Money Shouts, not Talks...

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What is it with the ever-present mantra of 'economic growth'? In the FT Weekend's Big Read this week, "The economic cost of extreme heat", a director of the Adrienne Arscht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center at the Atlantic Council, Kathy Baughman McLeod, is quoted as saying: '... [extreme heat is] "pulling down our growth [and] dragging down our economies..."' Which is ironic, given that continued economic growth is in no small part to blame for our current climatic woes. The conclusions the article draws seem to consist of human adaptations to the new situation, rather than actually delivering on the environmentally-vital shift required in business and consumer thinking. Just looking at the bottom line is precisely the problem. We are trying to work with basically century-plus old economic theories in the twenty-first century, and the fit ain't good for the parameters that this completely different world throws up.

As if to hammer home just how blinkered and stupid our economic-growth-driven politicians are, our esteemed ultrarich money-man of a Prime Minister has just indicated that he is willing to row back on environmental pledges in order to save his fading chances of electoral survival at the next election; because the kind of people who vote for his party give the appearance that they would rather not be inconvenienced by it all. Even the Labour Party are keeping the climate debate low-key and espousing growth, because Keir Starmer imagines that talk of alternative strategies will make the party unelectable. Again, if this is actually a long-game political strategy aimed at ousting the Tories with a massive Labour majority, then fair play; but I fear that's not the case, and that reheated New Labour leftovers are on the menu for the duration. If we stay on the death-spiral of growth/consumption/heating there will soon be nothing left to save, anyway. Up the proverbial creek...

Comments

  1. Anonymous25 July 2023 at 08:24

    I hope that your title is a "tease" cos as we well kno "Money doesn't talk it swears"! Much derided as a throw away it resonated with me because it IS the truth. Focus group politics will ALWAYS chase the same "electorate", fact of the matter circa 60% of the "electorate" don't bother to vote cos it's allways the same cretins!
    I'll miss our dwinkies mate but if this doesn't start your realization that most of the print media is crap then it should: "a director of the Adrienne Arscht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center at the Atlantic Council, Kathy Baughman McLeod"!!
    D. Byrne had it Spot On when he called his band Talking Heads. they're poseurs preening themselves on the pile of odure that they CREATE, (or at least foster) that deflect the intelects of those who should be revolting!

    ReplyDelete

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