Mitigation hostage to profit and growth

Mitigation of the world’s CO2 emissions is hostage to the capitalist profit and growth scenario.

Evidence of that can be seen today in a Melbourne Age today by environment reporter, Tom Arup, headed “Australian coal mining threatens CO2 target”.

Arup talked with the chief executive of the Minerals Council of Australia, Mitch Hooke, who pointed out, and probably correctly, that the proposal to stop Australia’s coal exports wouldn’t stop global coal use.

He said such a move, “Will just send Australian jobs offshore and deprive state and federal governments of billions in revenue.”

Hooke is correct, but someone, somewhere has to illustrate the courage and clarity of thinking to make decisions and take action to begin to end the pollution of our atmosphere.

Many would argue: “Why us?” and a reasonable response is “Why not?”

Undoubtedly the advocates of the continued mining, sale and use of coal could easily produce and array of catastrophic figures illustrating how and end to Australia’s coal exports would mean an end to modern Australia.

Equally those who advocate societal changes aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change could equally easily illustrate that the maintenance of a pattern that was simply business as usual will decimate Australian society,

The argument of the coal lobby is based on rude, brute figures that enforce costs against the commons while those attempting to mitigate climate change use science, reason and logic to illustrate their argument.

Science, reason and logic trump profit and growth.

At some stage, someone must ”draw first” – someone, somewhere has to decide that the welfare of our planet, and by implication the life that depends upon it, are more important than profit and growth.