A better world is possible - Global Commons Institute

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Copyright Bruce Nixon 2010. All rights reserved. This electronic copy is provided free for personal, non-commercial use only. www.brucenixon.com We could be on the threshold of time when, at last, we realise that we are all inter-dependent and part of a miraculous, beautiful and interconnected web of life. In that way, we’ll save ourselves, just in time, from the potential disasters of climate change and nuclear obliteration. It is our choice. It won’t just happen. Some things do just happen but not this. We certainly cannot leave it to politicians. It depends on what we all do, not waiting for some great leader of fantasy land, but every one of us, 6.7bn people, using our power to create a far better world. We cannot afford to indulge in despair or cynicism and pretend we are powerless. We are not. We have a unique opportunity to transform our world for the better, in a way in which everyone can participate. Everyone is needed to play their unique part. The purpose of the book is to help create the mass movement needed to prevent catastrophic climate change, save our planet earth, create a sustainable and just global economic system and put an end to war. This book is about how we can do use our “people power” to change things for the better. But if we want to save ourselves and future generations from disaster, and put effective pressure on government, we need to see the system clearly and target total system change. That is the message of this book. To be able to use your people power, you need to be well-informed. This book is full of information – you may need to choose from the contents what you most need or want to read. Part One – Making sense of the situation we are in. If we want to change things for the better, we first need to understand the underlying system. We shall not succeed in bringing about transformation if we are system blind. The starting point is accepting what is. In this part, I hope to open eyes to the situation we face and describe the system that has failed to resolve our biggest problems and has created a crisis. I aim to help you make sense of the system, how it works, its consequences – good and bad - and the underlying issues. I express my views; I know there are many others. I hope this will help you form yours. It is a convenient myth that the issues are too complicated for the average person to understand. It is vitally necessary to understand this increasingly complex, interconnected living system which is constantly changing. Our understanding of the miracle of life will always be incomplete. There will be fresh insights every day. There can be no certainties. Out of control politicians with big ideas are dangerous. Margaret Thatcher’s “There is no alternative” (TINA) is a dangerous argument. Apparent solutions will bring unexpected consequences as they always have - hence, the importance of applying the precautionary principle, risk assessment and due diligence. It is essential to involve all stakeholders and a wide diversity of people to reach wise decisions. Part Two – A vision for a better world – possibilities for a better future - what needs to be done. In the second part, I put forward practical ideas that could make a difference. I describe constructive ways forward, key proposals and good models that already exist. Above all, we need to focus on Creating Possibilities. Many people I meet are experts on why we cannot change things for the better; maybe they tried and are weary and discouraged. But we need leaders, like you, who have hope and are focused on how we can, not why we can’t. So, this part of the book is about all kinds of exciting possibilities for a better, more sustainable, fairer, non-violent world. However, it is most important that you dream and create your own possibilities. We need to be aware that breakdowns nearly always herald breakthroughs! That’s if we choose to make it so. It helps to realise that breakdowns are normal and happen all the time. 4
Copyright Bruce Nixon 2010. All rights reserved. This electronic copy is provided free for personal, non-commercial use only. www.brucenixon.com Here is another amazing possibility: that we, the majority of 6.7bn people on the planet, realise our power to transform things for the better and take the necessary action. I’ll suggest actions that everyone can take to turn the situation around. I invite you to play your unique part in a perfectly achievable transformation. To do so is a choice we all have. We are truly living in interesting times; transformation is unfolding at an astonishing pace. Paradoxically, response to crisis is also frighteningly slow and superficial. When I started writing this book in October 2008, humanity was already facing the biggest crisis in known history – climate chaos. Then the Sub Prime crisis and Credit Crunch emerged, tipping the world into an unprecedented breakdown in the financial system, followed by deepening recession. Meanwhile, Barack Obama’s election, the first black American President, and his acceptance speech moved millions around the world and gave new hope. Will we to go down in history as the Age of Stupid? In March, 2009, I attended one of the countrywide premieres of the Age of Stupid film. It was one of the most terrifying, moving, inspiring and empowering events I have experienced – truly “people power” in action. The whole campaign was created and organised by two inspired women, Franny Armstrong and Lizzie Gillett and their large team. The aim of the film was to get people all over the world onto the streets on 5 th December to put pressure on their governments and make sure they do the right thing at the UN Summit, to replace the Kyoto agreement, which expires in 2012, with a new framework. Showings of the film took place worldwide. The Wave On Saturday 5 th December, 2009, more than 50,000 people, women, men, children, young and elderly people came together in the Wave, organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition to demand action on climate change, the biggest ever UK climate change march. I am glad I was part of such an inspiring experience. The Wave called on the UK Government to take much more urgent and effective action. We encircled Parliament. Government did respond. The UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen Beforehand, it looked like the best chance we had to save ourselves and future generations! The outcome was very disappointing. For the first time representatives of 193 nations, including 110 world leaders, met with climate change as the single issue. An accord was reached but no binding agreements. China and the USA showed they could work together. Money to help poorer nations combat climate change was pledged. Mistakes were made from which we learn. The process was flawed. Now we need to continue and do everything possible to ensure the momentum is kept up. We, the 6.7bn people, have to keep up the pressure, everywhere in the world. We can be sure that there will be much more campaigning to be done to make sure our governments do much MORE. We need a continuing mass movement. So, arm yourself and your family and friends with this book. Use it as your handbook. It will help you inform yourself about the whole system and what you can do to transform it to create a better, sustainable, fairer and non-violent world. Get lobbying for the possibilities you want! We have to believe in ourselves and that anything is possible and “Yes, we can!” Extraordinary changes have been taking place whilst I have been writing this book. So, I have dated each chapter to place it in its time. The book is in part a record of how the human story unfolded over these past 5
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