We defend the air, soil, and water of Nuestra Am\u00e9rica. The correct approach to the struggle against environmental degradation remains as the slogan of the Chicano Movement, \u201cThe Solution to Pollution is Revolution,\u201d embodied within the concept of \u201cBuen Vivir\u201d where our indigenous ancestors understood the importance of a balance between humans and our environment. Furthermore, environmental justice is a part of our struggle against colonialism, capitalism and imperialism.<\/p>\n
One of the consequences of European conquest, colonization, and imperialism is the transformation of the environment into a commodity to be exploited for increased returns. This has propelled the massive exploitation of our natural resources, and forms the historical basis of the current disequilibrium between humans and nature. Furthermore, neoliberalism is only capable of promoting the interests of transnational corporations, and these have proven capable of destroying the planet in their insatiable quest for profit. As with every crisis born from capitalism and imperialism, capitalists reap wealth in direct proportion to environmental degradation, and poor people suffer from increasingly frequent catastrophic loss.<\/p>\n
Only a continental revolutionary struggle can bring an end to the poisoning of the atmosphere, the depletion and privatization of potable water, the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), deforestation, contamination of the oceans, and the other causes of climate change. Only a socialist world economy can provide a socio-economic system where the accumulation of wealth is not the driving force of society, but instead prioritizes life with dignity and justice. Through the construction of a society that values all life, we must turn back the damage to the environment, and prevent the further destruction of our planet.<\/p>\n