From the FT this morning:
And most of the world's leaders - who will be long dead by 2070 - are only planning to get around to tackling climate change by then.
That is the COP 26 crisis.
It's not that we do not know the facts. The crisis is that we have stubborn old men in charge who will not recognise the truth.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
There are links to this blog's glossary in the above post that explain technical terms used in it. Follow them for more explanations.
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Buy me a coffee!
In the final analysis, climate change boils down ( no pun intended) to the simple phrase: infinite growth meets finite planet.
Suffice it to say that the wiser of the old men alluded to have peered over the edge of the future and recognized that the future of humanity will only be assured by a new mode of existence that leaves exploitation behind, and completely reconfigures the economy so that it’s focus is on sustaining the world population, and not the enrichment and maintenance of an immensely wealthy minority at the expense of the majority.
This idea of change naturally clashes violently with our current paradigm, thus making it unthinkable in certain quarters. Thus, we have the rearguard actions such as lobbying by vested interest and delays in effective action.
Is the gradual descent into barbarism our only option at the moment, or is the vast rethinking required really beyond us?
In the end nature imposes it’s own solutions.
It’s true – I agree. Especially the old gits who fund the politicians.
The best thing the more ‘turned on’ of us can do is go on a consumption strike – stop spending anyway and just save money – stubbornly save money and not give it to these idiots in the market.
My partner buys a lot of our stuff from a refill shop using glass jars we’ve washed out, reducing plastic use. We’ve seen the population also ignore the Government’s boosterism on Covid – many have let their guard down but many still are also out wearing masks and doing the right thing to curb infection.
We’ve got to start thinking for ourselves now if our pathetic politicians can’t do it for us.
I think many people are going to do just that
Just as it seems many people are reducing meat consumption
That’s what I’m doing, saving money, and focusing any spending on what’s important (food, home, friendship), the rest is pretty much not worth that much at all.
Thank goodness there are millions of stubborn young men and women worldwide who are not prepared to take any more of the ecocidal policies of the old men who think they are “in charge” at the moment..
We are 72 and 76 and stubbornly support a green revolution !
🙂
Narendra Modi is 71. Even if India met the 2050 target, he would be 100 if he survives that long. Bolsonaro is 66. Xi Jinping is 68. Putin is 69.
There are only six state leaders aged 40 or less – and that includes Kim Jong-un. Even Jacinda Ardern is 41 now.
Without some sudden Damascene moment, and immediate and bold action, it seems to me that the 1.5 degree “target” (a horribile misnomer – it is not something we want to reach: we need to stop as low as possible) is already dead in the water. Given where we are, and what we are proposing to do, we are going to end up with 2 or more degrees of temperature increase. You don’t get to bargain with science or nature. The inevitable consequences are going to be serious, particularly for countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Welby was absolutely right to talk in terms of genocide, potentially worse in terms of numbers than the Second World War. Clever as we are, we are just apes. We should not assume we are immune from a mass extinction event.
All this will pass. The question is, where are we going?