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

Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Has the Environmental Movement Failed? A Conversation with Dr. David Suzuki

Click here to access the video interview (with transcript) with Dr. Suzuki from the Real News Network. (Note: I've had to temporarily (I hope) remove the post "Syrians Return Home as the Terrorists are Pushed Out" by Steven MacMillan because it was interfering with this post.)

I lived in the Vancouver, BC area for four years (2002-2006) where I was frequently exposed to Dr. Suzuki's comments on the necessity of changing our lifestyle to prevent the ongoing degradation of the environment. This is the most passionate I have ever seen him address the issue.

I wonder if the characteristic of human nature identified as the "need for immediate gratification" is the fatal flaw that will cause our extinction. Suzuki makes oblique reference to this issue in the interview. I still think if most people understood that capitalism is incompatible with an environment which can sustain human life that they would find a way to end capitalism. Capitalist ruling classes, who are thoroughly addicted to the system, do everything they can to prevent this realization by the vast majority of humans.
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