What I would do tomorrow if I was in charge
After the last post where I talked about how much it feels like what we’re doing now is leading us straight to extinction; I thought I would indulge myself and come up with a list of things I would do immediately if I was in charge of the country (and assuming every other country was led by someone with exactly the same ideals). In the process show any doubters that I am in fact positive about the future. Just one where we make massive changes; rather than one where we waste precious time tinkering around the edges of our disastrous current system.
Rather than write a lot about each policy idea, I just want to simply lay out the basics of my plan, and perhaps go into more detail in future. Especially on topics I haven’t previously covered.
- End capitalism
- Nationalise all essential industries, and shut down all businesses that don’t bring a clear benefit to society.
- Bring in a universal income so work is optional and only for the benefit of society as a whole; not for individual gain.
- Ban all new and begin rapid phaseout of existing fossil fuel infrastructure
- Implement the MEER Reflection Framework, Marine Cloud Brightening, Ocean Pasture Restoration, and other Geoengineering / solar radiation management techniques.
- Tax the rich 99% (everyone lives the same way)
- Ban all unsustainable building materials
- Ban private cars for everyone except for those who couldn’t live without one today (disabled etc). Begin rapid phaseout of diesel taxis and the small number of private cars that will remain in favour of EVs.
- End deforestation and give back vast areas of grazing land to nature.
- Ban all cryptocurrencies, mining, NFTs etc.
- Ban pesticides
- Ban meat production
- Ban all new road, airport, port, and other developments intended to increase trade and GDP.
- Ban all new single family homes, luxury apartments and mansions, and begin the process of converting existing large homes into many tiny apartments or buildings for other societal purposes.
- Ban landlords
- Begin rapid phaseout of fossil fuelled vans, trucks etc. Aim to replace most vans with cargo bikes. Demand for vans and trucks will drop due to massively reduced consumption levels.
- Ban private jets, super-yachts and all other privately owned luxury transport.
- Ban second homes
- Severely restrict flying. Mandate that people may only take one return flight per year, regardless of wealth. Only holidays, visiting family, moving overseas permitted. Business travel by air banned.
- Mandate that ground transport must be used for all trips where the destination can be reached within about 24–36 hours. Air travel only when absolutely essential.
- Immediately invest massively in public transport, bicycle parking, and begin the phaseout of diesel buses, coaches, trains.
- Immediately begin phasing out plastic and mandating the use of reusable containers and schemes to return them to shops for reuse.
I could probably go on endlessly listing more and more things, but I think this covers a lot of bases. Imagine a real politician coming in day one and doing all of this. It would be incredible compared to everything we’re used to. But we shouldn’t forget that what I’m talking about here isn’t some crazy nonsense. What politicians do right now is pure insanity. What I’m proposing is entirely logical and urgently necessary. The people talking about net zero 2050 are the crazy ones.
Originally published at http://cjtill.com on February 17, 2022.
