Climate Change is a symptom

A letter sent to 'Stroud Life' below hopefully for next week's edition - plus a cartoon from Russ in response to Martin Kirby and others seeming denial of climate change...

...indeed in today's Citizen Martin Kirby is again having a go at Greens for seeing every extreme weather event as climate change - infact I said the exact opposite - see here - he perhaps does have a point if that were the case but he has clearly failed to read what I had actually written - extraordinary that the editor allows it to be printed - at least they did print my letter last week and today another strongly criticising Martin Kirby's view.

It is views such as Mr Kirby's that damage the case being made for action on climate change. Does he not see that? Or perhaps he doesn't believe the scientists that climate change is real? Even if he does have doubts is it really a risk he wants us to take? He has the privilege of a nearly a whole page in a daily paper every week and instead of using it for good he tries to ridicule those trying to achieve positive change. I don't understand - if you are reading this Mr Kirby let's meet and talk?

Many of us are trying to live greener lifestyles, but we must also challenge our political establishment who are trying to inhabit two parallel worlds. It simply isn't possible to infinitely increase economic growth and simultaneously reduce carbon emissions to safeguard our future.

Climate change is a symptom of our economic system that is based on increased work, consumption and inequality. Our economics encourages rampant consumerism that we use to distract ourselves from meaningless lives that no longer connect to the rhythms and abundance of the natural world. While many have higher 'standards of living', almost all of us are poorer, when it comes to quality of life. Indeed Oliver James's book 'The Selfish Capitalist' shows how our obsession with economic growth has led to extraordinary increases in people's insecurity and unhappiness.

We need to move away from the obsession with free markets, privatisation and accumulation of material wealth to safeguard not just the environment, but also our physical, emotional and mental welfare. It is exciting to see more of us seeking ways to challenge our current economic system. Transition Stroud, our Farmers Market, local currencies and local food initiatives are some examples. Let us hope such visions gain ground to coalesce into a critical mass in time to divert a catastrophe.

A zero carbon future doesn’t have to be a future shivering around a candle in a cave – it can be a comfortable and a more secure one. We need to push for some serious political will for real change and to use the best science to build a secure future for all rather than profit for the few.

Philip Booth