The Long Emergency: Politics Vs. Reality

Administrative note: I'll probably do these posts on Tuesdays or Wednesdays going forward, not Mondays.

Anyway, the United States is the only country in the OECD in which one of the major political parties -- in fact the current ruling party -- denies the reality of anthropogenic climate change. Now they are even going so far as to organize a fake "scientific" panel to discredit the established, incontrovertible scientific truth of what humans are doing to the planet, including themselves. The Resident has appointed a crank named William Happer to the National Security Panel with the specific responsibility of discrediting the scientific consensus. Now the administration is even calling LNG "molecules of freedom." This is completely insane of course.

While the Democratic candidates for president all recognize the urgency of humanity's situation, to varying degrees and with varying emphasis, the Democratic National Committee is trying to downplay the issue, whether because they think it isn't a winner with the voters or they don't want to alienate donors. I would have to say the latter is the correct explanation.

What you need to do is take action. Extinction Rebellion U.S. has arrived. This is their manifesto:

We Demand:

These demands only represent XR US. They are still in the process of development.

1

That the Government must tell the truth about the climate and wider ecological emergency, it must reverse all policies not in alignment with that position and must work alongside the media to communicate the urgency for change including what individuals, communities and businesses need to do.

2

The Government must enact legally-binding policies to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025 and take further action to remove the excess of atmospheric greenhouse gases. It must cooperate internationally so that the global economy runs on no more than half a planet’s worth of resources per year.

3

We do not trust our Government to make the bold, swift and long-term changes necessary to achieve these changes and we do not intend to hand further power to our politicians. Instead we demand a Citizens’ Assembly to oversee the changes, as we rise from the wreckage, creating a democracy fit for purpose.

4

We demand a just transition that prioritizes the most vulnerable people and indigenous sovereignty; establishes reparations and remediation led by and for Black people, Indigenous people, people of color and poor communities for years of environmental injustice, establishes legal rights for ecosystems to thrive and regenerate in perpetuity, and repairs the effects of ongoing ecocide to prevent extinction of human and all species, in order to maintain a livable, just planet for all.

Creating a democracy fit for purpose. Now there's an idea.