Monday 22 June 2015

THE ALTERNATIVE CLIMATE CHANGE INCENTIVES

THE ALTERNATIVE CLIMATE CHANGE INCENTIVES



If I may take a few minutes of your time to point to a new direction I believe we should all be taking on the issue of climate change.

Firstly we all recognise something has to be done  quickly , and effectively and with the cooperation with all global citizens, It is to this end  I have come to the conclusion that it is the financial and tax systems that will be key to any lasting and fair way forward to this mounting problem of not just climate change but also of water security,loss of species, ill health due to pollution and other factors like poor diet, noise and so on.

Secondly  we all need to recognise the widening gap between the rich and poor along all the world over and especially in Europe, where being near to the islamic states and north africa where so recently we saw the Arab Spring uprisings. all of which have been partly due to unfairness and widening gap between the haves and the have not's.

Thirdly, welfare, to include all welfare of pensions, health, and education are being attacked on all fronts due to lack of resources and ever increasing expectations.

Forthly, Greece has highlighted the greatest problem of overstretching the monetary capacity of sustainable financial stability of not just the EU but potentially of the global capitalist system.

 
These four fundamental aspects are high on everyone's agenda, but the one thing everyone seems to not be able to comprehend and facilitate is the way in which all these aspects are interlinked and dependant upon each other and when discussions are taken place  whether on Roads, Rail, Housing, Greek bailout, Climate change, and in fact on most topics that The EU and the UN are responsible for. there is a failing of grasp an holistic way forward that not just helps on objective but helps meet many objectives at the same time.

To resolve this major global problem , surely we have to think and act in a completely different way, so as to  enable each citizen to have the tools to make the right decisions for society and the planet whilst at the same time feel they are in charge and not being controlled by states, multinationals or even other individuals. This empowerment is the real challenge and would I believe create real human capital and give us the power to control our destiny as a united civilization , rather than one which is tearing itself apart as we see at present in Greece, Russia and Ukraine, Syria and so on .

The resolution I believe is to treat everyone and every entity equally , so if we abolished all taxes with the exception of a death tax to redistribute excessive wealth, rather than relying on benevolent Bill Gates and the like. This being replace with a single tax on all natural resources at source, and based on the potential harm their extraction and use does to the planet, This would include all Resources eventually in any changeover , from water to land ,  Fossil fuels to minerals. This then would be the only tax states would use to obtain revenue to enable services to be rendered. The replacement of all existing taxes and replaced with this Natural Resource Tax,(NRT), would empower every citizen and business to rethink the real value of natural resources whilst at the same time reducing Fraud, Evasion and Avoidance at all levels and everyone to be treated equally.

As I write Greece is at another crisis point , but will the politicians have any idea of their responsibility in their deliberations for the longer timeline of a sustainable future for all?


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