The great debate: capitalism and climate change/ the ecological emergency
I just received a link on Mastodon saying that Dr Jeremy Leggett on behalf of Highlands Rewilding bought the 3500 acre Tayvallich Estate in Argyll via crowdfunding for £10 million. They intend to allow the estate to rewild, but they will also take into account the local community, its needs and interests.
That all sounds very positive. Rewilding is the way forward when it comes to tackling climate change and biodiversity loss, but it’s also important not to ignore the needs of the local human population. In (relatively) remote places like the Highlands of Scotland, three quarters of the population is forced to migrate for lack of work, or lack of opportunities to buy property which is often inflated in price by investors or holiday makers who want to purchase temporary residences.
Jeremy also believes that ‘greed is good’. I can’t say I agree with that, but I do appreciate that shifting perspective requires bringing people along, and that the business community, along with governments, are the biggest players. This is probably the most contentious debate in climate change circles, which inevitably overlap with political and ideological belief systems. Is there enough scope for change within the current system, or is the growth in inequality (which I’ve just indicated in writing about rural…
