THE past couple of weeks have seen a multitude of stories that I want to discuss, from schools in the UK being closed because of spiders to the story of robotic bees being potentially used in case of an insect apocalypse. A reminder that it is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.
Capitalism and I are not friends. We search and strive for economic growth and increased productivity like it is some sort of magic bullet, but striving for infinite growth on a finite planet is pure foolishness. As the environmentalist and author George Monbiot said: ‘We tell ourselves that progress means growth and growth means wellbeing, but what the environmental crisis reveals is that perpetual growth is the greatest threat to our wellbeing.’ This high need for perpetual growth in capitalism is the key driver for environmental and climate breakdown.
This past Monday came the publication of the latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report. The IPPC is a scientific and intergovernmental body under the auspices of the United Nations, dedicated to the task of providing the world with an objective, scientific view of climate change. The report is compiled by more than 80 of the world’s top climate scientists from nearly 40 countries and calibrates 40,000 peer-review comments. It is a robust and outstanding example of international co-operation.
However, it is hard to say anything original about the newest IPPC report because none of the fundamentals have changed in decades and we are still racing towards climate breakdown.
The report warns that this is our final chance and that we have 12 years to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5˚C. It is that simple. The world is currently 1˚C warmer than pre-industrial levels and we are currently on the path to a 3˚C warmer world.
As far as I am aware we have not even had a response from the States of Jersey. In their recent Proposed Common Strategic Policy there is only one mention of climate change, about the possibility of ‘exploring’ renewable energy. The time to explore renewable energy was about 20 years ago. Our government is not alone, though, in the muted response to this global crisis.
I just cannot understand the continual political addiction to a fossil-fuel economy that is destroying the planet we live on.
