Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Colin Anderson What was amazing to see in the US context is the critical attention to these contradictions, a recognition of the politics of difference, a cutting analysis put forward by activists that call these systems of oppression out and a move to work from the margins through processes of mutual empowerment for social justice and a better world.
The midterm election brings activists both good news and bad news, but one thing is certain: Reactivity lost. Focusing on the terribleness of Trump did not win the day.
In a Scotland straining towards a two-thirds cut in emissions by 2030, the behemoth of Grangemouth represents by far the greatest single obstacle. In addition to the practical questions surrounding its future, it has become totemic for capital, unions, and the Scottish National Party.
Josef Pieper suggested that our fixation on busyness stems from modern man’s suspicion of grace: “man seems to mistrust everything that is effortless; he can only enjoy, with a good conscience, what he has acquired with toil and trouble; he refuses to have anything as a gift.”
In 2015 Canada proclaimed itself an ally of vulnerable island nations and pushed for an ambitious climate mitigation goal. But since then Canada’s actual commitments under the Paris Agreement have ranked with the world’s weakest. Behind the discrepancy is the lack of a global agreement on a fair method for allocating the remaining carbon emissions budget.
So what, if anything, sets the ‘extinction rebellion’ apart from previous campaigns? There are at least three ways in which XR occupies a remarkable position in this context, relating to its framing of the problem, its understanding of who has the responsibility for taking action to deal with it, and its strategic call for making those responsible act.
Watch how our politicians demonstrate Einstein’s definition of madness – trying over and over again what has already failed – because they cannot grasp that the time is for degrowth – and a lot of sharing – rather than their insane attempts to grow more powerful at the expense of others in a disintegrating world.
Blue carbon is increasingly being championed by organisations and governments as a tool for climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as addressing multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). What is blue carbon, how much potential does it actually have, and how could we use it?
For those looking for answers as to how the Scottish economy can move away, as it must, from hydrocarbons, the harbour seems to offer hope for a just transition. The jobs and trades of tomorrow are jumbled up with the older hydrocarbon sector as it gradually reaches the end of its productive lifespan.
The goal is to actually draw out some kind of a map. What are the physical infrastructural needs? How do things work together? How do we feed millions of people as opposed to – even if we’re starting with small amounts of people in communities at a time – how does that add up to the millions that are out there that need to be fed?
With Oil, Power and War, Matthieu Auzanneau has produced what I believe is the new definitive work on oil and its historic significance, supplanting even Daniel Yergin’s renowned The Prize, for reasons I’ll describe below.
In this first of our new series ‘Just Transition, from Fossil Fuels to Environmental Justice’, we look at the history of energy in Fife, and begin to mine the prospects for a more sustainable future to meet our climate crisis.
