Degrowthers decry energy transition as futile struggle and instead call for widespread behaviour manipulation by the marketing industry to stop everyone wanting things and babies.
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We get the ball rolling with some crystal ball gazing this week. Speculation is rife on just how ambitious Australia’s 2035 national emissions target will be and your intrepid hosts are far from immune to a spot of prognostication themselves! When and where will it land we ask? Ambitious states like Vic and QLD (!) suggest 75-80% ambition is supportable, and looking abroad with the EU potentially gunning for a 90% reduction on 1990 levels, A Big Number is very possible!
Our main paper
A Degrowther’s delight and a downright doozy which decries growth, marketing and pronatalism as the drivers of ecological overshoot in this week’s paper, World Scientists’ Warning: The behavioural crisis driving ecological overshoot by Joseph Merz, Phoebe Barnard, William Rees, Dane Smith, Mat Maroni, Christopher Rhodes, Julia Dederer, Nandita Bajaj, Michael Joy, Thomas Wiedmann, Rory Sutherland. Your intrepid hosts had much to say, and PLENTY to critique as the authors target runaway economic growth, marketers for manipulating the Easily Led Masses, neo-liberal feminists and Big Baby as the source of our woes. The solutions? Well, transitioning our energy system is a futile struggle. What we really need is a campaign of Widespread Behaviour Manipulation by… the marketing industry. STRAP IN FOLKS, this one is a wild ride.
One more things
Tennant’s One More Thing is the provocative but sadly brief (and possibly bananas) “Food Without Agriculture”
Frankie’s One More Thing is the just-announced changes to the Federal Coalition’s shadow ministry, with Melissa McIntosh MP appointed to the new role of Shadow Minister for Energy Affordability.
Luke’s One More Thing is to pour one out for Katharine Murphy no longer being a (direct) contributor to our nation’s public debate. If you too are feeling nostalgic, head on back to Episode 7 ‘The last fire in the forest’ where Katharine joined us to talk about the Safeguard Mechanism and climate policy ghosts past, present and future!
And that’s all from us Summerupperers! Support us on Patreon at patreon.com/LetMeSumUp, send your hot tips and suggestions for papers to us at mailbag@letmesumup.net and check out our back catalogue at letmesumup.net
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