It takes more than a silver bullet...

...to combat climate change. This is an important statement from both Nicky Gavron and Anthony Giddens in new expert interviews on climate change to be found on sustainablecities.dk. Gavron the politician and the sociologist Giddens, who moved into politics and strategy making during the Blair era, have strong views on which kind of politics we need. In the interview with Giddens, he talks about his new book 'The Politics of Climate Change' (2009). The core message is:

“Climate change is very, very different from any other political issue we have had to deal with because it is mainly an issue of future risk. It is very hard for ordinary citizens to relate to an abstract risk in the future which right now does not impinge on their everyday life. And when it becomes visible in their lives, it is too late.”

He continues with references to the COP15 in Copenhagen:

“Most ordinary people push climate change out of their everyday life. Most politicians make grandiose promises that are often without any substance or content. We have international agreements but they don't mention how they are going to implement it in the near future. It is easier to discuss what to do in 2050. And very difficult to figure out what we are going to do within the next 2 or 3 years. My view is that politics will settle this issue. It is politics and power that will determinate if we can mobilize especially industrialised countries to take sufficient measures that will inspire developing countries to take measures to a certain point.”

Many of the points made by Giddens and Gavron are quite alike. And there are no groundbreaking news. The most groundbreaking is that the ideas presented have moved from being yelled into empty space by groups of people working with climate change for years to suddenly being an opinion of the elite. That makes a difference. I am sorry to say but it does. And it is certainly important that both of them emphase the importance of having visions. When asked what politicians of today need, Gavron replies:

“First of all, they need to have visions. They need a long term vision of the future of their city so people know what they are aiming for. Secondly, they have to be courageous and have the political will to make difficult decisions. Thirdly, they have to have a good policy framework to make their cities sustainable. We do not need a silver bullet but a systemic change.”

And for old Giddens fans - those of us who acknowledge that Modernity and Self-Identity (1991) is one of the most important books about modern society and the people inhabiting this society – it is ok to be a bit sceptical. What on earth does Giddens mean when he says 'ordinary citizens'? And why does he come up with a 'Giddens paradox' which is a term for a paradox on knowledge and action which has been discussed and described forever in the history of understanding human behaviour?

Nevertheless, visions, systemic change and holistic thinking are addressed by two powerful Anglo-Saxons. And that is a movement from one silver bullet to a systemic change.