Mbembe: The Universal Right to Breathe

Text Summary:

In the first section of “The Universal Right to Breathe,” Achille Mbembe argues how the COVID-19 virus has revealed that death is a possibility as he asserts that a pre-existing, secondary virus, the “widespread digitization of the world,” has caused people to lose the ability to die. Modernization has allowed the consequences of destroying the environment and earth to be postponed and delegated to other groups.   

Mbembe’s second section continues analyzing the effects of overreliance on technology and how it promotes the world’s deterioration. As humans lose their physical form, Mbembe describes a “day after,” which will not distinguish between species, race, sex, country, or religion. This “day after” which Mbembe describes is the day effects from people and corporations damaging the earth will appear. Mbembe also warns the audience as he expresses that these repercussions are not exclusive and anyone could be affected, regardless of their social or economic standing. The belief that people can evade death and the effects of their destruction through the internet is disputed in this section, as Mbembe shows there is no escape to this “day after.” This can be seen in China, as record high temperatures, humidity and heatwaves decrease work productivity; coastal towns suffer from floods with the sea level in 2021 rising 81mm (about 3.19 in)average from previous years and due to rising sea levels China has  “$1tn of economic losses in the country and, from 2008 to 2018, China lost 9m hectares of arable land per year” (Liu, et al). The people living in China and the environment are both experiencing the outcome of China’s large production of fossil fuels and carbon emissions.   

The essay's third section explains how the overproduction of technology affects the planet and the physical environment. Mbembe uses the example of computer chips and the global south as an example, as the manufacturing of the chips takes resources directly from the earth, destroying forests and land and causing pollution. This section of the essay describes how the production of digital technology has affected the world. In previous sections, Mbembe concentrates on how modernization will affect people and humanity, but in this section of the essay Mbembe applies his argument to the physical earth.   

In Mbembe’s fourth section, he uses Covid-19 as a metaphor to examine the effects of capitalism and mass production. The act of breathing becomes a symbol in this section as Mbembe describes breathing as the equal exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Mbembe asserts that everyone has an equal right to breathe through a balanced providing and receiving of resources, however, there is overconsumption of resources and exploitation of people. Mbembe then implements Covid-19 into the argument as Covid is the virus that prevents people from properly breathing, just as the virus of digitization prevents the equal exchange of resources and services.  

The last section of the essay restates Mbembe’s argument, which is the loss of life to technological advancement, and concludes the essay by providing the one viable solution of what Mbembe refers to as “voluntary cessation.” Mbembe emphasizes the mutual consent for this interruption as the everyone must have the realization that humans, animals, and the biosphere are all equally necessary. The conclusion becomes a warning in the last paragraph as Mbembe explains that without this recognition of life, no one will be able to breathe.   

Real World Examples/Applications: 

Section 1:

   The message of the first section in Mbembe’s analysis is the inability to live together. Mbembe emphasizes this inability using the example of COVID-19 and how the media affected humanity. During the pandemic, there seemed to be an increase in racism and discrimination. In the United States alone, President Trump and public officials referred to COVID-19 as the “Chinese Virus” or the “Wuhan Virus” (Trump, @realDonaldTrump 2020). Referring to the virus in this increased discrimination towards Asian Americans. A study conducted by YouGov was administered to 1.8 million US residents through an online survey. This study revealed that people of all ethnic backgrounds were 22.1% more likely to experience discriminatory behaviors and 42.7% more likely to have people act afraid of them than white adults (Shown in Fig. 1 and 2)(Strassle et al., 454-55). The words of the President instilled fear and hatred towards people of all ethnic backgrounds. This is an example of the world’s inability to live with each other and the influence of the media. Even in times of uncertainty, where death could be closer than ever before, humans will still find a way to manipulate the situation and blame others. The threat of a deadly virus is not enough to unite people, and Mbembe explores this inability to live with each other throughout section one. Mbembe emphasizes this inability to live by expressing, “We must answer here and now for our life on Earth with others (including viruses) and our shared fate” (Mbembe 59). Confronting and living with the reality that a virus could kill someone and even oneself is a terrifying thought that many cannot reason with. Instead of acknowledging the shared vulnerability between all people, the neoliberal ideologies present in society individualize people and create this inability to live with each other.

