Environment and Technology

Fight against climate catastrophe

As the climate change "summit" continues in Copenhapen, we reproduce here an English translation of a leaflet produced by Marxists in Denmark for a demonstration last Saturday

Capitalism, Carbon Trading and Copenhagen

From 7^th to 18^th December 2009, delegates from 192 countries will be gathering in Copenhagen, Denmark, in order to create a new, “legally-binding”, global treaty on climate change. The UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen (known as COP15) marks the culmination of two-years of negotiation to try and generate a replacement for the Kyoto protocol, which is due to expire in 2012.

‘Transitional Communities’ - a dead end for the environment

At a recent meeting of a local Labour Party Branch in Worcester, a slick high tech presentation was given by a group called Transition Worcester, who said they had the answer to the environmental crisis. It is to turn the clock back 200 years to a mythical age where all trade was local and people enjoyed the benefit of locally grown meat, fruit & veg. Within this presentation were ideas such as we should no longer trade with developing countries and we should therefore export our unemployment to the third world.

Capitalism Versus Science

We are constantly bombarded with the myth that capitalism drives innovation, technology, and scientific advancement. But in fact, the precise opposite is true. Capitalism is holding back every aspect of human development, and science and technology is no exception.

Sweeping Our Emissions Under the Carpet: Is Carbon Capture a Silver Bullet?

Earlier this year, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband ended years of silence from the Government as to how they are going to address the issue of climate change, and how they plan to replace Britain's aging power plants, many of which are nearing the end of their lifetime, threatening to plunge the country into darkness due to a lack of electricity. The Government's answer lies in a technology called "Carbon Capture and Storage", or CCS, which they claim will be the silver bullet that simultaneously kills the problems of global warming and national energy supply.

This article raises some concerns about CCS as part of the ongoing discussion inside the Labour movement about socialism and our natural resources.We welcome any comments on this contribution and the issues it raises.

Links