OMNI CLIMATE MEMO MONDAYS, #177, MAY 6, 2024. Compiled by Dick Bennett.
Patrick Mazza on Convergences of Ecological Overshoot, Wars, Billionaires.
Friends Committee on National
Legislation Knows the Connections and Responds.
Convergence of Climate Crisis, Overshoot of Ecological
Boundaries, Concentration of Wealth, Expansion of Militarism, Wars.
PATRICK MAZZA. “A
World Going in the Wrong Direction.“
counterpunch
(MARCH 28, 2024).
The converging crises facing our
world today shout out the fact that their roots are systemic. Tinkering around
the edges won’t solve these problems, because they are embedded in the systems
logic itself. The climate crisis is the signature of
this. While definite progress has been made in deploying low-carbon energy
technologies, overall carbon pollution has continued to increase because of the
systemic economic and political assumptions under which dominant institutions operate.
The same is true of the general crisis
of ecological overshoot in which climate is a
major factor but by no means the whole picture. Scientists led by the Stockholm
Resilience Center have been looking at ecological boundaries which mark out the
safe space for human civilization and the Earth as a whole. Last September they
announced the results of the first-ever evaluation of all 9 processes that
preserve stability and resilience. Six boundaries have already been breached
including the condition of climate, land, water, and the biosphere, as well as
overloading of phosphorus and nitrogen, and introduction of novel entities such
as microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. This all suggests, scientists
wrote, ‘that Earth is now well outside the safe operating
space for humanity.’”
These
facts underscore the necessity for transformative change in economic and
political systems. Massive resources must be devoted to transforming the
basic elements of human society, including how we gain energy and materials to
produce goods and services, how we grow our food, how we get around, how we
build our buildings, how we deal with waste products. That entails redirection
in how we invest capital.
Two
significant indicators that our world is not getting it are the dramatic
accumulation of wealth upwards and record military spending. Over the past
4 years billionaire
wealth in the U.S. alone has shot up 88%, from $2.9 trillion in
2020 to $5.5 trillion today. The top 10, led by Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk,
account for $1.4 trillion of that. Globally, as a
2022, the richest 1% owned 46% of world wealth. No
doubt that percentage has increased since. Would the planet be going into
ecological overshoot if these people were investing in a way that created a
resilient future? Obviously, they’re not. Sure, some are putting money into
low-carbon technologies and environmental philanthropy, but the overwhelming
preponderance of their investments and businesses still propels overshoot.
Whatever they are doing does not address the systemic roots of the crisis.
Meanwhile, world
militaries gobbled a record $2.2 trillion in 2023, up
9% over 2022, and another record is expected in 2024, the International
Institute for Strategic Studies reported. That no doubt is a lowball, since
real spending by the largest military power, the U.S., was estimated
at $1.5 trillion in 2022, double the nominal budget. All the while wars
rage on in Europe, the Mideast and Africa, and direct conflict between great
powers is predicted. The frightful words World War III are increasingly
on people’s lips. . . . MORE click on title
Resistance, One of Our Best Peacemakers Responds: Friends
Committee for National Legislation (FCNL) Series on connections among climate
change, migration, and peacebuilding.
The most recent article in this series was written by
Sofia Guerra, who supports our Nuclear Disarmament and Pentagon Spending
Program, and Carla Montilla, who supports our climate work: https://www.fcnl.org/updates/2024-03/climate-change-drives-instability-military-responses-will-only-make-us-less-safe.
Susan Nahvi, Major Gifts Officer
snahvi@fcnl.org |
202-899-5189
245 2nd St NE | Washington, DC 20002
fcnl.org I F Like I T Follow I Insta
Follow
Tell Congress: Ceasefire Now! (As does FCNL’s sister Quaker org. AFSC).
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