Climate change must be the first order of business at Brisbane’s
November G20 forum.
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| W.B Yeats - "“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”. |
Those at the forum should not or cannot avoid the topic.
An understanding of the science explaining how our world is
changing would allow those at the forum to make informed and reasoned
judgements about international economic cooperation.
Any decisions made without first recognising and allowing
for the differences climate change will bring to our market-driven society are
irresponsible.
Economic growth, as understood by most, is entirely
dependent upon a benign climate and the uninhibited access to the earth’s
finite resources; resources that have taken billions of years to accumulate.
Those ageless resources are now so depleted and subsequently
becoming so scarce and expensive that to enhance a process depending on unlimited
“everything” is reckless and in the eyes
of some, a crime against humanity.
Strong words: words that elicit thoughts of the post WW1 Yeats poem, “The Second Coming”
in which he writes: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”.
The equations that will drive our ultimate demise are not
complicated and to understand them requires little more than primary school
mathematics and nothing of the arcane, convoluted and bizarre intellectual
trickery the will prevail at Brisbane in November.
Our Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, one who stands among those
who deny global warming, has already declared that climate change will not be
allowed to interfere with the “important” talks at the Brisbane forum.
Contrary to that, Mr Abbott should be encouraging his
international counterparts to consider the undeniable realities of climate
change, while adhering to its stated aim: “We will identify the remaining key
obstacles to be addressed and reforms needed to achieve stronger, more
sustainable and balanced growth in our economies”.
These obviously highly-intelligent people appear to be locked
into fantasy-fuelled belief that technology will rescue humanity from this
collision of economic chaos, resource depletion, over-population, governance
disorder and seemingly endless military confrontation. It won’t, we need social
solutions.
G20 leaders say their immediate task is to break the cycle
of low growth and diminished business and consumer confidence, something it
says it is well placed to achieve in Brisbane.
Should they be serious about global economic security then
they must first consider climate change; restructure the global economy to
ensure financial equality for all, end the hugely disparate earnings around the
world; understand what “sustainable” really means; ensure gender equality;
invest heavily in building resilient communities; and educate and help people
understand how they can grow and provide much of their own food.
Organic growth, and resilience, will sprout from communities
of a type sadly unlikely to be considered at Brisbane in November.
Quoting Yeats again: “Things fall apart; the centre cannot
hold”.
