Social justice and the climate crisis

Some climate activists and Green politicians say that there is no conflict, even alignment, between climate change mitigation and social justice.

That sounds good. And if they mean that we Greens should advocate policies that promote social justice and climate change mitigation then I agree. We should. 

But some make the stronger claim that social justice and climate change mitigation cannot be different. That, unhappily, is wrong.  

Because they are standing at the wrong end of the telescope. They are looking at policies we may have for the UK. That's a legitimate focus. Much of my own policy work has that focus. But that's not how we'll fix the global heating and the biodiversity crises because, well, they are global.

An effective solution to a global problem is necessarily a global one. In practice it has to be a long-term, think at least 20 year, programme. And it will cost tens of trillions of dollars.  

And it will need global governance. What form will this take?

How about a multinational, consensus-seeking process? Sounds good. Sounds realistic. But that's what we have and it's failed. And the very factors that have created this failure – short-termism, economic fetishism, nationalism, billionaire power – make effective reform impossible.

How about 'muscular leadership' by a single nation? The only nation with the clout and which might develop the insight is the US. (Please don't laugh.) Plainly the US is not ready to play this role. It may never be ready and by the time it becomes ready it will no longer have the clout.

What's left? Only, I suggest, joint leadership by the US and China. And by leadership I mean a mixture of sticks and carrots with the willingness to impose solutions when persuasion fails.

Neither country is currently ready to play this role and, in my judgement, neither will be ready for five, maybe ten, years. By which time we will stand on the edge of a climate precipice from which only the most vigorous action can save us. That action may have to include domestic food and energy rationing and solar radiation management.

That might be enough to save us from global catastrophe. And it might not.

But what is clear to me is that there will be no spare time, money or attention to achieve other goals. Goals such as social justice, respect for human rights and the maintenance of democracy. Much of that will have to take second place and the best we can hope for is that this neglect or even backtracking is purely temporary. 

I do not recommend this. I do not like this. It runs counter to my values in almost every way.

But I do not see an alternative that is at once effective and credible.

I wish I did.