Blaming
underdevelopment in Africa on climate, geology and natural resources ignores
the structural causes of inequality in the global economic system. Development
technocrats should address poverty as a problem of power, not a problem of
nature, says Jason Hickel.
For the first time in forty years, some of the most powerful business leaders and politicians at the World Economic Forum are questioning the value of globalisation. But will this change in rhetoric lead to a more credible vision of human progress?
Thanks to the currently widespread disillusionment with market fundamentalism, the commons paradigm is being adopted by many differing social movements and schools of thought. Promoting this shared idea could build a diverse and coherent movement for change, writes Silke Helfrich.
A growing body of evidence indicates social and economic inequality as the real driving force behind many environmental problems, including global warming. For its true causes to be addressed, climate change must be redefined as a social justice issue, argues Bob Hughes.
Our
collective abuse and displacement of fresh water is a serious cause of climate
change and global warming. To ensure that universal basic needs are met
sustainably we need a revolution in our management of the world’s finite water
resources, argues Maude Barlow.
The US Air Force
is ramping up the use of pilotless drones in Pakistan and Afghanistan, killing
unprecedented numbers of militants and
civilians alike. Is this trend leading
toward robotic warfare where human accountability is left out of the loop? By Nick
Turse.
Global governance remains ill-equipped to address challenges such as terrorism, climate change and food insecurity. We need genuine multilateral cooperation and renewed institutions to manage shared risks, says a report by the Center on International Cooperation.
Endless
growth is pushing the planet’s biosphere beyond its safe limits. We urgently
need to change our economy to promote well being, reduce resource consumption
and live within its environmental budget, says a report by the New Economics
Foundation.
A US Supreme Court ruling has abolished long-standing
limits on corporate contributions to political campaigns. Does this edict uphold
the right to freedom of speech, or does it corrupt democracy by further entrenching the
electoral power of business interests?
On a structural level, the basic imbalances that caused the recent economic crisis have not been resolved. Despite renewed optimism amongst many analysts, the only reliable prediction for the immediate future remains uncertainty and continued volatility, says Jayati Ghosh.
