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 moreTag 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 moreMoney Talks: How the dollar dominates our discourse, and why we need to ditch it
Money makes the world go round. Or so we’re told. And you’d be far from foolish to believe it, as finance is our global operating system. If crashed, it will bring industrial civilization to its knees. If money is the root of all evil, yet makes the world go round, then solving our planetary predicament presents quite a conundrum.
Read moreTrans Pacific Partnership Agreement: a threat to democracy, society and the environment
Under the guise of a proposed international trade deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, foreign corporations could soon threaten the right of national governments to make their own laws. Australia is a member of the 12 country TPP negotiating group where national sovereignty over issues like working conditions, food labelling, healthcare and environmental protection could be exchanged for the promise of better access to overseas markets.
TPP negotiations are being held in secret, but leaked documents have revealed some of the alarming ambitions of the corporations.
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.
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