This year began with devastating wildfires across greater Los Angeles in California. These infernos have been prominently covered in the media, showcasing luxurious homes consumed by flames and communities being evacuated. Western media has amplified these events with emotional narratives and presented the fires as unparalleled tragedies.
Why do similar catastrophes in the Global South fail to garner such attention? The images of LA’s wildfires strikingly resemble the harrowing visuals of genocides and brutal bombings in Gaza by the Zionist regime. On social media, many have juxtaposed these images side by side.
Palestine has witnessed one of the deadliest genocides in modern history, marked by the mass killing of innocents, the complete obliteration of neighbourhoods, and grave violations of human rights since October 2023. Yet, the mass media response in the West to these atrocities has been at best limited to perfunctory, supposedly impartial reports.
These selective empathies and double standards are evident in the coverage of the LA fires, when compared with the suffering in poorer nations and the overshadowing of the struggles of working-class residents in fire-affected areas who also lost their homes.
This clearly shows how media valuations are intricately tied to the political and economic interests of dominant powers and racially prejudiced upper classes.For more than a year, they have failed to amplify the urgent calls for justice for Palestinians. Yet, mass media headlines about California meticulously detail which American celebrities lost their homes and the estimated monetary value of their properties.
Divine wrath, conspiracy, or bitter reality?
The glaring double standard of mass media coverage, unfortunately, finds its equivalent among some disenchanted social media users frustrated by the lack of meaningful action or accountability regarding the genocide in Gaza. Many among them attribute the California wildfires to “divine wrath” or karmic retribution against Americans, whose government plays a central role in enabling Israel’s genocidal actions.
The reality is that these wildfires are part of a larger climate crisis. Climate change — fuelled by rampant resource consumption, excessive greenhouse gas emissions and ecological destruction — is a direct outcome of the global capitalist system. This crisis affects not just the United States, but the entire world, especially poorer nations that bear the brunt of the world capitalist expansion.
The LA wildfires have also ignited a blaze of mind-blowing conspiracy theories and political blame. High-profile figures have spread unfounded claims, from attributing the fires to UFOs or arsonists, to the likes of Elon Musk and Donald Trumpblaming “diversity, equity and inclusion” initiatives within the LA Fire Department for hindering response effectiveness. These narratives, amplified by sensationalist media coverage, distract from the real systemic issue: decades of inaction and neglect in addressing climate change and its impacts.
Just as misinformation and denial obscure the systemic oppression and environmental destruction in Palestinian territories, so too do the narratives surrounding the wildfires deflect from the urgent need to address the root causes of climate disasters. Both crises underscore the dangers of prioritising short-term political and economic interests over long-term systemic change.
Faith, catastrophe and power
Alongside conspiracy theories, we also encounter the ever-present Messianic interpretations of events, framing them as signs of the apocalypse foretold. These interpretations often revel in portraying catastrophic events — whether genocidal crimes like the Zionist oppression of Palestinians or devastating wildfires (especiallyif they happen in the “godless liberal California”) and floods — as harbingers of the imminent return of their awaited Messiah.
Influential groups — particularly within powerful nations such as the US — believe it is their divine duty to hasten these crises. Such ideologies, while held by a minority, wield outsized influence. They shape policies and decisions that exacerbate global crises. In this dangerous climate, these fringe yet powerful voices are becoming louder and more impactful.
These messianic and apocalyptic narratives are often driven by powerful religious institutions aligned with capitalist elites and perpetuating ideas that distract the public from systemic issues. By promoting fatalistic or end-times interpretations, they fan the flames of division and despair; they create a fertile ground for the war-hungry and resource-hungry machinery of capitalism to thrive.
Capitalism and the roots of current crises
Since the Industrial Revolution, modern capitalism has been synonymous with wealth accumulation for a select few, while imposing enormous human and environmental costs on the majority. In the so-called post-colonial era, many poorer countries that gained independence after centuries of colonial plunder were quickly pulled back into the orbit of core capitalist powerhouses. Through policies enforced by institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization, these nations have been pressured to exploit their natural resources or open their domestic markets to foreign goods. The result has been a cycle of deepening global inequality, widespread poverty and environmental degradation.
