STWR - Share The World's Resources

Despite four decades of environmental activism in the US, the natural world continues to be degraded by human activity. America needs a new environmentalism; a truly inclusive social movement aimed at transforming the political economy, argues James Gustave Speth.

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.

The Copenhagen summit failed to achieve a meaningful multilateral commitment to deal with the climate crisis, but all is not lost. Despite the current impasse between the US and China, pressure from civil society may still force a binding agreement by 2012, says Mark Hertsgaard.

Sustainability is at risk of being abducted by consumerism and the notion that we can buy our way out of the environmental crisis. We need to reconceptualise the relationship between society and the environment as an ethical one, argue Michael P. Nelson and John A. Vucetich.

The Copenhagen climate summit turned out to be little more than a charade. Major nations refused to make firm commitments to reduce carbon emissions or even engage in an honest discussion about the consequences of failing to act, writes Bill McKibben.

Portraying climate change negotiations as a clash of competing national interests misses the point. The real issue is linked to an economic system dependent upon endless growth, even if this 'growth' does not deliver better lives for people, writes Jayati Ghosh.

For the solution to the climate crisis to be effective, it must address questions of justice and equity at a systemic level. In recognising this, three prominent voices call for an agreement based on sharing economic power and the repayment of climate debt.