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| CHANGE THE SYSTEM NOT THE CLIMATE |
“It’s blindingly obvious that our economic system is failing us,” said economist Tim Jackson, a professor of sustainable development at the University of Surrey in the UK. “It is a travesty of what economy should be. It has absolutely failed to create social well being and has hurt people and communities around the world.”
Jackson and number of ecological economists say the current self-destructive economy must be transformed into one that delivers a shared and lasting prosperity. This kind of Green Economy is far beyond business as usual with some clean technology thrown in. It is what Jackson calls a “fit-for-purpose economy” that is stable, based on equity and provides decent, satisfying livelihoods while treading lightly on the earth. The current growth-worshiping consumption economy is “perverse” and at odds with human nature and our real needs, he said. “Prosperity isn’t just about having more stuff,” he said. “Prosperity is the art of living well on a finite planet.”
With powerful vested interests in the current economy, making this transformation will be difficult but it is already starting to happen at the community level according to Jackson and co-author Peter Victor of Canada’s York University.
Sadly these well-intentioned academics' proposed alternative is another form of capitalism which is not capable of superseding the current system. Community banks, credit unions and cooperative investment schemes that enhance local communities, creating local currencies and community-owned energy projects simply cannot prevail against the power and dominance of an alliance of corporations and governments. And even if they were to, it would be only a matter of time before in the search for profits to sustain their existence , these enterprises will revert back to the inherent base nature of exploitative capitalism.
1 comment:
Hello. I am from the Philippines and I was a pre-school teacher. It's been 6 years since I've stepped into a classroom as an educator and now, I am trying to find my purpose and my next step in life. I have listened and watched numerous videos to find out what that is. I've seen documentaries on ancient civilizations, the roots of Christianity, and specials on nature. I was trying to make sense of it all, which is what a pre-school teacher does before making a self-contained lesson plan, aimed at relating all subject areas.
Just as I would wish to interrelate all subject areas to make learning more meaningful for my kids and teaching, more fulfilling for me, I now try to make sense of the world, and the place of human beings in it. How do we make life more purposeful and interesting for ourselves---so that we are not merely running around in circles and doing what we've always done in our daily lives? I know that this world as we know it, which is no longer working for us....is in dire need of change.
We need to start from the beginning with our children and educate them differently with values and the passion for learning and investing in the future for them and their children's children. We should start raising children who are fully aware of what their place is on this planet.
This is why the talk of Mr. Tim Jackson on TED talks made so much sense to me. It put everything together just as I had played around with the ideas in my mind.
This is why I know that there is an urgent need to put these ideas in the classrooms and into our lesson plans. I need a place to start.
I hope this message gets through to Mr. Jackson...as I don't know how to reach him. I will try to do my share where I am...
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