Stephen Barlow Profile picture
Jun 3, 2022 8 tweets 2 min read Read on X
People often ask what I mean by system change re: the climate and ecological crisis. It is very simple. I mean a full shift to a truly sustainable society/economy. This means changing more or less every convention of our modern society.
Sustainable means what it says. A society and economy in balance with the ecological carrying capacity of the Earth. Essentially that means no unsustainable trends, where our impact on the natural systems of the world is growing.
You see, in ecological terms, if there is a component, where it's impact on natural systems is constantly growing. Eventually it will have catastrophic effects, impacting also on the component driving it i.e. human society.
Lots of natural components have growing impacts. Let's say an exploding population of rodents. But this is eventually counteracted, by a sudden fall in the population of that rodent. Often, it produces a cycle or rise and fall.
Humans appear to have got out of this cycle and effect, by using innovation to get around what would cause that contraction in that growth. For instance, the use of fertilisers and pesticides.
But this is at the cost of destroying other ecosystem components and biodiversity, which in a long loop, will eventually have serious impacts on us, that we can't innovate our way out of.
There is no simple recipe for creating a sustainable society economy. However, if we don't want our population, our civilization, our society and economy to crash, it is essential.
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More from @SteB777

Jul 25
Some time, we need to have a conversation about "Manufactured Consent", because it is a huge factor in the climate and ecological crisis, where it is falsely implied, that humanity has consented to the business as usual system, driving us to global suicide.
1/🧵
I don't necessarily mean Noam Chomsky's definition of it, or Alex Carey's original framing of it. Neither of which I've read. This is because, as usual, I'm far more concerned about the phenomenon, rather than other people's framing of it.
2/
By manufactured consent, I simply mean the illusion, that because of supposed democracy, people have consented to our current system, and the governance of it, which is clearly a lie. The overall framework, was imposed on us well before the majority had any vote.
3/
Read 23 tweets
Jul 23
I've made this point before, that the biggest problem for the Conservative Party, is going to be their loss of corporate and vested interest backing. As vested interests and rich donors, were only interested in influencing government policy.

1/theguardian.com/politics/artic…
For this to be viable, the Conservative Party, either had to be in power, or at least have some realistic prospect of winning power, or at least influencing government policy in the near future. The Tories have so few MPs, they have no prospects or ability to influence.
2/
In fact, the modern Conservative Party, had become little more than a vehicle for vested interests, if it had ever being anything other than that. The main difference is, it had become nothing but that.
3/
Read 16 tweets
Jul 21
The @guardian should be thoroughly ashamed for publishing this steaming pile of sophistry. It's why I regard it as having a troublesome position. Yes, it has better climate crisis coverage, but that is because the rest are dire, it's just less dire.

1/🧵theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
The premise of the argument is that whilst the sentences given to @RogerHallamCS21 et al, are harsh, that @JustStop_Oil are using the wrong tactics, because they are inconveniencing ordinary road users. This is such an ignorant argument, from a position of privilege.
2/
Firstly, the elephant in the room, and this is why this argument, is sophistry, about traffic delays, people missing appointments, is it tacitly implies, that without @JustStop_Oil protests, the traffic would flow freely.
3/
Read 20 tweets
Jul 19
I see there are a lot of gullible Tory Press reading muppets, trotting out the lie that people died because of @JustStop_Oil protests, ambulance delays etc.

Are they not aware of how many people died, because of ambulance delays in general.

1/3theguardian.com/society/2023/m…
I mean, come on, it is not @JustStop_Oil protests that delayed ambulances for up to 15 hours. However, it is the policy promoted by the same said Tory Press and their proprietors that caused these deaths. Where are their trials and prosecutions?
2/3
independent.co.uk/news/uk/nhs-en…
Anyone opposed to taxing the very rich, to pay for these public services, is culpable for massively more deaths, due to ambulance delays, than @JustStop_Oil. The wealth of the very rich is massively increasing. They can afford to pay far more tax.
3/4
Read 5 tweets
Jul 14
In my opinion, the greatest obstacle to addressing the climate and ecological crisis, is what I call the "walk around problem" of perception and thinking.

This is where, in their thinking, people can just walk around inconvenient reality, as if it isn't there.
1/🧵
Therefore, although the climate and ecological crisis, is demonstrable, and supported by the science, it is possible for even intelligent, and otherwise sensible people, to just walk around the inconvenient truth, and to not acknowledge the situation.
2/
The huge problem, is the ease and simplicity from which it is possible, to totally ignore, and not even think about inconvenient realities, even for one second.

This is quite easy to observe, with the climate crisis, and much other suffering in the world.
3/
Read 26 tweets
Jul 12
I'd like to clarify my position on capitalism, as I am often mistakenly criticized for not being critical of it, or blaming it for driving the climate and ecological crisis.

Anyone reading my commenting, should be aware this is implicit in my critique.
1/🧵
My main caution about criticizing "capitalism" per se, is not that I am an advocate or apologist for capitalism, but that in reality, there is no clear or generally understood definition as to what capitalism actually is. There is no defining ideology of it.
2/
Capitalism, is essentially the investment of excess wealth for big returns on your investment. Whilst this can be traced back to ancient times, it really came to the fore, during the first voyages of colonization by the European powers.
3/
Read 25 tweets

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