Essay by Eric Worrall
According to Professor of the University of California Eve Darian-Smith, more government is the way to freedom. Building more renewables will protect us from Russia and President Trump.
Rising authoritarianism and worsening climate change share a secret fossil fuel use
Published: April 27, 2022 10.17pm AEST
Eve Darian-Smith
Professor of International and Global Studies, University of California, Irvine…
In my new book, “Global Burning: Rising Anti-Ethnicity and the Climate Crisis“I make the connection between these industries and the politicians who are stalling action on climate change and undermining democracy.
…
Enterprises embrace environmental politics
In democratic systems, elected leaders must protect the interests of the public, including from mining corporations. They do this primarily through policies designed to ensure public goods, such as clean air and unpolluted water, or to protect human welfare, such as living conditions. good work and minimum wage. But in recent decades, the core democratic principle of prioritizing citizens over corporate profits has heavily vandalized.
Today, it’s easy to find political leaders – on both the right and the left – work on behalf of corporations in the energy, financial, agribusiness, technology, military and pharmaceutical sectors, and not always in the public interest. These multinational companies help finance their political cause and election campaigns to keep them in office.
…
In “Global Burn,” I explore how three leaders of traditionally democratic nations – Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Scott Morrison in Australia and Donald Trump in the US – came to power on anti-environment and nationalist platforms, attract a far-right populist base and mining corporations that are driving climate change. While each country’s political landscape is different, the three leaders have important things in common.
Bolsonaro, Morrison and trumpet all depend on mining corporations to fund election campaigns and keep them in office or, in Trump’s case, get re-elected.
…
What can people do about it?
Fortunately, there’s a lot that people can do to protect democracy and the climate.
Replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy and reducing deforestation can cut greenhouse gas emissions. The biggest obstaclerecently UN climate report Note, that national leaders do not want to regulate fossil fuel corporations, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or plan for renewable energy production.
…
Why should it be renewable energy?
Doesn’t building nuclear power plants also help cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the West’s dependence on hostile powers?
Why can’t the US copy the successful French Nuclear Program? There is no doubt that nuclear power is safe and working, because a successful conversion to nuclear has already occurred. For example, in the 1970s, France replaces most of its fossil fuel plants with carbon-free nuclear powerand still get most of its electricity from nuclear power plants.
There’s no need to rely on hostile powers if you’re going to embrace nuclear – Australia and Canada are major global exporters of Uranium.
But as a professor of international studies, I’m sure you already know all of this.
Professor Darian-Smith, if greenhouse gas emissions and reliance on undemocratic energy suppliers are your primary concerns, not every possible option to tackle these problems is less. at least a few discussions?
I think we can all guess the answer to that question.
Related
