ONE TOWN SQUARE: at the intersection of peak oil, climate change, and land use

James Gustave Speth, co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council and long-time environmental insider, laments in an article at The Nation:

“Sadly, while environmentalists have been winning many battles, we are losing the planet.”

He sees that mainstream environmentalism, working within the system, has proved largely incapable of coping with the forces of capitalism. He warns:

“Working only within the system will, in the end, not succeed. Transformative change in the system itself is needed.”

We must transform economic activity into something benign and restorative. The most important of these prescriptions range far beyond the traditional environmental agenda.

Economic growth – and the consumerism it depends on – are at the root of our environmental crisis. Solving our environmental and social problems requires that we focus instead on satisfying environmental and social needs directly rather than as a hoped-for byproduct of economic growth. Reality is starkly discrediting the assumption that economic growth automatically results in better quality of life.

“Affluent countries must become postgrowth societies where jobs and work life, the environment, communities and the public sector are no longer sacrificed to push up GDP.”

Speth chides environmentalists for shying away from demanding serious personal changes and calls the reluctance to challenge consumption a “big mistake.”

“Psychological studies show that materialism is toxic to happiness and that more income and more possessions do not lead to a lasting sense of well-being or satisfaction with life. What make people happy are warm personal relationships and giving rather than getting. Many people are trying to fight back against consumerism and commercialization. They say, Confront consumption. Practice sufficiency. Create social environments where overconsumption is viewed as silly, wasteful, ostentatious. Create commercial-free zones. Buy local. Eat slow food. Simplify your life. Downshift.”

We need a new politics and new social movement powerful enough to drive change. Speth calls for environmentalists to join social progressives to address the crisis of inequality unraveling our social fabric and undermining democracy.

“Our best hope for change is a fusion of those concerned about environmental sustainability, social justice and political democracy into one progressive force.”

John McGrath at Gristmill I think rightly points out that the argument for addressing climate change must be on moral grounds. The solution is, in essence, simple – yet our politics refuses to act:

“The outlines of the solution are clear: decrease CO2 emissions to zero using renewable energy, and then start pulling out the stuff we’ve already dumped in our sky-sewer. And yet the solution, clear as day, has eluded our politics.”

McGrath compares global warming to the issue of slavery . . .

“We’re faced with a similarly stark choice today. We can either keep emitting GHGs and all die, or we can stop.

. . . and realistically points out that just because something must happen to save us does not mean that it will happen. McGrath points to an example from Canada:  the left-wing party quickly disavowed comments from a rookie candidate who said that the tar sands would have to be shut down. Of course, he was correct, but we mustn’t say such things in public. Even on the left.

As even David Letterman says, we are so screwed.