LISTEN. Went to see the otherworldly Chihuly at Cheekwood exhibition the other night. Highly recommended, especially when it's not raining.
Today in Environmental Ethics we turn to Naomi Klein's On Fire: The Burning Case for a Green New Deal. "Delving into topics ranging from the clash between ecological time and our culture of “perpetual now,” to the soaring history of humans changing and evolving rapidly in the face of grave threats, to rising white supremacy and fortressed borders as a form of 'climate barbarism,'" she has Greta's endorsement as "an inspirer of generations.”
And she endorses Kim Stanley Robinson's rejection of resignation in the face of inevitability. It ain't over 'til it's over. (Go Rays.)
Speaking of Greta and the generations, the stinging chorus of scolding young voices ("You don't learn these things [anthropogenic climate change etc.] in school"..."You sold our future, just for profit!"... "You have failed us all so terribly") should bother all "boomers," whether captains of industry or mere consumers. But of course the Exxons and BPs and Shells have more oil on their hands, and in our oceans.
"If emissions have to stop, then we must stop the emissions. To me that is black or white," Greta says.
Klein has authored The Leap Manifesto, calling not for a leap of faith but of conscience and commitment.
We could live in a country powered entirely by renewable energy, woven together by accessible public transit, in which the jobs and opportunities of this transition are designed to systematically eliminate racial and gender inequality. Caring for one another and caring for the planet could be the economy’s fastest growing sectors. Many more people could have higher wage jobs with fewer work hours, leaving us ample time to enjoy our loved ones and flourish in our communities.
We know that the time for this great transition is short. Climate scientists have told us that this is the decade to take decisive action to prevent catastrophic global warming. That means small steps will no longer get us where we need to go.
Will a Green New Deal take us where we need to go? What's actually in H. Res. 109?
This resolution calls for the creation of a Green New Deal with the goals of
- achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions;
- establishing millions of high-wage jobs and ensuring economic security for all;
- investing in infrastructure and industry;
- securing clean air and water, climate and community resiliency, healthy food, access to nature, and a sustainable environment for all; and
- promoting justice and equality.
The resolution calls for accomplishment of these goals through a 10-year national mobilization effort. The resolution also enumerates the goals and projects of the mobilization effort, including
- building smart power grids (i.e., power grids that enable customers to reduce their power use during peak demand periods);
- upgrading all existing buildings and constructing new buildings to achieve maximum energy and water efficiency;
- removing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation and agricultural sectors;
- cleaning up existing hazardous waste and abandoned sites;
- ensuring businesspersons are free from unfair competition; and
- providing higher education, high-quality health care, and affordable, safe, and adequate housing to all.
Some call that socialism, and some are sadly incapable of thinking beyond tired old cliches. "How are we going to pay for it?" We're going to pay a far steeper price if we don't leap. We'll pay with tomorrow.
But won't it be nice to look back, from the other side, and realize how smart it was to be bold?
Do we have a right to be hopeful? With political and ecological fires raging all around, is it irresponsible to imagine a future world radically better than our own? A world without prisons? Of beautiful, green public housing? Of buried border walls? Of healed ecosystems? A world where governments fear the people instead of the other way around?
“A Message From the Future II: The Years of Repair” is an animated short film that dares to dream of a future in which 2020 is a historic turning point, where the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic and global uprisings against racism drive us to build back a better society in which no one is sacrificed and everyone is essential.
The film is a sequel to the 2019 Emmy-nominated short film “A Message From the Future” with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez... Produced with The Leap, https://theleap.org... Watch Part 1 "A Message from the Future" with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9uTH...
"Young people are ready for this kind of deep change," I just hope enough of them are ready and willing to vote out the old people who are standing in their way. Early voting here lasts through Thursday, folks.
Today in CoPhi we finish the Little History with Rawls's Veil, Searle's Chinese Room, Turing's Test (and Depp's Transcendence), and Singer's Effective Altruism.
And then we'll begin Susan Neiman's Why Grow Up? She says you're fooling yourself if you think youth is the happiest time of life. Ask Grandfather Philosophy. Enlightened maturity is best, though her hero Kant was more about deserving than actually achieving happiness. We should go for both. You should not have to "renounce your hopes and dreams" to get what you want and need.
So again: please vote.
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