The threat of climate change and global warming, fueled by relentless commercialization and excessive consumption, has turned into a fighting ground for both policymakers and concerned citizens. The coming decade is set to determine not only a collective response to reducing carbon emissions, but the entire future direction for international development and the global justice movement.
Climate change cannot be treated as a single-policy issue. The challenge of weaning the industrialised world from its dependence on fossil fuels requires a multi-faceted effort, including public investment, effective carbon pricing and smart regulatory standards, writes James K. Boyce.
The Earth Summit planned for 2012 already demonstrates another formula for failure, with different regions and countries clearly vying to protect
the business and trading interests of the big corporations that keep
the rich rich and the poor poor. But there is still cause for hope, writes Uchita de Zoysa.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill shows that public goods, such as a healthy environment, are far too valuable to be put at risk for the benefit of private interests. A public agency, such as a ‘common asset trust’, is required to act as a trustee for our natural capital assets, writes Robert Costanza et al.
Together with the corporate world, many NGOs support the use of market mechamisms to deal with the world's ecological crises. New environmental commodities may prove profitable, but the idea that their creation will incentivise sustainable resource use is fallacious, says Sian Sullivan.
The planetary crisis of climate change is defined by a lack of vision; we see a darkening void where our future ought to be. For the sake of generations to come, we must demand long-term goals and bold immediate commitments from governments and institutions, says Alex Steffen.
As global wealth rises, unsustainable production and consumption patterns are threatening the planet's life support systems. Transformational measures are needed to ‘decouple’ economic growth from environmental damage, says a report by the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management.
The rising tide of economic growth has failed to lift all boats and is now promising to be environmentally disastrous. In the face of anthropogenic climate change, global poverty and growing inequality, we must urgently reassess our obsession with GDP, argues Rajesh Makwana.