Jonathon Porritt describes the green movement as 'too narrow, too technical, too anti-business, too depressing, often too dowdy'. Porritt, now a government adviser, claims the campaigners must take some blame for the continued failure to stop climate change and habitat destruction, because their overly negative approach has alienated politicians and the public
It's funny how so many movements for change get so fixated on what's wrong that they stop being able to move from 'don't do that' to wouldn't it be great to do this instead ...?' Christianity has certainly seen it's share of it. We need to build positive, joyful, dare I say it 'playful' alternatives. In actual fact, there is a lot of carnival and festival in the movements promoting greenery, but somehow that doesn't get seen, and what is presented is the hectoring nanny picture.
I think Porrit's right and the alternative to capitalism isn't no capitalism but capitalism that has been engineered into systems of responsibility and positive feedback like in Natural Capitalism and in fact many so-called anticapitalists are not: people like Adbusters are not proposing socialism but that mechanisms to make corparations more socially and environmentally responsible should be put in place and the systems by which we run the world be accountable and people and planet friendly serving the commen good not just shareholder profit.
What would our lives be like if everything went sustainable? Jonathon Porritt's (abridged) vision of a sustainable future.
How it would look
On the surface, not much different. Society would still need housing, industry, offices, and recreation. But construction would be radically different, with energy efficiency and renewables pushed to the maximum.
Transport
There would be roads, but fewer, carrying cars four or more times as efficient as today's. People would walk and cycle much more, and fly less because flights would be more expensive to pay for the pollution.
Aspirations
People would still want the best schools and hospitals, safe streets, physical quality of life and effective democracy. We will go on seeking them just as keenly. It is likely that society will be more decentralised.
Economics
No hair-shirt ascetiscism, but far less consumerism, less shopping for the sake of shopping, less conspicuous consumption, less waste. There will be less trade, but it will be more judicious, and there will be more 'self-reliance' in energy, food and manufacturing.
Taxes
Everybody will have a personal carbon quota. The better off will pay higher taxes to create fairer wealth distribution.
'Capitalism: As if the World Matters' is published by Earthscan at £18.99
The Observer | Politics | Porritt warns greens to mend 'negative' ways environment, ecology, capitalism, UK, politics, green, Porritt
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