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authorJoe Carstairs <me@joeac.net>2026-06-03 17:04:59 +0100
committerJoe Carstairs <me@joeac.net>2026-06-03 17:04:59 +0100
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@@ -181,36 +181,54 @@ minutes commuting to work—so why do we only pay attention to the latter?'
[@climate-change-class-war, p. 16]
Because they have mis-diagnosed the root causes of the problem, they too often
-go on to propose incredible solutions. The worst is simply to cut consumption.
-Most of the world's people can't afford to cut back. A little better is
-proposing market-based policies like carbon taxes. But there is no credible
-route to implementing and sustaining an effective carbon tax, because it is
-against the interests of almost everyone. The route green rhetors almost
-universally promote is: listen to the science, then act rationally. This denies
-the evident fact that society is driven by the private interests of those who
-have power, not collective interests; and this is also true of science itself,
-which, as we have proven time and time again, is up for sale to the highest
-bidder. The spectre of the 'science denier' or 'science fraudster' as the
-bogeyman behind all resistance to the collective interest serves only to hide
-the real enemy: the powerful private interests that pay him.
+go on to propose incredible solutions.
+
+The worst is simply to cut consumption. Most of the world's people can't afford
+to cut back.
+
+A little better is proposing market-based policies like carbon taxes. But there
+is no credible route to implementing and sustaining an effective carbon tax,
+because it is against the interests of almost everyone.
+
+The route green rhetors almost universally promote is: listen to the science,
+then act rationally.
+
+This denies the evident fact that society is driven by the private interests of
+those who have power, not collective interests; and this is also true of science
+itself, which, as we have proven time and time again, is up for sale to the
+highest bidder.
+
+The spectre of the 'science denier' or 'science fraudster' as the bogeyman
+behind all resistance to the collective interest serves only to hide the real
+enemy: the powerful private interests that pay him.
Then, the rhetoric fails to properly identify an audience that can make a
-difference. In line with its scientistic ideology, it pretends to speak to the
-universal human citizen, as if we all have shared interests. But in fact, it
-speaks only to the professional-managerial class (PMC). The whole point of the
-rhetoric is to fight the interests of capitalists, so of course it doesn't speak
-to them. Nor does the condemnation of indulgent over-consumption and the demand
-for cutbacks have any way of resonating with the working class.
+difference.
+
+In line with its scientistic ideology, it pretends to speak to the universal
+human citizen, as if we all have shared interests. But in fact, it speaks only
+to the professional-managerial class (PMC).
+
+The whole point of the rhetoric is to fight the interests of capitalists, so of
+course it doesn't speak to them. Nor does the condemnation of indulgent
+over-consumption and the demand for cutbacks have any way of resonating with the
+working class.
Yet this rhetoric doesn't even work for the PMC, because it has already failed
-to identify a credible route change. The exhortations are addressed to the
-universal human collective, or nebulous imaginary entities like 'countries': cut
-carbon emissions! Give 'developing countries' money to stop chopping down
-rainforests! Fund research! But these recommendations don't come with a credible
-route to making them happen. It fails to diagnose why these things are hard to
-do, i.e. identify the vested interests that are preventing change, and show how
-to fight these vested interests and win.
+to identify a credible route change.
+
+The exhortations are addressed to the universal human collective, or nebulous
+imaginary entities like 'countries': cut carbon emissions! Give 'developing
+countries' money to stop chopping down rainforests! Fund research! But these
+recommendations don't come with a credible route to making them happen. It fails
+to diagnose why these things are hard to do, i.e. identify the vested interests
+that are preventing change, and show how to fight these vested interests and
+win.
The action that PMC people have taken so far (alternative consumption, political
protests, banning plastic straws, holding COPs, setting targets) have not been
-effective. The result is that PMC people feel powerless.
+effective.
+
+The result is that PMC people feel powerless.
+
+In summary,