Every day on my facebook news feed (though admittedly less in the real news) I see another story about how humanity is ever more quickly headed for a doomsday of its own making. I often wish I could be one of those people who just sticks their head in the sand and ignores these things, but I can’t and won’t. Despite the escalating warnings it seems there is no more being done to halt, or at least decease, our destructive progress.
Countries across the world would still rather pump their money into oil and other dirty sources of energy than make larger investments in renewable energy. The soaring interest in fracking across Europe heralds this fact. I read a very interesting interview recently with an ex-Mobil VP, Louis W. Allstadt, who now campaigns against fracking in America[1] where he makes the very good point that the reason the governments and companies are getting away with rushing for a new damaging way of collecting energy is because they claim it is a “bridge fuel”. Meaning they are shaking their heads claiming they’ll just suck the earth dry for a little bit while we’re researching renewables. But as Allstadt rightly says ‘It’s not a bridge unless you build the foundations for a bridge on the other side, and nobody’s building it.’ (& being a man who used to work in the energy industry he should know these things).
This is just one of many reasons that shows governments are accepting the possibility (or maybe even reality) of irreversible climate change but are waving it off as a future problem, something that can be dealt with tomorrow. Although spending in developing renewable energy is improving, $257 billion was spent globally in the public and private sector in 2011, it still falls considerably short of the spending on oil and other natural gas (at $302 billion).[2] & I don’t think it is surprising that it is developing nations whose spending in the renewable energy sector has increased the most.[3] These countries (are &) will be hardest hit by global warming and of course it is these areas where energy sources such as solar seem relatively straightforward. Maybe this is one of the problems in developed nations like the UK. Not only can they barely stand to part with the profit and investment they can only see as possible from oil and gas exploitation, if it’s not as straight forward as “drill, baby, drill” logic things get a little too complex.
‘What!?! We have to think about which areas are best suited to different types of energy sources?? All this thinking is too much. I really don’t think the future of the planet is worth this effort.’ might be the remark of some global leader.
England produces a most damning show of disinterest in environmental crisis with the DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change), ie. the department of we need to show we give a damn about climate change somewhere, ahh just throw it in with energy. This department includes NO staff from renewable energy companies while employing at least 50 from Big Six energy companies (EDF, British Gas, etc.)[4] and generally seems to only promote unsustainable energy.
All this adds up the pretty solid fact that our governments are doing little to nothing to promote greener ways of living and save our species, and anything they actually do is often the cheapest solution to make it look like they might care. But luckily there are many people in the world who do care and are working hard to do something.
However, I feel I must make a slight criticism of these movements as well and point out that the Left seems to, SOMETIMES, have the same habit of shrugging off encroaching issues. Once again I’d like to point to the issue of fracking.
I remember the first time I heard about fracking properly; it was in 2011 at the Summer camp of Earth First!. It was a great weekend where I went to at least 2 or 3 workshops about this new method of drilling, we discussed what it was and brainstormed ways to stop it. There was also a screening of the film Gasland which showed the horrific effects of fracking in the US. Toxic water because of the water used in the process not being properly treated and returning to the supply, causing water that can catch fire and increasing health problems for people, crops and animals.[5] Once beautiful country spaces were transformed into wastelands and small towns and villages found themselves overrun by tankards ploughing through to the local sites. I was horrified to think that this could soon be happening in England.
I don’t quite remember how our local anti-fracking group in Lancaster started up but by the end of the year we were well underway organising events and having regular meetings, trying our best to raise local awareness about fracking which was (& still is) a huge threat to the north-west.
One of the things that was so frustrating was continually find myself to be one of the few people in my group of friends and other political groups that seemed to give a damn most of the time. As happy as I am to see that people are now becoming incredibly active on this issue I just wonder whether the movement could’ve been even stronger if more people had been more deeply concerned in 2011.
I’m not bashing the left or pointing a finger at people who are fighting as hard as they can against fracking now (or for that matter saying I’m a godsend for caring, as a personal experience it is just an easy example). I think everyone down at Balcombe and anyone at any protest against this threat are terrific people. All I want to point out is that maybe if there had been this energy behind the movement before perhaps they wouldn’t have even got this far.
What I’m trying to say isn’t only to do with fracking, it’s the same with a lot of other things. It sometimes seems that the Left has a tendency to get behind an issue once there is a large amount of attention already on it, and this is a problem. If we leave things until they are already in the public eye then the media and government will already have had ample chance to strongly influence the public’s mind on the issue.
I bring myself back to my personal experience campaigning against fracking as an example. I remember a rainy (read, typical) Lancaster Saturday standing in the square handing out leaflets with information against fracking. This was around spring 2012, people were beginning to be aware of fracking, it had already literally shook Blackpool.[6] Many people we talked to that day didn’t know anything about fracking, they were interested and concerned by what we had to tell them. Maybe I’m being naïve but I like to think that now those people might remember what we said (perhaps just subconsciously) and that will influence how they are considering the debate now.
I realise we can’t possibly tackle all the problems in the world as soon as they arise and I understand (from personal experience) that sometimes you just can’t make people care about things that they don’t already know about. I just worry that there are times when we leave things just that bit too late, when opinions have already been shaped and decisions irreversibly made.
Not to be one to complain and not offer alternatives here are some ways to tackle this problem and find a balance. Firstly, I think the most important thing is to focus on local issues. If there is something beginning to happen in your local area that isn’t in the public sphere yet it will be easier to get people’s attention because they will understand it as something that does affect them. If it’s possible be that first source of information on the matter. This doesn’t only have to be leafleting the streets, in fact a more effective way would to be to get someone to write about it and send it to a local paper. If the interest is there large scale protests will be a way to catch media and public attention. We need to create the buzz rather than latch on to one already there.
I don’t mean to moan and nag but if our government is going to do nothing then we have to up our game. We need to be fighting before the problems are allowed to get underway. We need mass resistance before they can see a profit. If the dollar signs are already in their eyes make them disappear with the cost of PR campaigns and other expenses. We need to be there before they are, we need to send a strong and early message and not act too late to make a change because it is getting to a stage where we simply can’t afford to.
Lost in the Industrial Jungle 