Straight from the popular book by George Monbiot ‘How to Solve Everything’. Sounds easy if you say it quickly but impossible to put into practice.
I keep getting told how well informed and intelligent today’s young are so why the hell are these bright young things continuing to perpetuate the crazy lifestyles that got us into this mess?
As said, they were born into it & not all of them do share the concerns of many of their peers i.e. they continue to over consume. etc. They cannot be blamed for the fact that they can’t get certain things without excess packing, or excess food miles etc. They didn’t create the problem.
Anyway, the blame game is not going to get the human race out of the current mess. I really don’t care who historically produced the most greenhouse gases, or who currently is. The point is that everyone has to do something about it, however big or small.
Exactly, no more circuses of people flying to F1 or International Tennis matches or Football or Rugby matches. No more horses travelling half way across the world to race.
Michael O’Leary put in his place regarding flying etc. etc.
I take it you would be okay with never seeing your daughter if she moved from Germany to the USA, you never buy anything manufactured or grown outside of France and always use public transport or walk/bike instead of taking the car etc, etc.
You say one thing and then totally misinterpret what I have written.
It is these huge international sports circuses and their entourages and spectators that I have issue with.
I said nothing about families keeping in touch or visiting each other.
What’s good for the goose should apply to the gander!
How hypocritical, in the name of protecting the environment you want international travel banned when it relates to sport but not when could it impact you personally.
For one thing, my daughter will never go to live in America and it is nothing to do with me personally, but the millions of people who have international families.
This is pretty much what those at COP26 would like, us arguing amonst ourselves whilst they get on with …
Missing the point rather though, isn’t it. It is those who were children in the 60s and 70s who grew up into plastic loving fly everywhere 4x4 driving adults.
What’s the evidence for this ‘impossibility’ Tim?
Here’s some evidence to the contrary…
Capitalism only ever worked reasonably well for some of the world during it’s ‘golden age’ roughly 1945-75 - precisely the period when most of the affected countries were building their ‘welfare states’ and using taxation at marginal rates of 90%+ to redistribute wealth. Not only was this ‘possible’ - it worked better than the less equitable distribution of wealth that came before and after (and which before led directly to fascism and war, and which after is leading us to climate/ecological breakdown).
It’s not the redistribution of wealth that is the problem - it’s the failure to distribute it!
If you don’t like Monbiot, take a look at The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson.
Of course those who have wealth and power in the status quo want you to believe that any meaningful change is ‘impossible’. Don’t fall for it Tim.
Excellent book
Around the same theory as the prisoners dilema.
There’s an interesting discussion of climate breakdown in The Spirit Level section of The Equality Trust’s website:
@Geof_Cox, simple question -
How do you distribute the wealth of the 1000+ billionaires spread across China, India and Russia?
How do you change any environmental regulation or taxation or foreign aid arrangement in any country?
Come on Geof, you know full well that ‘global’ wealth distribution just isn’t possible, the West could/would probably do it but nowhere else.
You keep asserting that things are impossible, Tim, but never support your assertions with any evidence. When strong evidence to the contrary of presented, you ignore it and try to switch the discussion to some other area.
Here’s the way progress is made:
Scientists or others that realise what is really happening make a rational, evidenced case for change, right-thinking people accept it, and they campaign on that basis. Those invested in the status quo, and their blind followers resist the change (and many always stand aside because like you they feel change is impossible). The campaigners struggle to make the case, have many setbacks, and even reversals at times in some places - of course! they are fighting powerful vested interests - but generally, in the long term, they succeed. This is why left ideas that seemed outrageously radical in the past are now accepted as common sense common humanity (monarchs are not divinely ordained, slavery is wrong, women should have votes, we should have a minimum wage, basic education and healthcare should be free, gay people should be able to marry, etc, etc).
This is the way all progress has always been made, isn’t it?
The only difference with climate/ecological breakdown is scale. Millions died during the struggle to abolish racial slavery in the Americas and European colonies; unless the environmentalists succeed rather more quickly, billions could die.
Those who advocate equal wealth distribution and fair share for all have IMO never experienced what hard working entrepreneurs go through and even then might not attain the wealth that many seem to loath, the owners of Amazon and Facebook are typical targets!
Why should those who have achieved wealth have to share it ? They do in many ways by providing employment to the very people who seem to loath their existence.
How many of those who want another persons wealth shared equally to everyone have:
Worked 7 days a week and every waking hour year after year after year?
Risked their house and family home to finance a business?
Forgone their own income in order to secure the income of their employees?
Built a business only to see it destroyed by bad debtors (1992)
Got back up and started all over again facing the wrath of former employees who you provide a living to?
Rebuilt businesses meaner, leaner than before and face those who say, it’s ok for you , look what you have.
Looked at our children and realised they had become adults while you weren’t looking?
What that person has is earned with blood sweat and tears, lots of tears.
Many, many charities would not survive without the support of these greedy, selfish, money grabbing entrepreneurs which I can assure many are not.
Leftist communist thinking will not save the world any more than capitalism will.
I do my bit as best I can but will it save the world, who knows .
Walk a mile in my shoes.
What evidence?
Just like GM you live in ‘La La land’ where left wing ideology trumps reality. No one is going to force Putin or any other Russian billionaire to simply give all their money away in order to save the planet.