CONFRONTING THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY: A CALL FOR CRITICAL SOCIAL MOVEMENT

Increasingly there is a shift away from the Anthropocene (Age of Human) to the Capitalocene (Age of Capital) in the explanation of the climate crisis that the world currently grapples with. For too long, there has been an argument that inaccurately places man at the centre of the climate events that have devastated the ecosystems and posed untold hardships to lives and livelihoods. The shift foregrounds the culpability of economic interests and capital in the climate crisis fuelled by expansive extractions and emissions of harmful gases. The mainstream radical responses from social science scholars have focused on the exigency of the overthrow of capitalism, which thrives on the exploitation of labour and nature. It will however be more practical to seek solutions in reforms because of how entrenched capitalism has become and how it is being steadily reinforced by the institutions of the society. The paper posits three key reforms that social scientists may pursue to lessen the impacts of capital on the climate: conforming democracy, consensus building, and formation of lobby front.