The rise and rise of petrofascism

By Julian Cribb* A new world superpower is arising. One that is unelected, borderless, controls most governments and, increasingly, employs the familiar tools of repression and deception to attain its goals. In Australia, the US and Britain, young people calling for urgent climate action are being arrested and gaoled. Harsh new laws are being passed … Continue reading The rise and rise of petrofascism

Don’t vote for a political party. Vote for a good woman (or man) instead.

By Julian Cribb* Election 2022 may herald the end of party rule in Australian politics. Indeed, like Gorbachev, Scott Morrison seems poised to pull the trigger on the dissolution of the rotten old party system. It could be his political legacy. It’s a big thought, after a century or more of the national interest being … Continue reading Don’t vote for a political party. Vote for a good woman (or man) instead.

Idiocracy: is the decline in human intelligence undermining democracy?

The early 21st Century has been noteworthy for a marked increase in the number of governments willing to act against the interests of their electors – and the number of electors prepared to vote against their own best interests and choose such governments. Since an educated, thoughtful and responsible electorate is indispensable to any democracy … Continue reading Idiocracy: is the decline in human intelligence undermining democracy?

Choosing between national happiness – and global misery

With 30,000 wildfires blazing from one end of the Planet to the other on any single day, melting icecaps and glaciers, dying coral reefs, polluted oceans, lakes, rivers and cities, vanishing wildlife and forests and growing scarcity of water and soil, the fate of humanity is already plain to see. The missing element in our … Continue reading Choosing between national happiness – and global misery

Our existential crisis: what is to be done?*

Quarter of a century ago, as a science writer, I began encountering a lot of rather depressed scientists. Every day they went to work and grappled with data showing that the Earth was falling apart. Species were vanishing at accelerating rates, poisons were spreading unchecked, the climate becoming more violent, oceans fouled and lifeless and … Continue reading Our existential crisis: what is to be done?*