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The Ecological Crisis is a Political Crisis

The Ecological Crisis is a Political Crisis

Protestors holding a sign

With each passing day, reports on global climate change become increasingly bleak. Recent research has affirmed that the glaciers are melting faster than anticipated1, and that acidification, with its catastrophic effect on ocean ecosystems, is also proceeding faster than feared2.  As the concentration of atmospheric carbon continues to rise, so does the likelihood we’ve passed the tipping point for irreversible climate change.3

When one looks at other critical earth ecosystems, the danger is equally apparent. Soil is being destroyed.4 Fresh water shortages are wracking several continents and leaving billions of people without reliable access to clean drinking water.5 Fish stocks are plummeting.6  Oceans are clogged with plastic garbage.7 Biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate.8 In the face of this full-spectrum ecological assault, a growing number of scientists have been saying that the collapse of civilization is now unavoidable.9

Stopping the destructive effects of industrial, capitalist civilization has now become the defining challenge of our age. If we don’t radically change our society’s course within the next 30 years, then a deep collapse and protracted Dark Age are all but assured. In order to confront this challenge, we need to understand what is causing civilization’s crisis, and most importantly, how the crisis can be resolved. At stake is nothing less than a viable future on this planet.

The Five Horsemen of the Modern Day Apocalypse

In my book, Radical Transformation: Oligarchy, Collapse, and the Crisis of Civilization, I argue that industrial civilization is being driven toward collapse by five key forces – related to terminal dysfunction within its ecological, economic, socio-cultural, and political sub-systems:

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Brazil Devolves Into Full-Blown Political Crisis With Launch Of Impeachment Proceedings Against President Rouseff

Brazil Devolves Into Full-Blown Political Crisis With Launch Of Impeachment Proceedings Against President Rouseff 

Moments ago Brazil lower house chief Eduardo Cunha announced that he has accepted an impeachment request filed by Helio Bicudo. Cunha told reporters in Brasilia that the decision is not political, and while one can debate that, the implications will have a tremendous impact on both Brazil’s political situation not to mention its already imploding economy.

As Bloomberg adds, Cunha told reporters in Brasilia on Wednesday he “profoundly regrets” what’s happening. “May our country overcome this process.” The impeachment process could take months, involving several votes in Congress that ultimately may result in the president’s ouster. Rousseff would challenge any impeachment proceedings in the Supreme Court, according to a government official with direct knowledge of her defense strategy.

The speaker’s decision will put the president’s support in Congress to a test after government and opposition spent months trying to rally lawmakers to their sides. The move also threatens to paralyze Rousseff’s economic agenda as she focuses on saving her political life rather than reviving growth. Her ouster would mark the downfall of the ruling Workers’ Party that won global renown for lifting tens of millions from poverty before becoming ensnared in Brazil’s largest-ever corruption scandal.

Accusations that top members of her party accepted bribes, coupled with surging consumer prices and rising unemployment, have driven Rousseff’s approval rating to record lows. The majority of Brazilians in public opinion polls agreed that Congress should open impeachment proceedings against the president.

The story gets better because Cunha himself is facing allegations that he accepted kickbacks and hid the money in overseas accounts. The lower house ethics committee is considering whether to open a probe that could result in his removal from office. His decision today comes after Workers’ Party members on the committee agreed Dec. 2 to vote in favor of investigating Cunha. The speaker denies wrongdoing.

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Tsipras Reportedly Set To Step Down, Call Snap Elections As Early As Today

Tsipras Reportedly Set To Step Down, Call Snap Elections As Early As Today

As Greece struggled to seal the deal on its latest bailout agreement with creditors, it became abundantly clear that embattled PM Alexis Tsipras was going to have a difficult time preserving his coalition government.

In short, the Syriza defections were mounting with each passing parliamentary vote and Tsipras was forced to rely on opposition lawmakers for support.

Realizing that implementing the bailout would be all but impossible considering the extraordinarily fractious political environment and lacking the support necessary to win a confidence vote, it looks as though Tsipras will call for new elections as early as today now that the country has made a critical payment to the ECB. Here’s The Telegraph:

Hello and welcome to live coverage of Greece’s political crisis, where it seems that Alexis Tsipras is on the verge of calling a snap on the same day his country managed to secure its first bail-out cash from international creditors in over a year.

Greek state broadcaster ERT is reporting that the embattled prime minister will announce the vote later today. The PM has been meeting with government officials this afternoon and could resign from office having called the vote. September 13 and 20 have been touted as possible dates.

The 41-year-old Syriza leader remains the most popular politician in the country, despite presiding over six months of ill-tempered talks with creditors in which he was forced to capitulate when faced with the threat of a euro exit.

“Anything is possible” Earlier today, a Greek government official told reporters that “everything is possible,” when asked whether Tsipras could announce elections today.

According to Greek media, the PM has been holed up with his aides and officials in the Maximos Mansion in Athens deciding on what his next move will be.

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Olduvai IV: Courage
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Olduvai II: Exodus
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