President Biden told the United Nations recently that by 2024 the U.S. will provide $11.4 billion yearly in climate financing for developing nations. This is a bold, courageous, and much needed step, and at the same time woefully insufficient. …
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In my previous post I raised the issue of “living lightly on the earth” — inviting us to think about our levels of consumption and what lifestyles are sustainable on a planet with 7.8 billion other humans. We will each need to make our own decisions about what a sensible and workable lifestyle is for us. As a society, we also need to think about a more sustainable and equitable economic system — what should be its goals and how can we bring it into being?
As I wrote last time, I’m intrigued by what I’ve learned so far about “Doughnut Economics.” First, there are no glazed or cream-filled pastries here — just an intriguing doughnut-shaped diagram that summarizes some important ideas. I believe we can all think about the most important issues facing our society. The “doughnut” approach provides us with an accessible entry point to some interesting and relevant perspectives on economic systems.
Kate Raworth, the creator of this way of thinking about things, says that “a healthy economy should be designed to thrive, not grow. …
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I like the creature comforts of my middle class lifestyle. At the same time I believe in global equity. I’m sure that I’m using more than my fair share of the world’s resources and that the planet could not accommodate 7.8 billion people consuming as much as my neighbors and I do.
I’ve written about many climate action steps we can take — many of which won’t require much change in our lifestyles. Today I want to invite you (and me) to consider the almost certain reality that solving the climate crisis will require reduced consumption and reduced energy use by most of us in the so-called “developed” nations.
So many of us have been conditioned to believe that more is better, that it can be challenging for us to think in this area. I’m hardly an expert. Rather than trying to provide answers, I’d like to share three experiences….
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Specific action steps to show up for Black Lives, how racial justice and climate justice are connected, and the possibility that this is the moment when the world turns and creates a just, equitable, and sustainable society.
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The economic system that prevails in the United States and globally has caused, and continues to cause, the climate crisis. That system depends on racism for its very existence. Therefore we must address racism if we want to stop climate change.
How does racism keep the current inequitable system in place?
Five ways that racism maintains the system and works against our efforts to stop climate change:
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What do we want? What should the climate movement be trying to accomplish?
How we see the current situation affects what we are trying for. It affects what we think are the most important things to do and how we go about getting them done.
We may see our current situation like this: vast use of fossil fuels has caused such high emissions of greenhouse gases that the climate is changing in ways that are disastrous for humans and other species. The best solutions are to dramatically increase the use of solar and wind power and to adopt some better practices with regard to food, farming and forests.
This description and its implied solutions are certainly accurate. All of the above is true. However, ….
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Can we afford a full and prompt transition to a sustainable economy – including generating electricity, heating and cooling our buildings, and providing transportation without using fossil fuels? – Why I conclude “yes”. Where the money is now.
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3 key features of the Green New Deal proposal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions, millions of high-wage jobs and promote justice and equity
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