If Climate Change was a problem that humanity was going to solve…we’d be approaching it much differently.
Is Putin’s invasion the trigger that we’ve been waiting for?
Respecting the arbitrary rules of predatory capitalism, the system that created our climate emergency, serves no one, and it’s keeping the necessary climate solutions off the table. Since we can’t go back in time, we need to deal with the hand that we’ve been dealt. And that must start now!
Economic Isolation
First we need to use the same financial tools that the west is using to financially strangle the Russian economy…against polluting companies. No more delays. No more promises or targets. No more ESG nonsense. No more meaningless policies created by puppet politicians. No more greenwashing. The world that these planet destroying companies knew…ends today!
Goodbye Oligarchs
The planet has no use for oligarchs (or billionaires). If they had any value to the world we would have a meaningful climate strategy by now - they are nothing but hoarding psychopaths. We can live without facebook, tesla, amazon and even google but we can’t live on a planet that’s experiencing uncontrolled warming and ecosystem destruction - something that billionaires don’t seem to comprehend. So, as of today, all of the Russian Oligarchs' frozen money will be confiscated and redirected into renewable energy projects.
Germany’s Commitment
Today Germany committed 220 billion towards renewable energy by 2026. This is a good headline and some of it might actually be true but after so many years of delay - it’s simply not enough. We need to think differently…as if climate change was a problem that humanity was really going to solve.
G20
Every other G20 country needs to align with Germany’s financial commitment and allocate the same percentage of their GDP towards this project. BUT the timeline must be now - not by 2026. The money needs to be made available now. Many projects are ready to go and they need to start NOW. Countries that don’t comply will face the same economic isolation as Russia.
US Printing Press
There’s always money for war, banks or the oil industry. Now is the time for the US to print money for our climate. How about 9.2 trillion?
Billionaires?
There’s about 13 trillion being hoarded by the world's billionaires. Does anyone have any ideas on how to put that money to use? A new yacht or private jet? A 3rd, 4th, 5th or 10th home?
Imagine
Let’s pivot back to our insane economic and political system. Imagine if this senseless war never occurred and all of the money on both sides was simply directed towards renewables. Imagine if all of that senseless destruction and suffering was eliminated and all of that human energy was used towards a new era in renewable energy. Imagine if this new commitment was coordinated with a winding down of the oil and gas industry in the next 8 years.
This is the kind of vision that the planet is missing.
But Brad, we can’t just turn everything upside down - it doesn’t work that way?
My response…how can we not?
For those who say that we can substitute other countries' oil and gas to ensure that Russia stays isolated.
My response - you still don’t get it. It’s not about where the fossil fuels come from. Yes, in the short term we can substitute for Russian energy but the big picture is that we can’t burn fossil fuels anymore. We need to transition off of it ASAP - with as little pain as possible. BUT don’t kid yourself - there will be pain.
Those poor people in Ukraine are just another window into humanity’s future in the era of climate change. Suffering can’t be avoided, at best, it can be managed. We need to stop deluding ourselves.
Our climate future is here and it will only get worse. Watch the video above! And remember…
If climate change is a problem that humanity is really going to solve…we need to think differently.
Thanks for reading!
Brad
February 2022
Feel free to share with like minded people who are fed up with climate solutions that don’t solve our climate emergency. You can follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn for regular engagement. To have articles delivered right to your inbox you can follow me right here on substack or medium.