IIn addition to Alternative News sources (such as Democracy Now!), every day I watch or read at least a couple of Mainstream (corporate) News sources, such as NBC Nightly News or a news magazine article like this one---
Using the article above as an example, the following conclusions have become obvious.
It's a brilliant analysis (in terms of reductionism instead of holism) BUT there are two major flaws in it. Because the author likely is a neoliberal economist (as opposed to an ecological economist such as Herman E. Daly, William E. Rees, Joshua Farley, et al.) he apparently can't see them.
1. His analysis is strictly within the neoliberal framework of shooting for infinite economic growth (as well as overconsumption) on a finite planet. Such is eventually not possible because of the second law of thermodynamics (& other reasons), having to do with energy & entropy. Without infinite growth - which requires ever more energy each year - mainstream (neoliberal) economics eventually will fail completely, regardless of anything the Fed does & regardless of any changes in monetary & fiscal policy. The need for more & more energy will kill it. According to Prof. Nate Hagens, in only the last 30 years we humans have used more energy than in the previous 5,000 years. If we continue on that path, & with only 2% or so econ growth per year, in 50 years the energy required just to extract and/or capture the amount we'll need will make the whole scenario cost-prohibitive.
Unknown, future new tech won't be able to help much because getting it always involves using more & more energy. The solution to all this is adopting some version of a steady-state economy and dumping infinite-growth economics. Much work is being done toward that end. https://steadystate.org/ is only one of several non-profits which are dealing with it. Have a look when you can.
2. While he gives a slight nod to the Eco-Crisis, he doesn't seem to fully grasp the massive problems with not only climate change, but just as importantly, with soil degradation & erosion, desertification, fresh water availability, deforestation, worldwide toxic pollution, biodiversity loss, nuke contamination, over-harvesting and over-extracting of dwindling natural resources, overpopulation, ocean warming & acidification, the methane "bomb", and more in the eco-realm. All of those together can collapse a society much more so than stagflation and supply shocks. Without a sea change in our worldview, our ethics, and our metaphysics, they will...unless we overcome the neoliberal propaganda which has been rampant for the last 40 years.
People say, "Well, it's deeply complex...it's all relative...it's complicated", etc. All true, but none of that means we aren't facing multiple threats to our existence, or that Gov't is handling those existential threats well rather than kicking the can down the road, or that Tech will save us and preserve our pursuit of infinite growth.
Bottom line: it isn't just about politics, or economics, or climate change. If we are to survive & thrive, almost everything must change. People are anxious to "get back to normal". The trouble with that is: "normal" was/is the cause of the multifaceted mess we're in now.
As a species, collectively we appear to be "energy blind" (from the clip immediately above) and wedded to the idea that the temporary "carbon pulse" will continue on for decades & decades more.
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Not only my opinion. Take Care
