Re: <nettime> Democracy Net Zero

We have known all along. Ruskin in the 19th century was already speaking out against industry sullying the environment. And forty years ago, Exxon knew about climate change but preferred to create climato-scepticism to safeguard their bottom line.

The liberal, democratico-compatible rich and their maintainers (the most perfect example of the latter being France’s Macron) champion the environment, because it markets well and it is easy to pretend that technical innovation will always find a solution, when it only adds to the problem. Besides, they know that as the tide rises (the one that was meant to raise all boats) but now threatens to drown everyone will not harm them, since there will always be havens where they will be able to get by, with an acceptable standard of luxury.

I am busy reading Bruno Latour’s “Face à Gaïa”. According to him, we have to define the territories we must defend, and the enemies against whom we need to go to war.

Joe.

Le 4 juin 2021 à 20:18, voyd@voyd.com a écrit :

A quick note for my having not engaged the conversation fully and going lateral. My deepest apologies.

I am a bit in the Brian/Ryan camp on this one. To reframe my polemic, Brian centers it perfectly in saying that the cognitive argument has been had, and it is now a question of will, and that was actually my point in Dubai.

"In my view the climate conflict is not just Indigenous people and/or environmentalists against the state. It is also a struggle that plays out within the state. It no longer has primarily to do with knowledge, because science has spoken and people have heard and understood. It is now a struggle over identities and their corresponding worlds. To advance the struggle in a positive direction means transforming both identities and worlds. The democratic public sphere does not disappear, but it is underwritten by cultural foundations whose structuring influence is now apparent and is passionately at issue."

Exactly.

Brian, Claire - if you pass through Winona either way, a warm welcome awaits, but I figure wou'll be going across from MKE.