Productivity, Energy and Climate Change—a View on the Links
By Simon Mair, Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity
Radical changes are needed if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change: 2 trillion dollars of fossil fuel related capital investment has to go. Without a better understanding of the basic relationships between energy and production it is hard to say how such changes will play out in the wider economy, and almost impossible to prepare to face them.
How Getting Rid of ‘Shit Jobs’ and the Metric of Productivity can Combat Climate change
By Simon Mair, The Conversation
Work can be “shit” or it can be good. Sociologists and psychologists have developed various frameworks to explain what makes a job good or bad. And we’ve identified a few common factors. A good job is socially useful, it provides material security, it is varied and creative, and it offers us a degree of autonomy. A shit job does nothing for society, fails to help us meet our material needs, is repetitive, and offers little autonomy.
Techno-Fix Futures will only Accelerate Climate Chaos – Don’t Believe the Hype
By Joanna Boehnert, Simon Mair, The Conversation
But nothing other than dramatic societal transformation will be sufficient to avoid catastrophic climate change for the vast majority of the world’s population – and eventually, everyone. It may sound daunting, but rejecting the ecologically harmful assumptions on which our culture is currently built offers us a unique chance to build a healthier and fairer world.
Growing Pain: The Delusion of Boundless Economic Growth
By Ian Christie, Ben Gallant, Simon Mair, Open Democracy
Degrowth’ is a good bet. There is sound empirical and theoretical evidence that our economies are dependent on material and energy resources and embedded in the delicate balance of the Earth’s life systems. And if we pull it off, the payout is huge.
In the Age of Extinction, Who is Extreme? A Response to Policy Exchange
By Julia Steinberger, Simon Mair, Open Democracy
We must do all we can to protect the basic environmental conditions that allow humanity to flourish. In this context, Extinction Rebellion’s economic and political program is on the side of reason, and well supported by academic research.
Climate Change and Capitalism: A Political Marxist View.
By Simon Mair, Socialist Review
If we want to stand a chance of building socialism in the near future, we must become eco-socialists and stop catastrophic climate change now.