Our aim is to bring attention to the underlying structural issues which through both economic and social pressures generate poor outcomes on the socioeconomic and environmental levels. It is time to move beyond finger pointing and develop a new sustainable social model.
In issue one we address the climate crisis and discover what it will take for our species to avert near certain ecological and social disaster.
The foundation of capitalism, being endless growth, is incompatible with ecological sustainability on a planet with finite resources.
As a system of managing an economy, capitalism, and by extension global capitalism, receives a lot of attention and criticism from environmental groups for many reasons. This article will explore three of these reasons. First, the foundation of capitalism, being endless growth, is incompatible with ecological sustainability on a planet with finite resources. Second, a short-term profit driven capitalist system only considers the environment when it is economically viable to do so, and thirdly the governing bodies of the global capitalist system have not and possibly cannot do enough to stop or reverse the negative impacts of capitalism. There are alternatives, and in order to address the climate emergency, the world will have to transition to a system less focused on growth and profit.
Electric cars are not what we need to save the planet, because they are still cars. Like it or not, electric cars will inherit some of the problems of their petrol-consuming counterparts.
It’d be stupid to deny that the widespread use of electric cars will soon be upon us. From environmentalists in the Greens party to techno-libertarians like Elon Musk, electric cars have been mythologised as our saviour. “Climate change will be no match for a planet of electric cars”, it is assumed. But, electric cars are not what we need to save the planet, because they are still cars. Like it or not, electric cars will inherit some of the problems of their petrol-consuming counterparts.
This anthropogenic climate crisis is commanding us to make some difficult decisions, if we can understand how we got here we may find a way forward.
Compounding the problems with a warming global climate will be the inevitable movement of people, as those living in developing nations along equatorial regions are going to be disproportionately affected. These climate refugees will be looking for somewhere new to call home as their traditional environments become uninhabitable. This will either lead to increased stress on infrastructure in the global north or the complete and utter loss of social humanity as countries turn these impoverished climate displaced people away.
The current structure of the system makes politicians and corporations too short sighted in their pursuit of power to the detriment of our environment.
Climate Change is an impending catastrophe for all of us, and few in positions of political power seem to be appropriately alarmed. The scientific consensus is that climate change is happening, and it is caused by human activity.
Failure to nurture constructive thought on climate change causes effects such as droughts, storms, rising sea levels, economic collapse, war, and extinction.
There is no doubt, experts agree the Earth’s climate is changing. Ocean levels are rising, the Antarctic ice is melting at a rate of approximately 220 gigatons per year, and it’s a similar story in the Arctic where the sea ice has declined at an average rate of 2.74% per decade over the past 40 years. The Sahara is both growing due to lack of rain and greening due to increased CO2 which makes sense considering the world’s climate zones are shifting.
Climate change is not just an issue of now but more an issue of making sure there is a tomorrow for the generations we have not met yet.
The Ancient Greeks have a famous proverb in which “a society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit”this saying directly addresses the crux of climate change and to another extent Adani. The proverb states that climate change is not just an issue of now but more an issue of making sure there is a tomorrow for the generations we have not met yet. These times are truly testing for the human character.