especially in the arms, automobile, fossil fuel, aerospace and advertising industries.
We also need to break the imperialist war alliance and replace it with an international alliance of working people, an alliance that rejects war, rivalry and competition between nations.
The war on terror, which is in large part a scramble for oil, is both devastating to the environment and an obscene waste of resources.
And instead of relying on the market transfer resources to the underdeveloped countries, we should demand that our government cancels all third world debt and provides massive strings-attached direct aid (both technical and financial) in order to help develop renewable energy sources in those countries.
The funding for such aid could easily be raised by redirecting 'defense' expenditure and by imposing a Tobin tax on international finance capital a tax on every currency transaction).
We should also demand the suppression of intellectual property rights', so that new sustainable technologies are available for all instead of being monopolized by individual profit-hungry corporations.
The first priority of every capitalist government, Tony Blair's included, is to maintain the competitiveness (i.e. the profitability) of the capitalist corporations within its own economy. Anything else, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions, will always take second place.
Contraction and Convergence, by basing itself on a market mechanism, implicitly accepts this imperative. But there is a fundamental incompatibility between profitability and sustainability.
If we must choose between capitalism and survival, we should choose survival. And in making that choice we must be prepared to fight as hard for the survival of our species as the capitalists do for the survival of their profits. Chris Jones Greater Manchester Campaign against Climate Change is organising a demonstration in Manchester on June 30 calling for the government to set urgent and high carbon emission targets
The demonstration is part of the national day of action called by the Campaign against Climate Change linked to the publication of the government's climate change bill.
Over the next three months the campaign will be organising regular street activities on the theme of transport focusing in particular on the threat from the ever expanding Manchester Airport and air travel in general, and the need to develop sustainable public transport.
Already a stall and petitioning activity at one of the main weekend youth gathering points in the city has received a lot of interest from youth.
Making the demonstration into a youth accessible carnival could enable the campaign in Manchester to make big organisational strides.
While the day itself is very important, the main objective is to develop the organisational base of the campaign by developing local groups.
These will take the debate