By Salman Zafar
Scientists have been warning against the catastrophic impact of burning fossil fuel for decades now. Summers are becoming more intense every passing year and, like much of the world, Canada is witnessing uncontrollable wildfires every season.
This was in plain sight for the world to see in August, when the town of Jasper, Alberta quite literally burned to the ground. One third of the town’s infrastructure was impacted, including the sewage plant and hospital. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith teared up while talking about the entire horror show. But no such tears were shed during her consistent support to increase the production of fossil fuels, the number one culprit for the climate disaster.
British Columbia has not witnessed destruction similar to that of Jasper, but that province has been home to some of the worsts wildfires in the country in recent memory.
In 2023, wildfires impacted over 18 million hectares of forest in Canada, with over 2 million hectares in BC alone. The province had a total number of 2,245 wildfires in 2023, a staggering 38-percent increase from 2022. BC will publish its complete wildfire summary for 2024 in the fall, but at the time of writing there are over 400 active ones with new ones starting daily. Based on the 2024 numbers so far, it appears wildfire season in BC has not been as bad as 2023, but that is hardly a cause for celebration. This can change quickly, and often does, since BC shows no sign of discarding fossil fuels.
One of the most common arguments used to support the fossil fuel industry, are the job it creates. But this argument ignores the subsequent destruction caused by environmental disasters. People are losing their homes, their livelihoods and even their lives; those who survive have lifelong impacts to their health.
Evidence of how seriously BC takes this was provided earlier this year.
In May 2024, Vancouver hosted the Canada Gas Exhibition and Conference, giving hundreds of LNG industry leaders the ability to network with policymakers. Corporations like FortisBC and Enbridge were heavily involved. The main goal of this conference was to discuss and promote the benefits of liquified natural gas (LNG), which is composed almost exclusively of methane.
Methane is over 80 times more harmful to the climate than CO2, and the use of fracking to extract it eventually dries out the already dwindling supply of fresh water from lakes and rivers. Over 90 percent of gas extracted in BC is done via fracking, directly exacerbating the climate catastrophe and wildfire disasters.
But while forests burn, big corporations and banks get soaring returns. The Royal Bank of Canada was the world’s biggest funder of fossil fuel development in 2022, investing $41 billion. This has the desired impacts to RBC’s coffers, as it ended 2023 with over $41 billion in profits.
Much like everything else under capitalism, these profits are made over the carcasses of nature, human lives and biodiversity.
What transpired at Jasper this season, and what has happened in BC historically, is the result of capitalism’s cannibalistic nature. From the forests of the Americas to Europe to Asia to Africa, there is not a place on earth that has not witnessed ecological disasters.
This cannot be stopped by reforming capitalism. The only solution to this is overthrowing the system altogether and building socialism, based on working-class power, comprehensive democracy and economic planning in the interests of people and planet.
Humanity has existed for thousands of years, and capitalism is a phenomenon only a few centuries old. A better world is always possible.
[Photo of wildfire destruction in Jasper, Alberta: Parks Canada]
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