We are facing an emergency resulting from our toxic economic and political system. The way we relate to each other and to nature is destroying Earth’s capacity to sustain life.
Unending economic growth and profits drawn from a planet with limited resources is causing gross inequality, poverty, mass misery, and species extinction.
We are sold an illusion that consumption will bring purpose and happiness into our lives, yet this systemic consumption is threatening our very existence. It is based on unjust and unethical land use and ownership, unsustainable and increasing amounts of debt and enslavement of individuals.
Power and money is concentrated in the hands of the few, while the masses struggle to simply survive. It is causing climate breakdown and biodiversity collapse.
As Greta Thunberg has been saying since the ‘Declaration of Rebellion’ last October 31:
‘We can no longer save the world by playing by the rules. Because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change. And it has to start today.”
So, everyone out there, it is now time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel.
The scale of the climate crisis is more visible than ever. Not only has it been clearly articulated by the world’s leading climate scientists, communities around the world are suffering more frequent, extreme and widespread storms, heat waves and wildfires.
But it’s not enough.
We need to progress faster towards the ultimate goal of net-zero CO2 emissions if we are to prevent the very worst impacts of climate change.
This is the moment for us all to push for greater progress. All businesses – especially those that to date have been silent on the threat of climate change – need to step-up their ambition and actions to tackle climate change.
We’re calling on all companies that haven’t yet done so to commit to set an ambitious science-based emission reduction target that’s aligned with what science says is necessary to limit global warming to 1.5°C. Signal your commitment to setting your company target by signing this pledge: https://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/…
We Mean Business is a coalition of organizations working with thousands of the world’s most influential businesses and investors. These businesses recognize that the transition to a low carbon economy is the only way to secure sustainable economic growth and prosperity for all. To accelerate this transition, we have formed a common platform to amplify the business voice, catalyze bold climate action by all, and promote smart policy frameworks.
A trip along Chile’s National Route 7, the Carretera Austral, takes us into the stunning wilderness of Patagonia – a place that many German emigrants chose as their new home almost a century ago.
The Carretera Austral is straddled by mountain ranges, primeval forests, fjords, volcanoes and a huge ice field. It has taken decades to carve its way through the almost impassable terrain – even now a lot of traffic is forced to take a detour across the border into Argentina. The military dictator Augusto Pinochet made the construction of the road a national priority in the 1970s, sending thousands of soldiers to the region to work under the most adverse conditions. One of the last surviving members of Pinochet’s junta, former military police chief Rodolfo Stange, talks about the road’s strategic importance for the regime.
German marine biologist Vreni Häussermann tells us about a catastrophe in one of the Patagonian fjords – an event that underlines how economic expansion along the route has adversely affected the natural environment in southern Chile. On our journey we meet descendants of German emigrants who found a new home in Patagonia’s remote vastness after the First World War. An insight into the past and present of this unique region.
