Memory of the tragic Greek protests of a few weeks ago are fading fast, washed away in the never ending gush of Gulf Oil or rendered insignificant by Israeli bloody arrogance.Yet something in this report on Dublin protest organised by the Workers Solidarity Movement struck me as defining the greater problem. Maybe it’s the slogan they adopted -
“They didn’t share the wealth, why should we share the pain? Make the rich pay for the crisis”
because it seems to have far reaching connotations, one that I want to draw is the problem of anthropogenic global warming.
I’m an not going to debate the science, I’m not a scientist but my experience after 50 odd years on this part of the planet and what I see and read about other parts of the world as well as what I understand of the science and the opinion of scientists leads to a unshakeable conviction that our thirst for carbon multiplied by the sheer numbers involved has destabilised the relatively benign climatic condition the human race has enjoyed for the last 10,000 years. What’s more, the change now built into the system plus the potential for even more carbon to make its way into the atmosphere as well as the potential for methane liberated by warming the vast northern tundras creates a world changing scenario.
Now the denialist have tried to paint this picture as alarmist but that’s a tactic to divert attention from the causes and delay meaningful action to avert catastrophe. The conclusion we need to draw is that the denialist camp is part of the powers that be, maintaining the status quo as long as possible is their principle objective since the system as it is, continues to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of a tiny elite.
The principle argument is this, avoiding the worst consequences of catastrophic climate change requires action on a scale similar to that which we see in times of war. The material wealth of world and our collective intellectual capacity needs to be harnessed if we are to peacefully avert the threats to humanity posed by carbon enhanced natural disasters. I have chosen war and peacefully here deliberately since war has historically been waged by the elite to defend privilege yet the stakes and technology have far surpassed any chance that war will be neatly constrained by geographic borders. War could easily wipe out the human race. It is not an option, but the only alternative is for the rich to disgorge some or most of their wealth and for the rest of us to work creatively and collectively to reduce our carbon pollution. Pretending we can go on as we are is surely the highest folly.
The anti-capitalist blocs to the Dail | Anarchist Writers.