Apart from centuries of force and mass violence used to subjugate nations, capitalism is intrinsically tied to environmental destruction, militarism and war.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, capitalism was expected to establish a unified global order. However, newcapitalist power blocs, such as China and Russia, have emerged to challenge the dominance of Western capitalism. These rivalries have sparked regional wars and increased the risk of nuclear conflicts.From great power rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa over natural resources and geopolitical advantages to skyrocketing military budgets, capitalism(s) thrive(s) on conflicts. The expansion of NATO and the consequent Ukraine war, as well as unconditional military support for Israel’s genocide in Palestine, are all manifestations of capitalism’s reliance on militarism for survival.
Capitalism’s Titanic
Today, Earth resembles the Titanic — not just because it has collided with the iceberg of its planetary boundaries, but because it remains burdened by the flawed and insidious system of global capitalism that drives it toward a much deeper disaster.
The countries of the Global South — those long exploited by colonialism, resource plundering, and neoliberal policies — are akin to the lower decks. They bear the heaviest burdens of global crises: rising sea levels, devastating floods, extreme heat and resource shortages. These communities are on the frontlines of environmental and economic crisesbecause of a capitalist system that sacrifices their lives for the profit of a global minority.Just as the weight of the lower decks ultimately sank the Titanic, the crises engulfing the Global South will not remain confined to their borders.
The wealthy countries of the Global North and their counterparts in the Global South, perched atop vast capital accumulation and resource exploitation, seem secure. But are they? Yes, they boast advanced technology, robust infrastructure, and unlimited financial access. Yet, the weight of the sinking Global South, through massive migrations, political instability, resource-driven wars and global environmental crises, will ultimately drag these affluent nations into catastrophe.
The recent LA wildfires have starkly demonstrated that wealth does not confer immunity to natural disasters. Affluent neighbourhoods, including celebrity enclaves like Pacific Palisades and Malibu, have suffered significant losses, with the overall damages set to costa record $135bn.
The Global North cannot escape the consequences of the destruction of ecosystems includingin the Global South because these crises know no boundaries. Millions of environmental refugees and individuals displaced by wars rooted in ecological collapse are poised to define the coming decades.
Capitalism and collapse
To confront these intertwined challenges, it is essential to focus on the politics and actions that address the underlying inequities and environmental degradation driving these catastrophes.
The capitalist system, founded on greed, profit maximisation, and relentless competition for wealth accumulation, operates as a global and systemic transgression against humanity and the planet. It exploits natural resources, devalues human life and rationalises destruction — be it wars to sell weapons, deforestation for cheap consumer goods, or air pollution to sustain oil company profits.
As billions of dollars are funnelled annually into perpetuating war and violence, critical infrastructure decays under chronic neglect. The devastating LA wildfires starkly expose the consequences of decades of austerity and privatisation. These neoliberal policies have prioritised corporate interests over public safety, leaving outdated emergency systems and vulnerable communities ill-equipped to face climate-driven disasters.
Now, with “Trump’s corporate coup d'état” and Elon Musk set to lead his so-called “Department of Government Efficiency,” the outlook in the US appears even bleaker. Musk’s focus on profit-driven policies and deregulation threatens to deepen systemic failures.
Genocide and ecocide are two sides of the same coin; a coin called the global capitalist hegemony, which infiltrates many minds and bodies in every nation, while concealing and eroding the possibility of alternatives.
The solution requires a fundamental re-evaluation of human, economic, and ecological values. Instead of greed and profit, we must build a system based on collective well-being, justice, and respect for nature. Whatever this system may be, it will no longer be capitalism.
Rather than settling for minor reforms or damage control, we must move toward a human-centered and ecologically balanced order that prioritises collective well-living and (more-than-human) flourishing over profit. This transformation is not only a moral obligation but a historical necessity.
[S A Hamed Hosseini (PhD) is a senior sociologist at the University of Newcastle, Australia, the editor in chief of Common Alternatives, the author of Capital Redefined: A Commonist Value Theory for Liberating Life (2024, with Barry K Gills) and The Well-living Paradigm: Reimagining Quality of Life in our Turbulent World (2023).]