Are Our Leaders Able to Deal with the Complex Challenges We Face?
I have just finished re-reading Mark Carney’s (Prime Minister of Canada) speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Re-reading it because it is a very long time indeed since I have been so impressed by a politician’s speech. He talks with honesty, integrity and courage about what our world of nation states is really facing. As it happens, he is talking about economics and the threats the world is now confronting from the USA. However, what excited me was his ability to look at a highly complex situation and to tease out the truth of what we are doing. He then announced it to the world at large.
I truly wonder if most of our politicians are able to follow that. A very few are, many are not. Sadly, I see numerous situations where some very bad decisions are being made by our governments because they do not fully understand the problems facing them.
A Challenging Decision
I recently found an interesting example with the European Union and a trade deal they are in the process of making with a group of South American countries.
A new deal was announced this week between the EU and Mercosur (a South American Common Market consisting of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia.)
The Good Points
This deal has been many years in the making and has been agreed between the EU and four of the above countries – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay (all cattle-raising countries). According to Reuters “the agreement is designed to lower tariffs and boost trade between the two regions.”
The deal received the green light from most European nations last week, despite concerns from farmers and environmental groups who fear a surge of inexpensive South American imports and increased deforestation. (France has not agreed to this as its farmers are exceedingly unhappy about its effects on agriculture.)
Which Way Are the EU Facing?
Before I talk about the potential environmental effects of this trade deal I want to first look at the EU’s thoughts on the environment.
The President of the European Council was very clear on Europe’s commitment: “We are in a climate emergency. As President of the European Council, I have a clear goal: to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent on the planet by 2050.” Charles Michel, European Council President 2019-2024
According to the EU “Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world.
“To overcome these challenges, the European Green Deal will transform the European Union into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy, ensuring: no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050; economic growth decoupled from resource use; no person and no place left behind.
“It also aims to protect, conserve and enhance the EU’s natural capital, and protect the health and well-being of citizens from environment-related risks and impacts.
“Our health, our economy and our well-being depend on the state of the environment, which faces several serious challenges, not least those of climate change, unsustainable consumption and production, as well as various forms of pollution.”
So it appears to me that they appear pretty committed to the environment and dealing actively with Climate Change.
The Bad Points
Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has recently signed the deal in Paraguay. However, an article from Energy in Demand has asked “will the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement really go against the EU’s climate commitments?” Also, a trade policy spokesperson quoted in the article has said that there were concerns about the deal including: accelerated deforestation, increased carbon emissions, trade in harmful pesticides and the erosion of biodiversity.
Mediapart has described the deal as a “ticking climate time bomb and environmental catastrophe.”
Doesn’t sound too good to me!
Will The Deal Damage Our Environment?
Where Are the EU Going With This Deal?
Is it a good decision? Perhaps it will bring more jobs? Or more growth?
Please read the Mediapart article above. It gives an excellent description of the harm and environmental damage this deal will bring. The French have rejected it as their farmers are exceedingly unhappy. AP News has said that “EU lawmakers vote to hold up Mercosur trade agreement over legal concerns.” The vote in Strasburg was very close.
Environmental and progressive members of the European Parliament are also unhappy about the deal. Quoted by the Euractive group: “How can you aim at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% and sign the Mercosur agreement? It’s completely hypocritical,” said MEP Manon Aubry, co-chair of The Left group.
What Should One Think About This Deal?
- It seems to me that this is not a well thought-through deal.
- The EU seems to care about the environment but the deal shows that they don’t care?
- The EU hasn’t thought the situation through properly?
- The politicians don’t know what they are doing?
- Everyone is desperate to create more money and jobs?
- The structure of the EU is so complicated that sensible decisions are difficult?
I don’t know the answer to this question, but it certainly makes me question the EU’s commitment to the environment. I also worry about its leadership’s qualities and knowledge.
Is Lack of Knowledge of Climate Change and the Environment Common in Politicians?
An article in Nature on a survey of 100 British members of parliament showed that when questioned about the climate only 15% got the answer right. This, the article claims, shows that there is a widespread lack of knowledge on the urgency with which action is required. The survey planners chose British parliamentarians as it was believed they would know more than other politicians!
What Can You Do in the Situation Where our Politicians Don’t Seem to Make Sense?
Firstly, I need to say that the challenges facing us on the climate are such that our responses need to be political now. (i.e. dealing directly with politicians with questions or disagreements we may have on the subject.) So yes, it is good to carry on with all the usual activities like cutting down on meat, buying solar panels or electric cars and so on. But the evidence is clear we must deal with the politicians in a way they understand. The French farmers have recently done a wonderful job on that front. They have been blocking the French roads for many months now, creating havoc for drivers. The French government have got it. They backed out of the agreement.
You could:
- If you are European write to the EU and demand they back down on the agreement
- If you are unhappy about something your government are not doing, write and ask them why not
- Be like the French farmers and protest
- Educate yourself about what is really happening in the world
- Write to your government about things that don’t seem to make any sense, for example giving subsidies to fossil fuel companies
- Go and visit your politicians if you can, and talk to them about their knowledge of Climate Change
- Join a group that regularly protests
- Fill in every petition that comes your way.
We need our politicians to be educated, wise and courageous on Climate Change. At the end of the day they are the ones that pass the laws and make the policies we need to change our situation. Find a way to tell them what you think is needed. Keep doing it.
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Photos by Peter Robbins, Ian Taylor and Raymond Petrik on Unsplash