“We are entering a new world! “People said. “We can’t get back to normal-we have learned the harsh facts, and new possibilities have suddenly opened up! “However, 16 months after the first lockdown in the United Kingdom, some things have not changed. The government is still obsessed with the scale of public debt and trying to promote fossil fuel infrastructure projects. It seems unlikely that we will enter a new world in the fall – But perhaps the pandemic has accelerated the transformation that has been slowly taking place for some time.
At the New Economy Foundation (NEF), we certainly think we need a new economy (what abandoned it?) and have already taken some actions in the right direction: the government supports vacation plans for those who have lost their jobs, And hyped up the green economic recovery after the pandemic. But we still live in an economic system, when we need it, it will not support us, it will consume the resources of the earth, and will be based on our happiness and health to measure any measure of economic success-obviously, There is still a lot to do.
In a world where families must choose healthy food or new school shoes for their children, 100 companies account for 71% of global emissions, and the richest 1% have more than twice the carbon emissions of the poorest. For half of the people, in 74% of the country, nurses cannot afford a house. It is clear that change is necessary. So it is easy to think that the case has been established and the argument is won.Even the government feels the change as they promised ‘Really change by upgrading, investing in the community, and taking the climate crisis seriously.
The now famous Arundhati Roy quote has appeared on the pages of this publication: “Another world is not only possible, she is still on the way. In quiet days, I can hear her breathing. “The idea of change is a slippery idea — it may be hard to imagine, but the idea may be terrible. The pandemic has changed things — some things will change forever, while others may be in the future. Reversal within a week. Change is not inevitable, nor is it a good thing forever-the status quo has an immeasurable power. ‘Those who don’t understand why will return to normal ‘For many people in this country, “normal” is not so good, which not only conceals the familiar security, but also conceals the failure to learn the lessons of the pre-pandemic economy. But this is not accidental-this is the result of our economic design.Powerful embedding ‘How’s the matter’. If we want to change, we must make it happen. So, if a new world is about to emerge, the real question is: will it be what we want to see?
In this issue, we explore different ways in which the world is changing-looking at old and new challenges, from the future of vaccine ownership and travel to the increased pressure on our social care system and consumption-driven economic growth. Each piece contains a challenge, how do we move things forward and how we begin to shape the world we want to live in.
Our economic problems predate the pandemic. Covid-19 may highlight the plight of more people using food banks, small businesses, and the government’s focus on the size of the deficit rather than funding the NHS-but it did not cause these problems. In the scenario setting article in this issue, our new economic director Lydia Prieg explained how we got here and why we are facing a golden opportunity to build a fairer and more sustainable economy. However, to do this, the government will focus on things other than maximizing GDP. Beth Stratford explained how our economy has become dependent on continued growth from high levels of personal debt to the lack of a strong social security system — and how we can end the constraints of relying on growth.
In the past year and a half, most of us have considered our health and well-being more than ever. However, after ten years of layoffs, our NHS is still struggling, and our social care system has neither provided enough affordable care for those in need, nor has it provided support for the key workers who maintain it. NEF’s own Daniel Button has studied the damage caused by the pandemic to our care system and advocated for the real universalization of social care. At the same time, the acquisition of important medical technologies and development projects like Covid vaccine depends on the global intellectual property system, which fuels vaccine nationalism. Miriam Brett explains how this all works in this explanatory article.
Getting rid of the pandemic and entering the new economy does not mean ignoring the voices of the most marginalized groups. After a year of ruthless media prejudice against transgender people, Fergal O’Dwyer interviewed Nim Ralph, a transgender organizer and educator, to understand how the economy shapes the lives of transgender people. Disability justice activist Lani Parker wrote about the simplistic portrayal of the dangers of people with disabilities throughout the pandemic and how a new understanding of vulnerability can pave the way forward. Minnie Rahman explained how the government’s hostile environmental policies meant that immigrants were disproportionately exposed to the virus. After being told to stay at home for a year, our locality dominates our lives in an unprecedented way. In their article on this issue, a group of young researchers talked to us through their investigation of rampant gentrification in South London on the well-being of young people who call home.
These challenges and opportunities are emerging in the context of the worsening climate crisis. The government has injected a lot of money into the aviation industry in the past year, even though we know how much has already damaged the climate. Alex Chapman used the story of aviation to show how government decisions can create the behavioral changes we need. However, without a thorough understanding of the economy and power, we cannot expect to get there. This is the message of the new book Planet on Fire reviewed by Margaret Welsh in this issue.
The epidemic has exposed some problems. Some are deeply rooted in our economy. But our question ends with the reason given by Christine Berry, that the uncertainty of why we are all swimming can actually be the best reason for hope.
Although this question delves into many of the challenges we have already faced, as well as those that are coming, it carries this kind of hope. More important than ever, we use our voice and power to have a say in the world we live in. This is why at NEF, we have just launched a living income campaign-working hard to establish a social security system that will ensure that everyone has enough money to make ends meet. Climate disasters are unfolding before our eyes, from pipeline explosions in the Gulf of Mexico to deadly heat waves in the United States, Canada and Pakistan. As we look forward to the UN Climate Summit this fall, we are beginning our work to reach a new agreement to achieve a not only fair but also green economy. As Christine Berry reminded us in this long reading, through Rebecca Solnit: “Hope lies in the premise that we don’t know what will happen, and there is a space for action in the vast space of uncertainty. ”
We hope you enjoy this issue of the New Economy Magazine, and give you food for hope, inspiration for action, and thinking as you look forward to the future.
content
- editorial
- Road to Recovery / Lydia Preig
- Explainer: Who owns the vaccine? / Miriam Brett
- What if no one is a one-off? / Rani Parker
- Growing up troubles / Beth Stratford
- Caring for everyone / Daniel Button
- Why transgender liberation is a class issue / Fergal O’Dwyer interview with Nim Ralph
- Nobody Left Behind/Minnie Rahman
- In the Air/Alex Chapman
- Sweet Home / Hannah Adeniji, Afnan Bouh, Shamso Ali, Olamide Bamigboye, Francess Conteh, Elizabeth Kuyoro, Shahani Richards, Amina Sesay and Hana Riazuddinand
- Review: Burning Planet/Margaret Wales
- Case of Hope/Christine Berry
Image: Jia-yi Zoe Liu
