As Kevin Anderson noted recently, the bankers have done a good job of
temporarily reducing our GHG emissions, although nowhere near enough.
As the globe stands on the edge of a monumental fiscal push to 'rescue'
economies and the projects of international trade, we seem to blithely
be supporting a resumption of our old patterns. Sure, we now want to be
able to jail bankers at will and install CCTV on the desks of
executives, financiers and regulators, but where else is the debate
going on?
This is a KEY time for debate, the sums are enormous, possibly
generational. The media unashamedly, despite its previous endorsement of
boom-time Brown and Britain's policies, suggests that something is not
right with our version of capitalism, but they see it as structural
problems. No discussion of the ideological, institutional or moral
aspects of what we have and where it is leading. A resumption with
structural changes could even be worse, a juggernaut of consumptive
steady growth, with all the associated ecological damage and resource
scarcity issues.
Whilst we are de-railed, we need to kick-off real debate over policy
initiatives. We have internalised acceptance of our current system into
education and public life. Dissent just is not there, neither are the
faculties to create alternatives in a large enough fashion to make a
dent. I don't wish to sound so negative or judgemental, but our society
just seems to legitimize itself. How do we change and start debate at
this juncture before we throw billions of pounds on the fire?
|