Now, I’m not the sort of person that resorts to hyperbole for a dramatic opening sentence but, in case you hadn’t noticed, the future of the planet is hanging in the balance. This is not the statement of a wild-haired fanatic, living with badgers and chanting cross-legged in the woods but a widely acknowledged scientific fact. For the last few years a growing list of eminently respectable people have been warning us that urgent action is required. Given irrefutable scientific evidence and the reverberating voices of powerful and respected people, then surely, you would think, something is going to change. We know the causes of climate change. We know what action needs to be taken. So what is stopping us? Maybe some of those in power still fail to understand the evidence. Maybe, there are vested interests that seek to protect the status quo. Maybe we, as individuals, prefer to believe that, with a bit of luck, everything will be all right.
The political response to climate change has been depressingly slow. We need to understand and address the reasons for this woeful lack of action. In addition, we need to identify the capabilities that our political and economic institutions will require if they are to manage radical social and economic change. As the Climate Change Conference in Glasgow approaches, I feel a heavy sense of apprehension that little will change. Perhaps there will be some well-meant gestures to help poorer nations deal with the impending crisis. Inevitably, there will be promises to reduce carbon emissions. But will we really address the fundamental problem, namely, that our current global economic model is unsustainable. I have to confess, I’m not excessively hopeful.