Government and Environment.

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Only Half a Democracy.
How Government Fails Us.
Government and Environment.
Global Context.
Citizens and Corporations.
Taking Liberties.
Why Parliament Fails Us.
Remedies.
Barriers to Reform.
The Local Dimension.
A New Kind of Party.
Your Issues.
What's New.
References.
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Government and Environment.

Environmental issues are the most serious issues that mankind has to face (or ought to be facing). It is not just about cutting greenhouse gases, not just about dealing with the consequnces of climate change that is already happening. There are a multitude of other threats including oceanic dead zones, destruction of forests, and the spread of disease.

For a long time we were in denial about these problems. Now they seem so daunting that many of us want to bury our heads in the sand. The government spouts out a lot of rhetoric about global warming, but fails to take consistent action. The perceived need for economic growth trumps all these concerns.

What is needed is a complete redesign of our economic and political system. This message is being put out in a film called 'The 11th Hour', presented (not funded as previously reported) by Leonardo DiCaprio - though he modestly says he leaves most of the exposition to others. It is due for release in the USA on 17th August 2007 (see: www.11thhourfilm.com).

The government is presenting the Planning Reform Bill as being 'green'. It will prevent local 'interference' not only over large scale wind farm projects, but also over nuclear power stations, airports and roads projects - hardly green. A far better way of overcoming local opposition to wind farms would surely be to arrange that the local community benefitted financially from accepting such projects. Government would be better changing the tax regime away from taxing labour to taxing natural resources.

Governments have to show leadership, but they will not do so until they are accountable to Parliament. Instead they respond to the more irresponsible sections of the media, to focus groups, and to their corporate sponsors.

There have been a number of initiatives whereby local communities try to create for themselves a sustainable future. One of these currently in vogue is the concept of Transition Towns http://www.transitiontowns.org/. Government ought to be encouraging and supporting such initiatives, but all the signs are that they are in fact inhibiting them.

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Page Last Updated 4 December 2007.