Green Action ELT
Great publicity on the UK’s Channel 4 news the other day for the young people engaged in Mock COP, an international youth-led climate conference, mobilising around the postponement of COP26. Tune in on You Tube at midday UTC tomorrow (Tuesday 1 December) for the live closing ceremony and global statement.
It’s good to know where we stand. ELT Footprint UK is part of sustainable education and sustainable education is part of sustainable development.
Just take a look at the UN’s sustainable development goals to see the connections.
So in that light, the UK government’s recent decision to break its manifesto promise by cutting overseas aid by one third should concern us all.
A recent radio programme – The Moral Maze – allowed its speakers to expose some of the spiteful justifications for the decision. Why is it? – asks one person – That some of those who call most ardently for charity to begin at home often have that very belief desert them when it comes to increased welfare spending?
But to be honest, the arguments are not always black and white and the programme aired some persuasive views on the actual efficacy of foreign aid.
In the end though, considering the subject from every angle, every right-minded person will surely agree that the decision to reduce overseas aid was a shockingly poor one. BBC radio at its best.
Despite being couched in the ridiculous ‘world-beating’ language that failed us so badly during the Coronavirus pandemic, the UK government’s recent promise to spend around £4 billion pounds of new money on a 10-point green recovery plan should be welcomed. But the timing of the new money is vague and the figure is dwarfed by the subsequent announcement to spend an extra £4 billion every year on military spending for the next four years. That is on top of existing commitments, leading to a total increase of £21.5 billion on military spending until March 2025.
This at a time when the government has resisted funding free school meals for children during the holidays and is set to reduce the overseas aid budget from 0.7% of gross national income to 0.5%
Other than reducing spending elsewhere, the government has not told us how the increased spending will be paid for. It risks saddling the country with extra debt that it can ill afford, especially given the self-inflicted shock to our economic system that is likely to follow our exit from Europe. Nor, given the blatant cronyism we have witnessed during the Coronavirus pandemic, can we have any assurance that the money will be well spent.
The difference in spending on green recovery compared to the military is grossly disproportionate. The government justifies it on the grounds of ‘defence of the realm’, a rather quaint and comforting term. But if the environmental crisis is not addressed with the urgency that it demands there may not be much of a realm left to defend. You cannot fight climate change with clubs. That is a bit like King Canute trying to stem the tide. The best defence of the realm is not more spending on boys’ toys but a genuine and sustained commitment to addressing the single biggest threat to our existence, the climate and ecological crisis.
At last some good news from The USA! Let’s put the last four grim years behind us and look forward to a much brighter future along with the millions of Americans who voted for Biden and his green agenda. More here
No need to ask who we support in the upcoming US elections. Joe Biden has promised to implement a $2 trillion green energy plan if he wins. And while we all know there is a difference between what politicians say and what they do in power, at least Joe Biden is able to talk intelligibly on the subject. Fingers crossed..
A communication from Extinction Rebellion today: “If the old ‘First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win’ is true, we appear to be transitioning from the ridicule stage into the fight.”
If that gives you hope, read this extremely interesting article from Open Democracy.
Effective action from the Extinction Rebellion movement preventing publication of several UK newspapers today.
They say “This country’s news establishment is controlled by ‘climate sceptics’ who consistently downplay the existential threat that is the ecological emergency.
By misleading tens of millions of people about the growing dangers that we face – while exerting unaccountable control over our government – these establishments are undermining our democracy. They want us divided.
Let’s stand together.” Watch the explanatory video here.
What is the connection between Black Lives Matter, English language teaching and the environment?
This article attempts to join the dots.
The UK Government today announced that a ban on petrol and diesel cars would be brought forward to 2035.
While this might sound like good news, we should greet such announcements cautiously. Is this any more than an attempt to control the narrative? Throwing a few crumbs down the road for us to run after?
Future commitments are easily made and easily broken.
We should look instead at what the government is actually doing now. It has just approved Europe’s biggest gas power station, for example, and is planning a cut in air passenger duty on domestic flights.
We need to judge the UK government by its actions, not by its words.