Category: Politics

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books Inspiration Politics

Roger Hallam

graph showing sustainability curve

In a recent webinar, John Crick from Aspire.Sustain shared a striking U-shaped graph. At the bottom sat the “Trough of Disillusion,” with the “Slopes of Enlightenment” climbing out of it, eventually levelling off into the “Plateau of Productivity.” If you’re curious, you can watch the full video here.

That image stuck with me – especially when thinking about how we respond to the climate emergency. On bad days, I find myself trying to avoid the Trough of Disillusion. On better days, I feel like I’m climbing the (early) Slopes of Enlightenment, spurred on by the hope that comes from action.

In this spirit, I want to recommend a powerful podcast: Designing the Revolution, by Roger Hallam – co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, and founder of Just Stop Oil and Insulate Britain. Hallam received a four-year prison sentence in the UK after being convicted in 2024 for organising motorway protests two years earlier. His goal was to draw attention to the dire threat caused by greenhouse gas pollution. He is one of around eleven people currently imprisoned in the UK for similar acts of protest.

Paradoxically, prison seems to have been a liberating experience for Hallam. Speaking over the prison phone for his podcast, he shares a renewed sense of hope and insight, with episodes like A New Way of Seeing, Finding Freedom Within, and The Prison of Perception. He has also published a new book, 50 Articles the Media Wouldn’t Publish. Together, the podcast and book offer fresh ways to think, act, and grow – both personally and politically. For me, they’ve been a much-needed lift out of the Trough of Disillusion.

Highly recommended.

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books Politics

A book I’m reading

Stephen Markley’s The Deluge is a striking example of art predicting reality. One vivid scene – a frantic escape into a burning Los Angeles – feels eerily relevant, given the recent news about wildfires and even incarcerated firefighters in The USA.

This 900-page, masterfully written novel, set in the “near future sci-fi” genre, begins in 2013 and spirals into a chaotic, apocalyptic world as society crumbles under climate collapse. The character development is excellent, and the book’s scope is epic.

While the detailed, scientific “manifesto” sections might not appeal to all readers, the core story is gripping. Considering how disturbingly accurate the book’s vision is becoming, one can only hope the lessons are not lost on our leaders.

Chris Etchells is Director of English Country Schools

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Politics Resources

COP 26

Today is the start of COP26, the annual UN Climate Change Conference running for the next fortnight in Glasgow, Scotland.

This is a significant moment in history and we will be following the proceedings closely here on ELT Footprint UK.

There are many excellent COP26 teaching resources for educators wanting to talk about the Earth emergency, for example:

For more general information, especially on solutions to climate change, see TED Countdown

See also my personal favourite way of staying up to date with the issues: the wonderful podcasts from Outrage and Optimism

And if you know of additional resources you’d like to recommend to readers of this post, please leave your comments below.

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Politics

Emperor with no clothes

“Climate change is as big a threat to world peace as war,” the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, recently told the UN Security Council, as he committed the UK, host of this year’s key climate conference, COP 26, to leading the world on action.

Yet the UK’s own influential Public Accounts Committee (PAC) comprised of UK Members of Parliament says ministers have “no plan” to meet climate change targets, two years after setting them in law.

Renowned economist Andrew Simms lays all of this bare in a brilliant article settings recent UK spending commitments in perspective: “What that leadership currently looks like is a government which announced an increase in its military spending of £16.5 billion in November 2020, and in 2020-21 spent at least £41.2 billion on the military and just £3.1 billion on reducing carbon emissions.”

Strip away the green rhetoric and what lies beneath looks very much like business as usual with all its toxic legacy for our children and grandchildren.

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Politics

Climate Hypocrisy ctd.

The normally impartial and reliable news from the BBC World Service last night might have been written by a government spokesperson.

Leading with the news that our very own Astra Zenica vaccine has now reluctantly been adopted by the French for their older citizens (they didn’t actually use the word ‘world beating’), the bulletin finished with the news that some Australian teenagers are taking their federal government to court over a Whitehaven Coal mine, arguing that the development breaches a common law duty of care to protect young people from future harm.

