Once you’ve spent a bit of time browsing the proposals put forward for inclusion in the Simultaneous Policy, you see the synergies. This is brought out in some of the policy supplements to the newsletter too, such as that on ‘Turning weapons into windmills’ on the impact on climate change of redirecting weapons spending to renewable energy production.
Similar synergies occurred for me yesterday. The proposal for Nuclear Disarmament did well in the recently concluded voting on policy proposals, gaining 60% approval for its further development. Mark Horler has taken up the challenge and posted a ‘work in progress’ expanding on the initial proposal to reference a proposed Nuclear Weapons Convention. He is looking for seconders for this to go forward. You can add your name at:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=90.0
At the same time, I saw a news report of a new international organisation called Global Zero, which launched a campaign this week on exactly the same issue.
According to the International Business Times:
http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081211/dc-global-zero-nukes.htm
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Global Zero released a poll of 21 countries that found global public opinion overwhelmingly favors an international agreement for eliminating all nuclear weapons according to a timetable -- 76 percent of respondents across all countries polled favor such an agreement. The question specified that "all countries would be monitored to ensure they follow the agreement." In the five nations with large nuclear arsenals and advanced delivery systems, large majorities favor the plan -- Russia (69%), the United States (77%), China(83%), France (86%), and Great Britain (81%). In nations that do not have nuclear weapons, similarly large majorities favor it.
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This week too I wrote of the financial crisis and how re-thinking how we calculate GDP would prompt very different policy action from that we are seeing from our leaders, who encouraging people to take on more debt and consume more to get the world out of recession. Putting arms money into factors that boost health, environmental and social issues would make the ‘Beyond GDP’ figure improve. I wasn’t initially sympathetic to the ‘Beyond GDP’ proposal – which gained 64% approval – but with the prominence given to GDP figures in policy making now see the point. Also highly relevant is the proposal that ‘weapons spending be excluded from GDP’ - which gained 60% approval (though the proposer has today insisted that this proposal be withdrawn - the Policy Committee shortly to be elected will need to face in the new year how to handle this situation given it received the backing of Adopters).
You can sign up in support of the Global Zero campaign on their website at:
http://www.globalzero.org/
But I would suggest also sending them a message to back the disarmament proposals within the context of the Simultaneous Policy and giving the Nuclear Weapons Convention your support at:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=90.0
The Simultaneous Policy leads us to think of a coherent package of measures, addressing the major issues facing our planet, not each in isolation. If we can harness some of the Global Zero energy to the broader Simultaneous Policy campaign and vice versa it will be mutually beneficial.
Showing posts with label disarmament and peace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label disarmament and peace. Show all posts
December 12, 2008
July 2, 2008
Turning Weapons into Windmills
The Spring 2008 edition of the Simultaneous Policy newsletter has a policy supplement. This lists the policy suggestions that have been submitted and survived the annual rounds of voting so far. There are also some new suggestions (including one of mine which I'll write about another time).
Space is given in the newsletter to issues or policies gaining a high proportion of support in annual voting rounds. In this policy supplement there are a couple of guest articles on the theme of peace and disarmament. As it is the nature of SP to prompt cross-cutting ideas, the issue of climate change is linked in by one of the authors.
The theme of the supplement is: Turning Weapons into Windmills.
Nuclear disarmament received 61% support. The proposal referred people to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) website for further information. For further details and discussion, see the board dedicated to it at:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/index.php?board=18.0
The CND site is promoting a proposed Nuclear Weapons Convention, which was launched by International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in 2007. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was launched at the same time to promote adoption of the Convention.
Marion Birch of Medact - the UK member of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War - writes about the Convention and campaign in the policy supplement. Those who are in favour of the Convention could also promote it to Simultaneous Policy Adopters to add substance to the nuclear disarmament proposal and provide a parallel route for gaining publicity and support. If Adopters vote to keep it in the process then implementation of the Simultaneous Policy could see the Convention introduced more quickly than by other means.
The other proposal given space in the policy supplement is for a 'Defensive Defence Policy', which gained 54% last time around. See:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/index.php?board=16.0
The proposer, Barbara Panvel, gives an update and references other sources of information, including a briefing called 'Oceans of Work' by Dr Steven Schofield.
She writes:
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It was good to see Defensive Defence included as a Simultaneous Policy proposal in 2007 and to see that 54% of voters liked the suggestion and hoped it would be developed further - enough to keep it ‘in play’ but far below the front-runner, which was Contraction and Convergence with 80% of the votes.
Dr Steven Schofield also felt that, “Global warming is an emergency far greater than any other we have faced. This is the real war and it is the one we are losing.” He pointed out that sufficient resources to construct a postcarbon economy would be available if major industrial powers co-ordinate a programme of arms conversion on an international scale.
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The illustration included in the supplement suggests this would make it possible to turn weapons into windmills.
You can download it by clicking:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/Pages/spideasspring08.pdf
Whether you agree with these proposals or not, you can join in the policy discussion and voting, sign up as a Simultaneous Policy Adopter on the site of the organisation that promotes the campaign (Simpol).
Space is given in the newsletter to issues or policies gaining a high proportion of support in annual voting rounds. In this policy supplement there are a couple of guest articles on the theme of peace and disarmament. As it is the nature of SP to prompt cross-cutting ideas, the issue of climate change is linked in by one of the authors.
The theme of the supplement is: Turning Weapons into Windmills.
Nuclear disarmament received 61% support. The proposal referred people to the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) website for further information. For further details and discussion, see the board dedicated to it at:http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/index.php?board=18.0
The CND site is promoting a proposed Nuclear Weapons Convention, which was launched by International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in 2007. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was launched at the same time to promote adoption of the Convention.
Marion Birch of Medact - the UK member of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War - writes about the Convention and campaign in the policy supplement. Those who are in favour of the Convention could also promote it to Simultaneous Policy Adopters to add substance to the nuclear disarmament proposal and provide a parallel route for gaining publicity and support. If Adopters vote to keep it in the process then implementation of the Simultaneous Policy could see the Convention introduced more quickly than by other means.
The other proposal given space in the policy supplement is for a 'Defensive Defence Policy', which gained 54% last time around. See:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/forum/index.php?board=16.0
The proposer, Barbara Panvel, gives an update and references other sources of information, including a briefing called 'Oceans of Work' by Dr Steven Schofield.
She writes:
---
It was good to see Defensive Defence included as a Simultaneous Policy proposal in 2007 and to see that 54% of voters liked the suggestion and hoped it would be developed further - enough to keep it ‘in play’ but far below the front-runner, which was Contraction and Convergence with 80% of the votes.
Dr Steven Schofield also felt that, “Global warming is an emergency far greater than any other we have faced. This is the real war and it is the one we are losing.” He pointed out that sufficient resources to construct a postcarbon economy would be available if major industrial powers co-ordinate a programme of arms conversion on an international scale.
---
The illustration included in the supplement suggests this would make it possible to turn weapons into windmills.
You can download it by clicking:
http://www.simpol.org.uk/Pages/spideasspring08.pdf
Whether you agree with these proposals or not, you can join in the policy discussion and voting, sign up as a Simultaneous Policy Adopter on the site of the organisation that promotes the campaign (Simpol).
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