An overconsumption of media of all kinds skews the perspective many have on an issue. While COVID-19 was a deadly virus that did not discriminate, people in the United States decided to discriminate and blame others after the President exemplified this hate. The inability to live together has always been present in the world, and the threat of a deadly virus that spread across the world was not enough to enlighten people. The virus only increased the hate people had for ethnic communities here in the United States and emphasized the inability to live together. Instead of viewing this virus as a threat to all humankind, many people targeted their fear onto others. This is only further influenced by technology and “the widespread digitization of the world” (Mbembe 59). Media consumption increased during the lockdown and therefore skewed how people experienced and coped with the threat of COVID-19. With this increase in media consumption, there has been a disconnect between the people of the world. This disconnect has furthered the inability to live with each other that Mbembe emphasizes.

Section 2:

Section 2 presents the issue of carbon dioxide infiltrating the air and affecting the air, and an example of this is carbon emissions. Once the carbon-based gasses, carbon dioxide and methane, are introduced into airways, the atmosphere becomes polluted. Mbembe argues for the universal right to breathe and presents the question, “How far are we really from the time where there will be more carbon dioxide than oxygen to breathe?” (S61). This question applies to the ever-growing percentage of carbon dioxide infiltrating the air. Mbembe also provides the statement explaining how “we have never learned to live with all living species, have never really worried about the damage we as humans wreak on the lungs of the Earth and its body” (S59). Mbembe exposes neoliberal values that are present in today’s societies. China is a country that portrays these neoliberal values through the enablement of the overproduction of carbon emissions. This can be viewed in the statistics of past years: “During 2005–2011, CO2 emissions had increased by 68 %, which is roughly comparable to the growth rate of the GDP (87 %)” (Li et al. 2281). The increase in carbon emissions is directly related to the growth in China’s economy. When more profit is achieved, the means of production and their outcomes are not of importance. The contributors to China’s economy are not only producing profitable goods but also producing high levels of greenhouse gases. These high levels of greenhouse gasses not only infiltrate the airways of civilians but will also have negative effects globally. The more greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere, the warmer the Earth becomes, and the less breathable the air becomes. The people of Earth do not know how to live with other species, and as neoliberal values continue to impact the world's countries, so will the overproduction of carbon emissions.

Section 4: 

        In section four, Mbembe explains how the human “right to breath” has been observed long before COVID-19. The world is built around a horrible social structure that has been implemented throughout generations and defined by your success or race. The world has experienced multiple occasions where someone thinks they are more important just because they have more money or power, causing individuals to lose their lives. Mbembe says, “as constrained entire segments of the world’s population, entire races, of a difficult, panting breath and life of oppression,” he talks about how people attack each other instead of finding a common thing. A clear example is Black Lives Matter, a social problem that has been going on for decades. According to Andre, the movement of Black Lives Matter started in 2012, when George Zimmerman killed Trayvon martin, an unarmed 17-year-old that was visiting his family. George Zimmerman thought that Trayvon was a threat with a gun and killed him, leading to multiple protests. Then in 2020, George Floyd was arrested and murdered in the process causing large-scale protests around the United States. These incidents should not be happening. People must treat each other equally, regardless of what background they come from. People must start practicing empathy in observation of the Universal Right to Breathe. Solving this issue will not only help right now but will also act as a good example for future generations. 

Text Analysis: 

     Mbembe begins the first section by explaining how people have failed to recognize the reality of their own mortality until the COVID-19 pandemic. “The terror triggered by confinement” refers to the fear people felt while complying with social distancing mandates. Mbembe believes that the digitization of daily life has caused people to feel removed from their mortality, and responding to COVID-19 has caused people to realize that it is becoming impossible to “delegate one’s death to others.” Mbembe writes that people are accepting of the deaths of others in distant places, but willfully ignorant of the reality that they too will die.

