Throughout his life, and particularly towards the end, Ka Jose Maria Sison wrote a lot about environmental and climate issues. Through his organizations and on a personal capacity, he wrote to provide valuable insights and guidance for activists and revolutionaries in the Philippines and beyond regarding emerging ecological issues.
As an environmental activist and a member of Liga ng Agham para sa Bayan (LAB-NDFP), I first encountered Ka Joma’s writings and interviews on climate and environment through a compilation released by the International League of Peoples’ Struggle—where he was chairperson emeritus—entitled On Climate Imperialism. Earlier this year, Sison Reader Series 25 On Ecology and the Environment was released, which contained more articles and creative works by Ka Joma, dating back to as early as 1983. On a personal level, many of Ka Joma’s writings helped develop my understanding of ecological issues as they are (inextricably!) linked to imperialism.
Comrades and budding environmental advocates have asked me, “where can I start reading up on climate change?” A good start would be Ka Joma’s works. Here are my five must-read articles by Ka Joma on climate and environment.
- “Need for a Socialist Future for Genuine Sustainability” (2012). In this article, Ka Joma historicizes and critiques the popular concept of “sustainable development”. Ka Joma argues that “sustainable development”, as the concept is deployed by imperialists, covers up the fact that imperialist countries are the ones responsible for much of the world’s environmental degradation. In addition, the use of the concept by imperialist powers has fueled arguments against the development of neocolonial countries seeking to break away from imperialism.
- “On Oplan Bayanihan and the Prospects for Environmental Justice” (2013). Here, Ka Joma links the environmental crisis to the semicolonial, semifeudal character of the Philippines. He directly points to the responsibility and accountability of foreign multinationals and the comprador burgeoisie for the ecological devastation in the country. Accordingly, he emphasizes the role of the US-backed Oplan Bayanihan (the “counterinsurgency” program of the reactionary Aquino government) in facilitating environmentally-destructive projects in the country as this military Oplan worked to secure areas for projects such as large-scale mining, logging, power plants, and plantations.
- “Burning Questions about Climate Change, Capitalism, and Revolution” (2015). In this interview by Quincy Saul, Ka Joma gave his insights into other revolutionary movements around the world and their attempts to address ecological and climate issues. This is a must-read for those looking into how other revolutionary and progressive movements are tackling climate change.
- “Paris Talks are Predetermined by Monopoly Capitalism to Aggravate Climate and Social Injustice and Crises” (2015). Written around the time of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP) in Paris in 2015, Ka Joma correctly points out how imperialist powers continue to dominate the UN process. Nearly a decade after the Paris Agreement, we can see how Ka Joma’s insights remain valuable in the face of continued rampant carbon emissions by imperialist countries.
- “System Change, Not Climate Change” (2021). Taken from the Climate Crisis Special Education of the ND Online School of Anakbayan-Europa, this work provides a comprehensive summary of the climate and environmental crisis under imperialism. Here, Ka Joma tackled several pertinent questions regarding climate finance, pollution, UN processes and agreements, among many other topics.
In all his works, Ka Joma never failed to link climate and environmental crises to the root cause—imperialism. More than just describing the state of the world, he also left us with concrete suggestions on how to address climate and environmental injustice to activists and revolutionaries in the Philippines and across the globe.
Ka Joma indeed lives through his writings and through the revolutionary movement he continues to influence. As we confront climate change, ecological collapse, and other pressing issues of our time, Ka Joma’s works remain a vital contribution to the struggle against the unsustainable imperialist world order. (article and artwork by Bernadette Rojo)