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1) What the situation in Belarus illustrates, is how even brutal dictators need public support, and are powerless when the public stand up to them. This lesson has profound implications for how we address the climate and ecological emergency.
2) Ultimately, people make a decision about what is, and what is not in their best interests. They will ignore the brutality and corruption of a regime, if their lives continue in a reasonable way. But will act when they see that regime threatens their well being and future.
3) Most people, quite mistakenly do not see the climate and ecological crisis as a threat to their lives and well being. They mistakenly perceive it is the growth based economy which sustains them, not the natural systems, which actually sustains the economy.
4) It is pointless suggesting solutions to the problem, when there is no will, no public pressure to implement these solutions, because the public mistakenly perceives the threat as not critical or imminent. Solutions are pointless unless there is the will to implement them.
5) Prominent people have been suggesting solutions to this crisis for 50 years. The 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment set out a framework of solutions to the sustainability crisis, which still exists. See it actually says "Action Plan"!
https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/CONF.48/14/REV.1
https://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/CONF.48/14/REV.1
6) The Brundtland Commission (the UN body set up to examine sustainability) and it's report our Common Future), which led to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, only happened as no progress had been made on the 1972 plans.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brundtland_Commission
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brundtland_Commission
7) In 1973 "Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered" by E.F.Schumacher was published. It was a template for a sustainable economy which was massively influential at the time.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Is_Beautiful
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_Is_Beautiful
8) There has been no lack of plans to address this ecological sustainability crisis. There have been hundreds of such plans. The only problem being none of them ever got or get implemented. A plan, a solution is only any good if it is implemented.
9) The failure to implement these plans were not because they were not good enough. The leadership of the time made a big song and dance to the public, about how they would implement these plans, except they didn't.
10) Rather what our political and business leaders did, is promised to implement these plans and solutions, dragged their heels, procrastinated, and when they thought everyone had forgotten about what they promised to do, they kicked them off into the long grass.
11) I get very angry when the young people of #FridaysForFuture and @GretaThunberg are criticised for not having solutions to the problem. It's not their fault that our leaders have failed to implement any of the countless plans and solutions over the last 50 years.
12) It's a complete myth, an absolute falsehood that a lack of plans and solutions is the problem. I've just proven this with plans and solutions from 48 years ago, and there have been numerous such plans and solutions since. The problem has been the failure to implement them.
13) @GretaThunberg is one of the few people who sees the overall situation very clearly, and who understands that until this situation is truly seen as a crisis, until the media and our leaders acknowledge it as a crisis, there will be no public pressure to address the crisis.
14) Greta and the other prominent youngsters of #FridaysForFuture are not all knowing experts. But they do clearly point to the crisis which is not being addressed. The most important aspect of effective problem solving is acknowledging the problem and understanding it.
15) A small proportion of the population, say 10%, but in actuality the top 1% benefit from the current system driving the climate and ecological crisis. They lead luxury lifestyles, have power, wealth and status that they would not enjoy in a sustainable economy.
16) So those who perceive themselves as benefiting from business as usual, procrastinate, and don't want things to change for as long as possible. Always putting off addressing the problem, until a bit further in the future, and then a bit more, and so on.
17) The problem is everyone in influential or decision making position is one of those people benefiting the most with wealth, status and a much more luxurious lifestyle than most. They control everything, governments, bureaucracy, the media, education, even NGOs.
18) It's what I call, a conspiracy of common purpose. Because of their luxury lifestyles, wealth and status, which would be lost in a transition to a sustainable economy, they all have a common interest in putting off action for as long as possible.
19) It's not the evil conspiracy of fiction, although there are more knowing and manipulative cliques within this clique. It is just an issue of them being reluctant to saw off the luxury lifestyle, high status life, they are perched on.
20) It's not just that this clique can delay action because they are in key decision making positions. Their control of the media, the education system, the bureaucracy, even our NGOs, mean they have control over public perception of the crisis.
21) It is very important to understand that I am not saying this clique benefiting from the current system are evil and are knowingly taking use towards global suicide for selfish reasons. They are just delaying action.
22) People are unconsciously influenced, when they are personally benefiting from a set of circumstances. This has been common knowledge for a long time. Unfortunately, we are relying on people taking action, who want to put it off for as long as possible.
23) To conclude. I'm saying until enough of the public demand action, this clique delaying action to address the climate and ecological crisis, will carry on delaying action for as long as they possibly can. They demand plans as a delaying tactic.
24) We must focus on a singular vision of the crisis, of the problem, and a clear vision of where the current system is leading us to. We must illustrate how it is not in anyone's best interest to continue as we are. Plans and solutions at this point are a complete red herring.
