Colonisation did not end with the fall of empires – it is very much alive, and more pervasive, destructive and exploitative than ever before.
The colonisation of land and communities across the globe may no longer be directly carried out by the political or ruling classes of foreign states, but instead by proxy through foreign-owned companies that line the pockets of those same classes, and satisfy the material whims of the masses.
(more…)Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote in his book ‘The Physiology of Taste’ (1825), reputed to be one of the most famous books on food ever written, that ”The destiny of nations depends on the manner in which they feed themselves.”
This simple statement brilliantly captures the importance of our food system, and the impact of how we produce our food, the food we eat, and everything that comes before, between and after.
The industrialisation and globalisation of our food system has increased the susceptibility of our societies to shocks and disruptions to the production and supply of food, and the degree to which they impact food security.
(more…)There has been an increased awareness in the UK about plastic waste – the unnecessary use of single-use plastics, plastic straws and plastic bottles in particular. But the British public tend to be easily distracted – manipulated even – by big business, the media and politicians. These news-generators all know the half-life of a particular event is short, and it can be shortened even further by creating noise around something else, as a means of distraction.
Smoke and mirrors. The Conservative governments since Thatcher have shown their increased mastery of this time and again.
It’s for this reason that so much of the public’s awareness of an issue comes in cycles – the same issue, each time being seeming like it’s something new, has actually been highlighted repeatedly over the past 30 or 40 years. Each time the sense of urgency is heightened by the inaction that results in its rise to the surface of people’s consciousness once more.
(more…)In 2015 the member states of the UN decided to create the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which they see as “a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity.”
They state that eradicating poverty “is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.” But this simply isn’t true! Anthropogenic climate change, and the unfolding climate crisis is the greatest global challenge, and the single biggest barrier to implementing sustainable development.
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