Capitalism vs The Climate
We are entitled to look back at 2014 with some pride. Recent achievements include democratic elections where the old political elite were told where to go; while the economic development during the past two or three decades will be rather impressive along with resulted inside the rise of a middle class — accompanied by a mushrooming of shopping malls; eateries of excellent quality along with dazzling variety; daily additions to the number of cars, mobile phones, tablets along with pads.
Read Naomi Klein’s latest book This particular improvements Everything, Capitalism vs The Climate, along with the pride turns into a chill.
She convincingly argues the case of which climate change (i.e., increasing global temperatures caused by the emission of greenhouse gasses) will be real, along with of which in spite of the fact of which negotiations on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions started out in 1990, we today face the very real possibility of which the initially targeted 2 degrees Centigrade increase in temperatures will be overshot by two to four degrees. Increased melting of Arctic ice sheets along with glaciers can thus be expected, resulting in rising sea levels, more frequent along with more severe flooding, along with the eventual disappearance of several coastal areas along with island nations, such as the North Java coast along with the Maldives. along with then there will be droughts, severe droughts—which will adversely affect agricultural production, especially in tropical areas—more frequent along with more severe storms, hurricanes, typhoons along with various other natural disasters.
?This particular improvements EVERYTHING
by Naomi Klein
Publisher: Allen Lane (16/9/2014)
Klein analyses in great detail how we, mankind, managed to manoeuvre ourselves into of which unenviable position along with comes up with one word to encompass the idea all: capitalism.
As the title of the book indicates, “capitalism” will be, in This particular context, set directly against “climate”. along with the neo-liberal, market orientated system will be praised for bringing extraordinary wealth along with economic growth, nevertheless blamed for the damage This particular has inflicted on the environment. Rivers have been polluted by the uncontrolled dumping of waste, along with the air by the emission of carbon dioxide along with various other greenhouse gasses. along with even more against the grain, Klein argues of which the parts of capitalism of which are the main culprit are “free trade” along with “the constant drive for endless economic growth.”
In Klein’s words, “There will be no question of which the trade architecture along with the economic ideology embedded within the idea played a central role in sending emissions into hyperdrive.” Multinationals as a result scour the globe in search of the cheapest along with most exploitable labour force. Led by the US, the journey passed through Mexico along with Central America to South Korea, nevertheless by the end of the 1990s China had become the main destination— “a country where wages were extraordinarily low… along with the state was willing to spend seemingly limitless funds on massive infrastructure projects… all to ensure of which of which the lights stayed on inside the factories along with the goods made the idea by the assembly lines onto the container ships on time. A free trader’s dream, in various other words—along which has a climate nightmare.”
There are many who do not believe of which This particular will be so, while various other deniers argue of which the ‘system’ will come up with technical solutions to solve these climate problems. along which has a third group of deniers in wealthy countries argue of which the idea will be all the fault of China, India, along with Brazil… “Why bother cutting our own [US] emissions when everyone knows of which the fast developing economies are the real problem.”
nevertheless unfortunately carbon dioxide keeps piling up inside the atmosphere along with temperatures keep rising.
The only action of which can mitigate This particular process along with eventually save the Earth, would certainly be a total overhaul of our economic system.
Transport, energy, agriculture, industrial production, forestry, land use, urban planning, along with all various other aspects of the economic system need to be changed to reduce emissions. Urban centres will need to be redesigned along with made safe for walking along with cycling; electric power by fossil fuels like coal, oil along with gas need to be replaced with renewables (wind, solar, geo-thermal, hydro); industrial as well as agricultural production should as much as possible avoid long transport routes for its raw materials along with final products; along with everybody—producers, consumers, public administrators—should reduce their ecological footprint.
A wide range of creative, far-reaching along with comprehensive government policies along with strategies, such as “sweeping bans on polluting activities, deep subsidies for green alternatives, pricey penalties for violations, fresh taxes, fresh public works programs, reversal of privatization…” will therefore be needed to initiate, guide along with steer This particular fresh economic system, as the free-market system do not provide the right indicators.
the idea should be clearly understood of which This particular does not entail a return to clipper ships along with horse-drawn carriages. No, the idea would certainly suffice to live as we did inside the 1970s. We can still enjoy all the nice things we are used to, nevertheless the production processes along with the philosophies behind the production processes need to be changed, together which has a switch over to clean energy along which has a reduced emission of transport-fumes. Start by walking, cycling along with commuting by light rapid transport systems.
Corporate elites along with lesser capitalists, of which will be, CEOs, CFOs, traders, shippers, miners, loggers along with nearly everybody else who incorporates a stake in our market-driven economy, will hardly be thrilled by This particular prospect. In fact, they are the main deniers, lobbying for a continuation, if not an acceleration, of the present-day production methods.
along with apart by the heavy duty top-down interventions, the most important role in bringing the economy round on a different tack—along with thereby saving the globe—will be reserved for the people. Described by Klein as “Blockadia”, a non-specific location where resistance flares up “with increasing frequency along with intensity wherever extractive projects are attempting to dig along with drill, whether for open-pit mines, or gas fracking, or tar sands oil pipelines.”
Blockadia will be happening all over the globe along with basically represents a people-driven request for clean air, water along with unpolluted land where present along with future generations can live in peace.
In Klein’s words: “Put another way, only mass social movement can save us today. Because we know where the current system, left unchecked, will be headed. … To arrive at of which dystopia, all we need to do will be keep barrelling down the road we are on. The only remaining variable will be whether some countervailing power will emerge to block the road, along with simultaneously clear some alternate pathways to destinations of which are safer. If of which happens, well, the idea improvements everything.”
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Capitalism vs The Climate
Capitalism vs The Climate