Galileo’s Recant

At the back of your mind, is the universe.

Are we facing issues of intergenerational inequality ? Over the last few decades, to what extent has an artificially high standard of living and accumulation of capital and assets been enabled by the leveraging of natural resources at unsustainable levels and the creation of growth fed economic instruments ? When viewed objectively it is apparent that the levels of consumption experienced cannot be supported by the environmental infrastructure.  It is estimated that we started consuming the ‘capital’ of our natural resources in the…

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Entrenched business will always manipulate the government when politicians are influenced by money.

The momentum of personal self interest climaxes in the corporate institutions that drive single minded agendas to the detriment of all else. Sweeping government policy makers along in a starry eyed fervour of aspirational growth and it’s associated popularity.

I overheard someone being referred to as successful today.  This observation was supported by the fact that the person in question owned a number of properties, a profitable business and had accumulated a noteworthy amount of money. There was no mention of the person’s health, happiness, non-fiscal accomplishments or the business’s social or environmental impact.  The ‘naturalness’, and general acceptance, of this attribution of the ‘successful’ moniker is an indication of how entrenched monetary value systems are in capitalist societies. The subtlety of this is that there…

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The desire and expectation to live at the current unsustainably high level of consumption is the root of the environmental issues we are facing.  It is a simple equation of the rate of consumption exceeding the ability of the earth to provide resources and receive waste and emissions. Efficiencies gained from technological advancement are not sufficient to offset increased consumption.  Western levels of consumption will have to decline, either through deliberate considered steps or painfully forced by degradation of the environment.

Art amplifies messages as it allows an emotional payload to be attached.  This places a burden of responsibility on artists to humanise and communicate important issues.

We’re not listening.  Everyone and everything you love is going to be affected by the poisoning of the earth.  Don’t let the greedy few and puppet politicians take it all away.

One of the most effective ways to assess a complex issue is to list those with opposing views, then  consider the common agenda, level of knowledge and moral caliber of the persons in each group.  The most factual answer is usually clear.

‘Climate Change‘ is a terrible term for the human activity induced environmental degradation currently underway. The term is insipid and can lead to people dismissing the risks of ecosystem destruction and global warming caused by our excessive fossil fuel based energy consumption. Better terms could be ‘Environmental Poisoning’ or ‘Pollution Induced Suffocation and Starvation’ (a bit extreme perhaps, but makes you think) – surely stronger branding is required for what is likely to be the most significant contributor to human suffering of our time…

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