While it is really important to get people to understand that capitalism is the core of the problem, we need to face the fact that we are stuck with capitalism until at least the end of the current century, and that this means we need to find other ways to solve the problem such as a massive transition to local distributed renewables, electric transit and rail, bikeable/walkable communities, and educating people about plant based diets. And note: Because renewables pay themselves off quickly and then bring decades of free energy and therefore profit, it is possible to get capitalists to build it (and they are doing so).
We also need to get rid of the frame 'degrowth'. That term doesn't just turn off corporate media decision makers, it turns off *everybody*. The general public immediately tunes out any message that tells them that they have to 'give things up' or 'sacrifice' their current standard of living.
There are ways to get people to make change without calling it a lifestyle reversal of sacrifice. For example, instead of telling people they need to 'give up' animal products, we can instead simply 1) show them actual evidence of how bad animal agriculture is for the planet, and then 2) show them how great and fulfilling a shift to a plant based diet can be for health, peace of mind and the Earth.
When we lead with a "you need to give up x" and the world needs "degrowth" (which sounds like a negative reversal instead of future progress) everyone but our fellow activists stop listening, And this is a key reason media editors refuse to report on something like a "degrowth" conference.
"We also need to get rid of the frame 'degrowth'. That term doesn't just turn off corporate media decision makers, it turns off *everybody*. "
Absolutely correct, and thanks for saying it. The word "degrowth" is a communications disaster, appealing only to a small coterie of scholars, environmental activists, etc. -- far less than 1% of the population. If they wanted to ensure that the idea would never get traction, they could have done no better than to name it "degrowth".
Yes, that idiotic term "degrowth" came from the now totally discredited "Peak Oil" movement, which turned out to be just as wrong as "Population Bomb" hysterics.
Hansen's a total hero. He's also proposed the policy that economists advocate for, despite not being an economist. His fee and dividend proposal is exactly what should be done (and any academic economist would agree, though there are some who would set the price far too low)
Corporate interests support 'Fee & Dividend' because they know it is a 'market mechanism' that can be manipulated, and so will not work.
Hansen is doing a good job identifying the problem. He's not good at all on solutions. The real solution is for every local community to build 100% renewables, universal electric transit and rail, and bikeable/walkable communities - and stop waiting for coopted state and national governments to take action (when they won't).
All of which is why there will be no human race at the end of the century probably much earlier
While it is really important to get people to understand that capitalism is the core of the problem, we need to face the fact that we are stuck with capitalism until at least the end of the current century, and that this means we need to find other ways to solve the problem such as a massive transition to local distributed renewables, electric transit and rail, bikeable/walkable communities, and educating people about plant based diets. And note: Because renewables pay themselves off quickly and then bring decades of free energy and therefore profit, it is possible to get capitalists to build it (and they are doing so).
We also need to get rid of the frame 'degrowth'. That term doesn't just turn off corporate media decision makers, it turns off *everybody*. The general public immediately tunes out any message that tells them that they have to 'give things up' or 'sacrifice' their current standard of living.
There are ways to get people to make change without calling it a lifestyle reversal of sacrifice. For example, instead of telling people they need to 'give up' animal products, we can instead simply 1) show them actual evidence of how bad animal agriculture is for the planet, and then 2) show them how great and fulfilling a shift to a plant based diet can be for health, peace of mind and the Earth.
When we lead with a "you need to give up x" and the world needs "degrowth" (which sounds like a negative reversal instead of future progress) everyone but our fellow activists stop listening, And this is a key reason media editors refuse to report on something like a "degrowth" conference.
"We also need to get rid of the frame 'degrowth'. That term doesn't just turn off corporate media decision makers, it turns off *everybody*. "
Absolutely correct, and thanks for saying it. The word "degrowth" is a communications disaster, appealing only to a small coterie of scholars, environmental activists, etc. -- far less than 1% of the population. If they wanted to ensure that the idea would never get traction, they could have done no better than to name it "degrowth".
Yes, that idiotic term "degrowth" came from the now totally discredited "Peak Oil" movement, which turned out to be just as wrong as "Population Bomb" hysterics.
Hansen's a total hero. He's also proposed the policy that economists advocate for, despite not being an economist. His fee and dividend proposal is exactly what should be done (and any academic economist would agree, though there are some who would set the price far too low)
Corporate interests support 'Fee & Dividend' because they know it is a 'market mechanism' that can be manipulated, and so will not work.
Hansen is doing a good job identifying the problem. He's not good at all on solutions. The real solution is for every local community to build 100% renewables, universal electric transit and rail, and bikeable/walkable communities - and stop waiting for coopted state and national governments to take action (when they won't).