Why does climate action slow down when most people want change? The link between the global economy and the environment runs deep. Consumption drives extraction and carbon emissions. But there is more to the story. The inequalities of the global economy shape not just what enters the atmosphere, but also how we understand the climate problem and imagine solutions. A writer and revolutionary named Antonio Gramsci reached an important conclusion while imprisoned by the fascist Italian leader Benito Mussolini. He wondered why ordinary people did not resist oppressive rulers despite clear economic reasons to do so. He developed the concept of hegemony to explain this puzzle.