Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Melting ice in the Arctic unleashes race for profits

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, September 24, 2012

Melting ice in the Arctic unleashes race for profits

Click here to access article by Ernst Wolff from World Socialist Web Site.

While the melting of the Arctic ice cap is worrying to scientists, environmentalists, and other concerned citizens, corporate executives and bankers see it as a great opportunity to satisfy their addiction to profits.

While these troubling statements tend to frighten most people, international investors are already rubbing their hands. The largest ice melt in the recent history of mankind means gaining access to a part of the world that was previously closed to them.