     Mbembe starts the second section by establishing a sense of impending consequence. He describes that “much of humanity is threatened by a great chokehold” to illustrate the dangerous consequences of widespread digitization. He explains that “once working, shopping, keeping up with the news and keeping in touch, nurturing and preserving connections, talking to one another and sharing, drinking together, worshipping and organizing funerals begins to take place solely across the interface of screens, it is time to acknowledge that on all sides we are surrounded by rings of fire.” Mbembe believes that as elements of digitization begin to invade all facets of daily life, people must recognize the danger and act to mitigate the threat. His illustration of “rings of fire” creates urgency by likening digitization to fire, something that spreads rapidly and destroys indiscriminately. Mbembe’s goal in this section is to establish that digitization is not an adequate substitute for presence and participation in the real, physical world. 

     The third section begins with a solution. Mbembe claims that “to survive, we must return to all living things—including the biosphere—the space and energy they need.” He emphasizes the lack of alternatives with the inclusion of words like “must” and “need.” Mbembe identifies that “modernity has been an interminable war on life,” and he uses language associated with war throughout the section. His use of words including ‘dominate,’ ‘entrench,’ and ‘fortify’ complements his connection of modernism as a “war on life.” In referencing modernity (i.e. modernism), Mbembe conveys that humanity is at war with the past, and the rapid advance of technology that drives humans further from the past is what is so damaging to the environment. An example of an industry that advances technology while harming the environment is the microchip fabrication industry, which is a cornerstone of technological progression but has extreme environmental consequences due to the required use of ultrapure water, energy, and hazardous substances (Ruberti 2).

     In the fourth section, Mbembe focuses on the titular “Universal Right to Breathe.” He writes that “humanity was already threatened with suffocation” even before COVID-19. He means that because racial and economic oppression were already so prevalent before the pandemic, the concept of an invisible threat “taking away breath” is not novel. Mbembe writes that the “right to breathe” should be understood as a “fundamental right of existence” that must be afforded to all living beings regardless of the interests of institutions in power. The purpose of this section is to connect the threat of the pandemic to the threat of oppression, which has existed and will likely continue to exist for hundreds of years.

 Works Cited

Ernst, Johnathan. “A Light Projection Reading 'We Can't Breathe' is Seen on a Building Near the White House.” Protests Continue in Washington as Trump Threatens to Deploy Military, Reuters, 3 June 2020, https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/protests-continue-in-washington-as-trump-idINRTS3A79B/. Accessed 12 March 2025.

Liu, Hongqiao, et al. "The Carbon Brief Profile: China." Carbon Brief, 29 Nov. 2023, https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/the-carbon-brief-profile-china/index.html#politics. Accessed 13 March 2025.

Mbembe, Achille. "The Universal Right to Breathe." Critical Inquiry, vol. 47, Winter 2021, pp. S59-S62. Translated by Carolyn Shread.

Munro, Andre. “Shooting of Trayvon Martin.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, inc. 19 Feb. 2025, www.britannica.com/event/shooting-of-Trayvon-Martin. Accessed 12 March 2025.

@realDonaldTrump. “I always treated the Chinese Virus very seriously, and have done a very good job from the beginning, including my very early decision to close the ‘borders’ from China – against the wishes of almost all. Many lives were saved. The Fake News new narrative is disgraceful & false!” Twitter, 18 Mar. 2020, 4:46 a.m., https://x.com/realdonaldtrump/status/1240243188708839424. Accessed 12 March 2025.

Ringer, Christophe. “Critical Theory for Political Theology: Achille Mbembe.” Political Theology, https://politicaltheology.com/achille-mbembe/. Accessed 13 March 2025.

Ruberti, Marcello. “The Chip Manufacturing Industry: Environmental Impacts and Eco-Efficiency Analysis.” Science of the Total Environment, vol. 858, 2023, pp. 1-11.

Schatz, Chanté. "Achille Mbembe." Achille Mbembe, Holberg Prize, 2024, https://holbergprize.org/laureates/achille-mbembe/. Accessed 14 March 2025.

Strassle, Paula D., et al. "COVID-19–Related Discrimination Among Racial/Ethnic Minorities and Other Marginalized Communities in the United States." American Journal of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306594. Accessed 12 March 2025.