Beyond denial: Neoliberalism, climate change and the left

• Main Authors: Mirowski, P, Walker, JR, Abboud, A
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: O L Limited 2013
• Subjects: Ocean acidification; permafrost
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10453/30883

We live in a winter of disconnect. As the permafrost melts and global warming accelerates, bringing us to the cusp of catastrophic environmental changes, governments and corporations continue their campaign of denial. Many of us are caught up in the public theatre of climate policy, confounded that something so transparently illogical as outright science denial has been so effective. Why has the Left, which has always regarded itself as having science on its side, been so paralysed by climate policy? Geoengineering is a portmanteau term covering a range of intentional large-scale manipulations of the Earths climate. Like most neoliberal prescriptions, the most important aspect of this tortured marriage of science and corporate commodification is that it doesnt work. Geoengineering presumes corporations can take unilateral actions violating international treaties and not have to own the consequences. It doesnt resolve the root problem increasing CO2 concentrations and it will not stop ocean acidification, itself so dire that some scientists have called for a suite of novel `ocean engineering techniques to prevent the collapse of coral reefs.