No mention of our very own Whitehaven, where the government has faced a barrage of criticism over its failure to prevent a new coal mine in this year of supposed climate leadership by The UK: see previous post below.

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Campaigning and lobbying Politics

Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

Here’s a really simple and clear explanation about the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill. It’s a great chance to build consensus both inside and outside parliament on a road map to an environmentally sustainable future. In a year when the UK Government seeks to persuade the rest of the world that it is serious about the Climate and Ecological Emergency, the least you can expect from your MP is that they support the bill. Here’s a letter I wrote to mine:

Dear Laurence Robertson,

As one of your constituents I am writing to ask you to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill – see https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/57374/climate-and-ecological-emergency-bill.

Scientists are increasingly sounding the alarm as to the inadequacy of governmental response to this real and urgent problem. I am deeply concerned for the future of our planet and the wellbeing of my children and grandchildren.

In a year when the UK Government seeks to show the rest of the world at COP 26 that it is serious about the climate and ecological emergency, the least I can expect from you as my MP is that you support this bill.

By so doing you will help to propel action and signal to the increasing number of environmentally concerned people in this constituency that you care about their future.

Yours sincerely
Christopher Etchells

Writing to your MP is easy: just enter your postcode at https://www.writetothem.com/?a=westminstermp then follow the simple instructions. MPs really do listen to this kind of thing, so please take a few minutes out of your day to let your MP know how you feel on this vital issue.

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Campaigning and lobbying Politics

Rethinking the future

Blot on the landscape

Good news from Cumbria where the local council has said it will reconsider the planning application for a new coal mine – see previous post.

While one can sympathise with the need for employment in the area, new jobs must consider the wider climate change impacts and be environmentally sustainable. Anything else is an abdication of responsibility by the council to the long-term welfare of its residents and us all. And while the potential damage from this mine may look small compared to other mines around the world, its damaging effects will last well into the future.

The time has passed for fudge, compromise and back room deals. Everyone – including local councils – needs to act now to safeguard the future.

You can add your voice by signing the petition here.

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Politics

Climate hypocrisy

Derived from Greek actors who used to ‘interpret from underneath’ a mask, the word hypocrisy today has a more general meaning referring to “a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.”

It is the right term to use for a government which, in 2021, seeks to show the rest of the world at COP 26 that it is serious about the climate and ecological emergency while simultaneously allowing the opening of a new coal mine in Cumbria.

The mine is projected to increase UK emissions by 0.4Mt (megatonnes) of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) per year – greater than the level of annual emissions projected from all open UK coal mines to 2050 (by which time the UK government will supposedly have reached net zero carbon emissions) – more info here.

The UK government has the power to stop the mine, but has argued it is a local issue. This is patently absurd as the emissions will form part of the overall production of greenhouse gases which threaten us all. The decision sends a very poor signal at a time when we are all trying to transition to a green economy.

A top climate scientist has today warned that the decision shows “contemptuous disregard for the future of young people”.

If enough people protest this decision, the government will have to listen or risk further accusations of hypocrisy. Please use your voice to ask the government to rethink. Sign the petition here.

 

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Campaigning and lobbying Politics

UK Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

Congratulations to the 95 Members of the UK Parliament who have already expressed their support for the UK’s Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill.

This is a cross-party bill written by scientists, lawyers and activists. It aims to persuade government of its overriding responsibility to take action on climate change.

This year the UK government wants to prove its environmental credentials to the world at COP 26 in Glasgow so this is a good time to gather support for real action.

Please tell your MP how important the climate and ecological emergency is to you and ask your MP to support the bill.

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Politics

Take a cold shower

Image byenriquelopezgarre from Pixabay

According to the authors of a recent report, humanity needs to “take a cold shower” about the true scale of the climate and ecological crisis facing us.

Experts need to “tell it like it is.”

‘Anything else is misleading at best, or negligent and potentially lethal for the human enterprise at worst.’ Then we might make the systemic changes that the urgency of the situation demands.

There are signs of progress. And if you are reading this you are probably already doing what you can personally. But do read the report so that you are under no illusions.

Then ask yourself what you can do to help persuade businesses and politicians make those necessary changes.