Category Archives: Environment

What matters in (Green) politics?

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I joined the UK Green Party recently. There’s a lot to fix with its internal organisation, media presentation and other peripheral aspects. There are bits of policy that need serious work. But the core thinking on the ecological, economic and social levels is broadly good and coherent.

There is an internal discussion (post mortem) going on after a ‘car-crash’ interview the Greens leader, Natalie Bennett gave on LBC, a radio station this last week. I posted the following on the internal discussion about the car crash by way of reaction. It might be of interest to some readers here (note: below, ‘GP’ = Green Party, not general practitioner!).

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How militant advocacy kills good ideas: the case of abolitionist veganism

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This post is about how hardline militancy about potentially good ideas (eating less meat, open source software, reducing alcohol consumption) cruels rational debate, and often has the opposite effect in the real world of that intended. Militants are essentially ideologues and fascists and need to be called out for it.

Firstly, to any vegans or vegetarians reading this: I like all both of these things. In moderation:) Now read on…

Recently I accidentally become embroiled in a comments section discussion / flame war attached to an Alternet.org article called ‘Unsavory: The Problem With Angry Vegans Who Push and Preach Their Ideals‘. Most of the flaming was by other people and for other people, so I escaped with only minor charring around the edges. Continue reading →

Can carbon trading work?

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These thoughts are motivated by the guest blog of a good friend in Australia in the Brisbane Courier Mail, Dave Sag on carbon trading.

Can money be better spent in Pakistan than Australia? In terms of CO2 reduction effect, most likely yes, due to wage & currency differences as well as the reality that cheap programmes can divert many more people easily from destroying forest than in a rich country (where such activities have more or less ceased). Will lack of education, corruption or politics derail such efforts… in some cases, almost certainly. That’s where oversight becomes important. Continue reading →