alanjjohnstone
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https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-51857722
Jem Bendell, a professor in sustainable leadership at the University of Cumbria, is the author of an academic article, Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy, which has become the closest thing to a manifesto for a generation of self-described “climate doomers”. In it, he argues that it is too late for us to avoid “the inevitability of societal collapse” caused by climate change. Instead, we are facing a “near-term” breakdown of civilisation – near-term meaning within about a decade.
But Bendell’s stark predictions have been dismissed by prominent climate scientists. Prof Michael Mann, one of the world’s most renowned, describes Bendell’s paper as “pseudo-scientific nonsense”.
“To me, the Bendell paper is a perfect storm of misguidedness and wrongheadedness,” Mann says. “It is wrong on the science and its impacts. There is no credible evidence that we face ‘inevitable near-term collapse’.”
What’s more, Mann claims, Bendell’s “doomist framing” is “disabling” and will “lead us down the very same path of inaction as outright climate change denial. Fossil fuel interests love this framing.” Bendell is, he says, “a poster child for the dangerous new strain of crypto-denialism”.Myles Allen, professor of Geosystem Science at the University of Oxford says, “Predictions of societal collapse in the next few years as a result of climate change seem very far-fetched,” “So far, the system’s responded to greenhouse gas emissions almost exactly as predicted. So to say it’s about to change and become much worse is speculation. Honestly this kind of material is at the level of science of the anti-vax campaign.”
Allen agrees with Mann that the paper’s pessimism is liable to make people feel powerless. “Lots of people are using this kind of catastrophism to argue that there’s no point in reducing emissions,” he says.
However
“With global emissions continuing to rise, and no signs that the Paris targets will be respected, Jem Bendell has some justification in taking the strong position that it is already too late and we’d better prepare to deal with the collapse of the globalised economic system,” says Prof Will Steffen, from Australia’s Climate Change Council. “Jem may, in fact, be ‘ahead of the game’ in warning us about what we might need to prepare for.”
He adds that there is a “credible risk” that even a 2C rise in global average temperatures above pre-industrial levels could initiate a “a tipping cascade… taking our climate system out of our control and on to a Hothouse Earth state”.
“I can’t say for sure that Jem Bendell is right… but we certainly can’t rule it out.”
Weighing up nationalisation plans to cope with the economic consequences of coronavirus
Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said France might nationalise big companies.
NYC mayor De Blasio on MSNBC and CNN calling for nationalisation
Airlines, rail and bus companies could be temporarily nationalised to protect them from the economic fallout from coronavirus, the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, suggested
The USA settles upon a certain amount of helicoptering
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51932403
“Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he supports sending money directly to Americans as part of a $1tn (£830bn) stimulus aimed at averting an economic crisis caused by the coronavirus.
“We’re looking at sending cheques to Americans immediately,” he said.
The $250bn (£207bn) in cheques are part of a huge aid package which the White House is discussing with Congress.”UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak promised grants, relief from business rates and government-backed loans worth more than £300bn.
France announced it would guarantee hundreds of billions of euros worth of loans, alongside a 45 billion euro package to help businesses and affected employees.
And, Jack, another way to help the Party online is our blogs
https://socialismoryourmoneyback.blogspot.com/
We are always looking for new contributors or simply having our attention drawn to media stories of interest.
“helicopter money,” or free cash for everyone as if it were dropped from the sky. After years of the idea occupying the margins of economic thought, it is gaining currency among economists and policymakers as a cure for coronavirus.
“Naomi Klein is another personality who believes that the problem is Donald Trump instead of the whole capitalist system around the world.”
I think you do Klein disservice, Marcos.
We might not agree with her version of radical reformist ideas to re-shape capitalism but she began long before Trump appeared on the scene.
“No Logo” – 1999
“The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism” – 2007
I think we can have some sympathy with the view that the status quo establishment politicians will use the present pandemic to extend their reactionary authoritarian policies.
But that it also offers an opportunity for ourselves to expand upon our vision for the future, one of mutual aid and social planning.
“Prof Jonathan Van-Tam told the BBC, he could not rule out the strict measures having to last for a year but predicted they would last at least “several months”.”
Bad news for Summer School, bad news for ADM, bad news for EC and branch meetings.
We’ll have to come up with a plan and that may well mean spending money on alternatives, not just the equipment and the software but if we cannot do it ourselves, we might have to consult professional specialists to help out.
Cde. Mike Foster it seems if there is no change will now have the added weight and responsibility of re-arranging Summer School and re-negotiating with Fircroft College so we all wish him well and will understand and support his decisions.
While the rest of the world panic buys tissues and face-masks, Americans rush to the gun-stores
“There was almost no interest in hunting rifles… there was big demand for AR-15 semi-automatic assault-style rifles.”
This story sort of reminded me of the Lucas Plan from the 1970s. Defence work could be re-tooled for socially necessary production
We need a strategy of maintaining party organisation and activity if this scenario is accurate
“The coronavirus epidemic in the UK will last until next spring”
Once more, the importance of armchair at home self-isolated internet online advocacy of the socialist case becomes very evident and Robbo’s 10 minutes a month recommended campaign has to be 10 minutes a week, and, ideally, ten minutes a day.
As mentioned earlier, a few of us had been suggesting interactive videoing of conference (and even EC meetings) – A lost opportunity. If we had acted sooner on the issue, we would be in a better place today…yes I know hindsight is 20/20 vision and nobody ever had the foresight to imagine a pandemic and possible lock-down restrictions on gatherings.
Just saying because this offers an opportunity to spur the party into investigating virtual meetings, particularly if this epidemic does last a year and perhaps become a recurring event in future years as it mutates like ordinary flu does.
I know a few EC meetings had one or two members participate via Skype. Now to fully roll it out and see if it suffices or an alternative video-conferencing download might be better.
Matt reported the disappointing result of Edinburgh branch’s attempt at conducting an online meeting. I hope he perseveres. If it is the quality of computers, then we should perhaps identify better equipment or better software and provide for the use of branches.
NE Regional Branch have had a number of attempts but never with very much success.
Hopefully we can resolve these outstanding issues.
If this is a prolonged epidemic which will affect Summer School, ADM, and next year’s Annual Conference, the time is now to begin experimenting with internet tools.
Summer School speakers on Skype.
Questions and feedback by some form email.
ADM could be a trial of all members with access to the internet getting involved in exchanges.
An article supporting the above post
The Coronavirus Pandemic Proves That We Can Overcome the Climate Crisis—If We Want To
“…it is possible for nations to significantly reduce vehicular and power plant emissions, which would result in better air quality and a lessening of other global warming gases, specifically carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is the primary driver of climate change. Of course, that would also mean a reduction in productivity, which would impact the economy… It’s highly unlikely since we don’t treat the climate crisis with the same urgency as we have done with the coronavirus pandemic…”
