World Leaders COP Out
The climate pact achieved at COP26 was woefully inadequate. We could be in for over four degrees Fahrenheit of warming this century over pre-industrial temperatures, and some scenarios would put us closer to eight degrees. In this episode, Paul Sutton shares his observations from Glasgow, and we get assessments from a few other noted experts.
Policymakers are not willing to embrace any climate actions that give up economic growth, but economic growth virtually guarantees climate disaster. The bottom line: only drastic policy and behavior changes will avoid a very bleak future.
Sutton is a Professor in the Department of Geography & the Environment at the University of Denver. He served as an official delegate for the American Association of Geographers (AAG) at the COP26 UN Climate Summit in Glasgow in early November of 2021. He is not speaking for the AAG in this episode. One interesting class Paul teaches is Envisioning Utopia Through the Lens of a Wellbeing Economy.
Also: recommended reading, and the new movie, Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
The Titanic cartoon in this episode’s graphic was created for the GrowthBusters project by artist/writer Stephanie McMillan.
The GrowthBusters theme song was written and produced by Jake Fader and sung by Carlos Jones.
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:
Running Out of Gas – Episode 26 of the GrowthBusters podcast, with Paul Sutton and James Ward
GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth – documentary now free on YouTubePlanet of the Humans documentary
More Fun, Less Stuff – Episode 55 of the GrowthBusters podcast, with Mike Nickerson
COP26: If We Don’t Know Where We’re Going, We Will End Up Someplace Else – by Paul Sutton
Bankers Took Over the Climate Change Summit. That’s Bad for Democracy
Soylent Green – trailer; see the movie on YouTube, AppleTV, Vudu and elsewhere
The Powell Memo and links to many essays about it
The Powell Memo – a critical book excerpt about the memo
A Finer Future – by L. Hunter Lovins, Stewart Wallis, Anders Wijkman, and John Fullerton
Quick Take from Katharine Hayhoe of The Nature Conservancy
Planet in Crisis podcast from Scientists Warning Europe
World Scientists’ Warnings into Action, Local to Global – New paper from Scientists Warning Europe
Prosperity Without Growth – by Tim Jackson
COP26 demonstrations – photos by Paul Sutton
SoKind alternative gift registryRebelling Against Black Friday Consumerism – Episode 61 of the GrowthBusters podcast
Make a Year-End Gift to the GrowthBusters project
RECOMMENDED READING:
Insist that Public Policy Respects the Rights of Children and Women – by Dave Gardner
Ending Overshoot – a publication on MediumWelcome to Gilead: How Population Fears Drive Women’s Rights Abuses – new report from Population Matters
To Breed or Not to Breed – by Alex Williams in the New York Times
The End of Growth: Ten Years After – by Richard Heinberg
Climate Change with 8 Billion Humans – by Joseph Chamie
Why Renewable Energy isn’t the Only Answer in our Climate Emergency – by Julie Peconi, also from Scientists Warning Europe
On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society’s growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture’s obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.
Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared “could be the most important film ever made.” Co-host Stephanie Gardner has degrees in Environmental Studies and Environmental Law & Policy.
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Tags: Climate Change, economic growth, overpopulation, sustainability
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