Antinuclear

Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein says it’s time to stop glossing over climate change and instead, accept it as a moral crisis and treat it that way.

“There are huge numbers of lives at stake, (Pope Francis) calls destabilising the planet’s life support system a sin, that’s not the language I use, I call it a crime but too often we use this very bloodless language, this very bureaucratic language that glosses over the huge moral crisis that we are in the midst of,” Klein told media ahead of her sold-out show at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas this weekend.

In her book This Changes Everything, Klein argues the human race has entered “Decade Zero”, during which it must act on climate change or lose its chance.

“Our economic system and our planetary system are now at war,” she writes.

“The International Energy Agency warns that if we do not get our emissions under control by a rather terrifying 2017, our fossil fuel economy will ‘lock in’ extremely dangerous warming.”

Last month the best-selling author described Abbott as a “climate villain”, a term she told media on Thursday that she stands by, saying “I stand by saying these are villainous acts, I believe criminal acts.” But she noted Mr Abbott was increasingly stranded on the wrong side of the battleground.

“Tony Abbott has talked openly about how he has learned from my Prime Minister Stephen Harper, (who) has acted like this malevolent older brother,” Klein said.

Harper offered tips on how to “vilify indigenous people and grassroots activists”, and how to market planet destabilising carbon as “something ethical and good for humanity”, Klein said.
He may now have a new lesson for Abbott.

• In May, Canada’s resource-rich province Alberta turfed out a conservative government which had been in power since 1971.

  “Alberta, Canada … is ground zero of our carbon boom,” Klein said.

  “There has been 44 years of uninterrupted, conservative rule in Alberta, in May they voted in our third party, our left wing party the NDP (Alberta New Democratic Party) because Albertans were sick and tired of the boom, bust rollercoaster,” Klein said.

  “Now we have a federal election coming up in October (and) Stephen Harper is not doing well in the polls … I hope that Tony Abbott, having taken notes from Canada’s prime minister, is still paying attention.”…………http://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/author-naomi-klein-says-she-hopes-prime-minister-tony-abbott-is-still-paying-attention/story-fnjwvztl-1227511435708