CoP27, taking place this year in Egypt, is now on the horizon. Our new PM Rishi Sunak has said he won't attend. This is shocking but not surprising, and he may well yet be forced to change his mind*. We are in a position where climate scientists are warning that we won't meet the CoP set target of restricting global warming to 1.5ºC. Despite the fact that we have known about the dangers of carbon dioxide emissions for many decades, they are still rising and fossil fuel companies are still exploring for new oil and gas, as well as making extortionate profits in the process.
The climate emergency is an existential threat to humanity and life on Earth. We need to take action now to reduce our dependence on carbon and commit to investment in a green industrial revolution that will involve much more renewable energy and better-insulated homes and workplaces. The latter would be a great help to millions who are suffering in the energy crisis.
The main problem we have is neoliberal governments that dominate western democracies and politicians who are working for corporations and banks rather than citizens. Profit before people. We are getting the usual line from Sunak's government, and the MSM, that there is too much government debt and there is real concern that we are facing another round of Tory austerity at the worse possible time.
In a cost-of-living crisis, the government should be supporting and bolstering households and public services. That means spending and investing in projects like a green new deal and decent pay rises for public sector workers. It also means higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations. Carsten Jung a senior economist at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said:
“We face a serious economic situation with inflation running high and people's livelihoods in peril. But spending cuts will not get us out of this crisis. On the contrary, the right policy mix can tame inflation and stabilise the economy at the same time – without spending cuts.
“The government has significant fiscal space to spend on household support and the economy, if combined with some tax increases and gentle interest rate rises**. The lost decade following the financial crisis has shown us that austerity enduringly harms people and growth. It is wrong to frame cuts as inevitable – they are not."
So, what has all this to do with solidarity and mutual aid? The sad reality is that our government is unlikely to do anything to really improve the position of households and mitigate climate change. We cannot depend on the Tories to give people the help they need. Increased hardship is inevitable. That means, at a time of crisis, we are going to have to support each other and do all that we can to make our own communities safer and more resilient. The very fact that there are foodbanks in the UK brings shame upon our nation, but the number is growing and many more citizens are supporting their communities and are getting involved in this form of mutual aid.
In addition, there are a lot of other community projects going on that you can get involved in. These include:
- community land trusts - building homes
- community energy companies - local energy companies supplying renewable energy
- food coops and growing local food
- providing community spaces - for warmth and company
- repair and recycling groups
- retrofitting homes for energy efficiency
- Transition Towns - building community resilience
** Just to note I don't agree with him about interest rate rises.
