David Levy – The Word Is – Jan 20
Last year the emergence of the voice of the younger generation took the world by storm. What long-term implication this has, is frankly up for discussion.
Countries are committed to exploitation and growth despite all the signs that this is a busted flush. It is not sustainable and its totally unhealthy for the planet. However the politicians have failed to engage and this has led to frustration in the populace.
The unfortunate naive politics of Extinction Rebellion has amalgamated decent middle of the road electorate with let’s be frank anarchists; therefore the writing is on the wall for that organisation as it will fail to take the population with them as things currently stand.
So where can the individual place their efforts?
In law, we do have the right to question our own governments and this has been attempted in America and also very successfully in The Netherlands. What is so profoundly disheartening in the UK is the failure to mount a civil case under Common Law to challenge the Government’s management of our resources. This could be done by all the NGOs working jointly together with, for example, Client Earth.
It needs to be done to halt the nihilistic direction which our country is taking. Single issue groups are failing by acting alone and certainly our NGO Movement has been effectively neutered. Right now we need to develop a partnership between the campaigners and the lawyers.
I feel the present is ripe for massive change within our country, concentrating all research on projects that are sustainable, non-harmful for the planet and which enable us to lead the world so that we have an export base for the future.
We certainly have pioneered, without major investment by government, a world-leading expertise in offshore wind energy technology. We could also develop hydrogen-based energy technology and then work within the Commonwealth to develop desalination plants and water projects within Africa.
Prime Minister, it is time to use our opportunities to develop and not to just exploit already overstretched resources.
That is a response you could lay before the young generation.
David Levy
Marinet 2020
