A new peer reviewed article published in the scientific journal Environmental Research Letters found that approximately 1200 people in Europe will die as a result of the corporation producing cars en masse which violate the existing environmental regulation within capitalism:

corresponding to 13 000 life-years lost and 1.9 billion EUR in costs associated with life-years lost […] we estimate that if on-road emissions for all affected VW vehicles in Germany are reduced to the applicable European emission standard by the end of 2017, this would avert 29 000 life-years lost and 4.1 billion 2015 EUR in health costs

The study indicates that in fact there could be up to 2800 deaths, but 1200 is the most likely estimate.

If a paramilitary group in the North of Ireland killed 10 people it would be in the news for a week. Most people would not even think of the complex political and social situation which leads to such events occurring. But if a capitalist business kills thousands, it is left for a footnote. It’s “indirect”, supposedly, so who cares? Besides, people see capitalism as the inevitable truth which is the direct result of natural laws, and not a specific system, as Marx explained.

We say the truth: Volkswagen Kills 1200. Capitalism kills 1200.

This event shows that no matter what tiny regulations are applied in capitalist law in order to slightly slow mass deaths, corporations will go and violate these regulations – and hardly be treated with more than a slap on the wrist, if that. Only constant pressure from a politically concious working class has the potential to make things better.

As a matter of fact, information is increasingly published which suggests that the German government knew about the actions of Volkswagen, and colluded with them.

Would an international planned economy democratically run by the working class based on rational principles and assigning resources according to human needs, where there is no profit incentive, even make it conceivable for this to occur? No. Such a situation is impossible.

Think of the truth, Volkswagen must have known the reasons for these regulations, must have known about the dangerous effects on humans of violating the law, and therefore must have known that this would occur, thus essentially amounting to murder. But it wanted to add a little more money to its already billions of profits. So it killed 1200.

Sit tibi terra levis