UNITED NATIONS OVERPOPULATION DENIAL CONFERENCE: EXPLORING THE UNDERSIDE OF CLIMATE CHANGE
COMMENTARY ARCHIVES, 26 Jun 2009
Introduction
This is a contribution to future reflection on the significance of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (Copenhagen, 7-18 December 2009). The argument is summarized by a folktale. The case is supported below by the following interlinked considerations:
1. Questionable asystemic promotion of strategies against "climate change":
o "climate change" as the "most important problem facing humanity"
o "climate change" as a surrogate for avoidance of other issues and more comprehensive debate
2. Questionable use of the best of scientific method in relation to "climate change":
o scientific research "nested" within an unscientific context
o promotion of "consensus" on "climate change" by the sciences
o reliance on modelling methodology (recently demonstrated to increase global vulnerability disastrously)
3. Questionable exploitation of faith-based behaviour patterns of organized belief systems (notably ideologies and religions):
o identifying "unbelief" and "denial" to stigmatize critics of "climate change"
o failure to consider issues conflicting with predetermined ideological or religious dogma
o failure to identify issues which it is too problematic to recognize and discuss
o institutionalization of double standards with respect to suffering
4. Problematic failure to reflect on strategic development in the light of past experience:
o challenges of broken promises and commitments, disguised by tokenism
o abuse of faith in governance
o lack of the political will to change
o lack of political courage to consider alternatives
5. Problematic progressive focus on unproven geoengineering options as offering the most viable solution
6. Overpopulation denial: failure to consider progressive implications of overpopulation
o denial
o overpopulation
o shortages
7. Developing a healthy pattern of argumentation
o dialogue, argument and issue mapping
o polyhedral configuration of envisaged initiatives
o application of critical thinking to detect fallacious argument
8. Climate change and overpopulation as cultural challenges of reflexivity
o thinking "out-of-the-box in the light of psychoanalysis
o fundamental psychological significance of climate change
o potential implication of concept associations
9. Possibility of rapid reframing for an appropriate shift in focus
o refocusing official documents by substitution
o playfulness and humour
o song and poetry
o systemic mapping of associations
CONTINUE READING IN THE ORIGINAL – LAETUS IN PRAESENS
This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 26 Jun 2009.
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