“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day I can hear her breathing”. Arundhati Roy
‘Another world’ – maybe we don’t need such a quiet day to hear her breathing now. Maybe now she can be heard quite clearly – even above the celebratory din of the wheels of change clunking into action? With Barack Obama bouncing onto stage this week as President elect of the US, suddenly all manner of things feel manifestly possible – for all manner of people, ourselves included. The Great Turning – from the dying days of the industrial growth society to a life-sustaining, ecological revolution – seems to have just been given one great big new swing. Hurray Hurray. Now’s the time to maintain momentum and pressure to keep moving in this more hopeful direction.
Here’s how Rob Hopkins, founder of the Transition movement, sums up the changes Barack Obama’s policies, despite their challenges, can bring:
” I never thought I would see a US President who actually took climate change seriously, talked about a Green New Deal for the US, and whose policies included;
• Reduce the US’s carbon emissions 80% by 2050 and play a strong positive role in negotiating a binding global treaty to replace the expiring Kyoto Protocol
• Withdraw all combat troops from Iraq within 16 months and keep no permanent bases in the country
• Establish a clear goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons across the globe
• Close the Guantanamo Bay detention center
• Double US aid to cut extreme poverty in half by 2015 and accelerate the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculoses and Malaria
• Open diplomatic talks with countries like Iran and Syriam, to pursue peaceful resolution of tensions
• De-politicize military intelligence to avoid ever repeating the kind of manipulation that led the US into Iraq
• Launch a major diplomatic effort to stop the killings in Darfur
•Only negotiate new trade agreements that contain labor and environmental protections
•Invest $150 billion over ten years to support renewable energy and get 1 million plug-in electric cars on the road by 2015″
So for each piece of negative news that comes crashing through about collapsing markets, global recession and negative equities, there is the speedy arrival of good news to support the evidence that the beginning of a more sustainable way of living is worth working towards whilst we still have time to plan.
Rosie Boycott launched her Capital Growth project with the Mayor Boris Johnson this week in Battersea Park. Check out http://www.capitalgrowth.org. for how she is planning to support 2012 new food growing spaces in London by 2012. How many of these could be in Tooting? Get looking.
2 very successful Transition Town Tooting meetings took place on Nov 2nd and Nov 4th giving added momentum to plans and visions. Notes on these and other Tooting meetings to date on this site. Next up a Sunday Swap on Dec 7th at the Tram and Tooting Social. 2-3pm. Over to you Claudia..If you’re reading this and wondering how to get involved contact transitiontowntooting@gmail.com
LN