Wicked Problem, or Wicked People?
The current suite of problems facing humanity will never be solved while the lunatics are in charge of the asylum.
Read moreCategory Archives: Politics
The COP-out we can’t afford
One week on from COP21, Mark Pershin and Kari McGregor weigh in on the false promises of a flaccid agreement that leaves behind the innocent and most vulnerable.
Read moreThe Politics of Addressing Climate Change
There is no politically viable response to climate change.
For a response to be politically viable it would have to be politically appealing. A response that politicians know won’t kill their career. That means a response that people would vote for, one that is supported by economists and corporate leaders. And people vote for things they like the sound of, not policies that are likely to pull the rug out from under their way of life.
Read moreChangemaker Profile: Going Beyond Green
A new initiative has sprung up to bridge the chasm that separates activism and the necessary transition to a sustainable economy from the sphere of mainstream politics.
Read moreTop 10: Grassroots Movements that are Taking on the World
If we really want to see change, then to paraphrase Gandhi, we have to be the change. Grassroots movements offer up a multitude of creative and inspiring ways for ordinary folks to get involved in changemaking, both from the bottom up, and as a conversation space through which we can come to terms with our own power to make a difference.
Read more“To vote or not to vote, that is the question”
Global citizens, change-makers, anarchists, activists, followers of Russell Brand, and anyone else out there who has given up on humans being able to form good government, I urge you to resist the growing call not to vote.
Read morePower to the People: Time to Take it Back
We as civil society have passed the ball to the polluting corporations, and allowed them to set the parameters of discussion. We believed the mantra of ‘sustainable development’ lodged in the public consciousness since the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, and some still believe this despite the continuing downward trajectory of planet earth.
We have allowed Big Green groups to drink, dine and collude with Big Business leaders while shafting any meaningful action needed to change the trajectory. Radical reimagining of the way we live – with radical simplification of lifestyles – would result in the radical plummeting of corporate profits and power.
Read moreChangemaker profile: David Rovics
Artists don’t come much more independent than David Rovics, whose resolutely political music belongs to no record label, and who answers to no one. Shunning the norms of the industry, Rovics makes all of his music available online for free, along with his lyrics and sheet music, encouraging its use for non-profit purposes. The message is clear: this is not just art for art’s sake; there are stories that need to be told, and heard.
Read moreWhere Collapse Meets Radical Politics
Getting most people to the point of wanting the paradigm shift that transition toward a resilient and just society represents, is a massive and daunting task. Yet the way to go about it seems relatively straightforward and generally agreed upon by transitioners. It involves raising awareness about the inevitability of collapse, the ways the current system disadvantages people, and the ways a simpler system would benefit people, while at the same time building alternatives that both demonstrate what’s possible, become the basis for our future society, and reach out to help those in need. At the same time, the increasing severity of collapse means that the current system becomes less and less viable, and the alternatives more and more useful to the mainstream of society.
Read moreChangemaker profile: Noam Chomsky
Scholars don’t come much more renowned than Noam Chomsky, a man whose name elicits sage-like nods of recognition when it comes to political pearls of wisdom. The opportunity to pick Professor Chomsky’s brain and capitalize on his immense intellect was something I had been waiting a lifetime to work up the courage to ask for, so I was bowled over by his humility when that time came. Certain that there was nothing I could plonk into my preamble that he hadn’t heard before, I dove right in…
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SHIFT magazine 