The Precautionary Principle must mean, above all, avoiding the risk of ruinous outcomes for people or the wider environment, write Rupert Read & David Burnham. When the Philippines Supreme Court applied that test to GMOs, they found they had to ban them - not as a moral choice but pragmatically, to avoid potentially devastating consequences.
… a step in this direction banning GM foods in school meals; Hawaii has banned GMOs on the … & Yaneer Bar-Yam, and published in the NYU School of Engineering Working Paper Series. …
The growth of food banks reflects a simple truth: the government does not care about hungry families, writes Rupert Read. To tackle hunger, work must pay a living wage, social security must do its job, and communities must rebuild local food networks.
… are not delays to payments Tackling hunger in school holidays when free school meals are not available Short to Medium …
As the Greens announce anti-austerity policies in their election manifesto, Bennet Francis & Rupert Read examine the austerity narrative - and find it doesn't add up. By insisting that deficit reduction is necessary for growth, the politicians of austerity undermine the very meaning of the 'prosperity' they promise us.
… NHS relies on private providers, the more our schools become part-owned by profit-making … sciences'. He is Reader in Philosophy in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Languages …
If progressive parties are ever to defeat the Tories under the current unfair electoral system, they will need to come together in an electoral pact, writes Rupert Read. The alternative could be a succession of ever more extreme conservative governments.
… his day job he's Reader in Philosophy in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Languages …
Piketty's 'Capital in the 21st Century' has taken the intellectual world by storm, writes Rupert Read. His analysis of wealth inequality is timely and powerful, but there's one crucial thing he hasn't 'got': that growth must run up against ecological limits - indeed it already has.
… sciences'. He is Reader in Philosophy in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Languages …
There's nothing unexpected about the coming catastrophe: it is approaching us ‘smoothly'. And yet we're doing so little to stop it. What gives? asks Philosopher, RUPERT READ
… went on trial for the right to be taught in school (and lost). The differences are (1) A …
Only one party is challenging the mainstream concensus on transport, write Rupert Read, Sandy Irvine and Bennet Francis - massive spending on roads and HS2, and the little that's left for everything else. It's time to throw away the old thinking and commit to an effective, sustainable transport system that begins with local needs.
… his day job he's Reader in Philosophy in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Languages …
Jeremy Corbyn's soaraway success in Labour's leadership contest poses an existential threat to the Greens, writes Rupert Read. To counter it we must re-assert our distinctive ethos, values, policies and principles, rooted in ecologism not socialism, respecting natural limits, opposed to endless economic growth, dedicated to building and sharing the wealth we all hold in common.
… his day job he's Reader in Philosophy in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Languages …
How can Green parties acquire real political power? A new book by Per Gahrton, founder of the Swedish Green Party, is much more than a useful reference text on the history of Green Parties around the world, write Bennet Francis and Rupert Read. It's also a valuable manual in realpolitik that resonates here and now in the UK.
… sciences'. He is Reader in Philosophy in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Languages …
Over in Davos world leaders are desperately trying to find a 'fourth industrial revolution' to keep the 'growth' juggernaut rolling, write Bennet Francis & Rupert Read. But their efforts are doomed: the real challenge we face is to build a healthy, more equal society and a green, sustainable future for us all.
… sciences'. He is Reader in Philosophy in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Languages …
Greens are united in opposing neoliberal 'austerity', write Rupert Read & Sandy Irvine. But there's another kind of austerity to which we are committed - that of living within ecological limits. But base the transition on social, economic and environmental justice, and there will be nothing austere about it. The future we're working for is one of sustainable, life-enhancing abundance.
… his day job he's Reader in Philosophy in the School of Politics, Philosophy and Languages …