There are No Non-Radical Futures
A Velvet or Violent Climate Revolution: Which will we choose?
“There are now no non-radical futures* The choice is between immediate and profound social change or waiting a little longer for chaotic and violent social change. In 2023 the window for this choice is rapidly closing.” Kevin Anderson
The deliberate failure of national leaders, whether in politics, business, journalism or indeed much of academia to be honest about the climate emergency has left us facing fundamental questions of every facet of modern society. Central amongst these is the issue of equity – both between and within nations. In this presentation, Kevin Anderson will unpick the policy gulf that exists between the temperature and equity commitments enshrined in the Paris Agreement and the emission trajectory of so called “developed” countries. He will close by looking beyond techno-optimistic solutions, concluding there are now no non-radical futures. The choice is between immediate and profound social change or waiting a little longer for chaotic and violent social change. In 2023 the window for this choice is rapidly closing.
Speaker: Kevin is professor of Energy and Climate Change at the University of Manchester and visiting professor at the Universities of Uppsala (Sweden) and Bergen (Norway). Formerly he held the position of Zennström professor (in Uppsala) and was director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research (UK). Twitter: https://twitter.com/KevinClimate Website: https://climateuncensored.com
Is the headline intended?
I hope not!
Thanks for publicising.
Almost everyone is in utter denial
A really interesting and informative 40-minute video presentation by Kevin Anderson, which clarifies the debate around the climate crisis, and looks at the implications for society and politics. It would be very useful if all MSPs, and particularly members of the Scottish cabinet, were required to watch this.
Yes, I agree that terms like ‘the developed world’ are perverse, since we are discussing problems caused by maldevelopment (fossil-fuel economies, war-oriented politics, consumer capitalism, colonial imperialism) primarily in the global North.
I am not so happy with the references to Roosevelt and the Marshall Plan (the French apparently used Marshall Plan loans to fund their colonial reconquest ambitions in places like IndoChina).
However, the consideration of velvet or violent revolution as something happening already on various continuums is vital to consider, as long as we concentrate on the violence done by humans to the non-human world too.
The answer to the second-last question must involve moving to new sustainable craft-based culture.
I wasn’t quite aware of those views on the IAM community within the IPCC.