[blind-democracy] Union group argues for public ownership of energy systems

  • From: "Roger Loran Bailey" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> (Redacted sender "rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
  • To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2018 10:10:01 -0500

https://socialistaction.org/2018/02/18/union-group-argues-for-public-ownership-of-energy-systems/


Union group argues for public ownership of energy systems

/ 2 days ago


solar plant Spain
A power plant in Spain running on solar energy.

By CHRISTINE MARIE

As Bill McKibben and other climate leaders keep reminding us, the cost of solar and wind energy keeps dropping. They assure us that if government continues to incentivize private investment with guarantees of profitable it would make these renewable sources competitive with fossil fuels and lead to a green capitalism.

This thinking is based on a seminal 2006 paper by Nicholas Stern, former chief economist at the World Bank. However, “Working Paper No. 10” (http://unionsforenergydemocracy.org/resources/tued-publications/tued-working-paper-10/), recently released by the Trade Unionists for Energy Democracy (TUED), proves that the “Stern Review” was a pipe dream and urges labor organizations to fight like the devil for an alternative course—public ownership of energy systems run under democratic control.

According to the International Energy Agency and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IEA-IREA), the investment needed to keep global warming below the threshold of two degrees Celsius would have to double the 2016 levels of investment to $600 billion a year and reach $14 trillion invested in solar and wind by 2030. The chances of this happening, under the current paradigm of public-private partnerships that guarantee profits and mitigate risk to private investors, according to the “Working Paper No. 10” authors Sean Sweeney and John Treat, is zero. In fact, they argue, based on a close study of the situation in the UK, that the idea that we can reach safe levels of renewable energy via aid to private profiteers is “the greatest policy failure ever.”

Public money, they argue, is already responsible for the vast bulk of the world’s energy deployment. But it takes ever-increasing amounts of public funds to actually get private industry to make even token commitments to renewables in the midst of a capitalist crisis full of risk for stockholders. The net result is that wind and solar today generate just 4.6% of global electricity. In a world full of idle capital, and a decade of government incentives, the current levels of investment in a transition to renewable energy will doom us to an unlivable planet. Sweeney and Treat explain that as long as there are more profitable and less risky places to invest, private capital will continue to refuse to be part of humanity’s effort to secure its home.

The historic task of decarbonizing energy generation, Sweeney and Treat, explain, “will require virtually unprecedented levels of long-term planning, coordination, and cooperation” that are completely at odds with the way that capitalist markets work. “Ending the market that never was by reclaiming energy systems open up an altogether different set of possibilities and an entirely new energy transition scenario where there can be full attention paid to the technical challenges without the policy-afflicted distractions generated by obstructive and destructive ‘competition’ between different private actors and interests,” they say.

Perhaps, most importantly, they insist that “unions and their allies are well positioned to challenge the myth that a transition to renewable energy can be accomplished by catering to the interests of big companies and private investors. The global labor movement can and should demand and fight for a viable transition pathway—one that is anchored in public financing, social ownership and democratic control.”

To popularize this vision, TUED has mounted an animated video explaining the need for social ownership and workers control of energy on its website. It is called “This is What Energy Democracy Looks Like and is available at http://unionsforenergydemocracy.org/resources/video/. It is designed to be show at union meetings and other gatherings of workers and can lay the basis for the sharing of written arguments for the nationalization and municipalization under democratic control.

What is missing from “Working Paper No. 10” and this introductory video is a full discussion of just how the unions and unorganized working people might successfully carry out a struggle to implement this strategy. In the United States most union leaders limit their political advocacy to positions acceptable to the Democratic Party and their corporate backers. In order to educate the ranks and mobilize them in numbers sufficient to put public ownership on the agenda, the union leadership will need to break through this obstacle and chart a course for “a living wage on a living planet” that is independent of both capitalist parties.

After such a break, the labor movement will then need to also repair their broken relationships with immigrant workers, with the Black and Latino communities, with women, and youth. This vision will certainly animate the best class-struggle fighters in the coming period.






Share this:

Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
28Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)28
Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)


February 18, 2018 in Environment.


Related posts



Capitalism’s rape of the environment is basic to its system of exploitation



Trades versus ‘bottom feeders’





Capitalism cannot solve the climate crisis


Post navigation

← U.S. seeks Syria partition















Get Involved!
Donate to help support our work
Get email updates
Join Socialist Action


Newspaper Archives
Newspaper Archives Select Month February 2018  (9) January 2018 (13) December 2017  (13) November 2017  (13) October 2017  (16) September 2017  (15) August 2017  (16) July 2017  (17) June 2017 (16) May 2017  (17) April 2017  (14) March 2017  (13) February 2017  (19) January 2017  (13) December 2016  (12) November 2016 (19) October 2016  (12) September 2016  (10) August 2016  (10) July 2016  (14) June 2016  (14) May 2016  (9) April 2016  (12) March 2016  (14) February 2016  (8) January 2016  (11) December 2015  (11) November 2015  (9) October 2015  (8) September 2015 (10) August 2015  (7) July 2015  (13) June 2015  (9) May 2015 (10) April 2015  (12) March 2015  (9) February 2015  (11) January 2015  (10) December 2014  (12) November 2014  (11) October 2014 (9) September 2014  (6) August 2014  (10) July 2014  (11) June 2014  (10) May 2014  (11) April 2014  (10) March 2014  (9) February 2014  (11) January 2014  (11) December 2013  (10) November 2013  (11) October 2013  (17) September 2013  (13) August 2013  (10) July 2013  (11) June 2013  (15) May 2013  (14) April 2013  (14) March 2013  (12) February 2013  (10) January 2013  (17) December 2012  (7) November 2012  (8) October 2012  (19) September 2012  (2) August 2012  (27) July 2012  (18) June 2012  (3) May 2012  (19) April 2012  (14) March 2012  (17) February 2012  (19) January 2012  (17) December 2011  (3) November 2011  (33) October 2011  (14) September 2011  (13) August 2011  (34) July 2011  (24) June 2011  (19) May 2011  (19) April 2011  (15) March 2011  (15) February 2011  (15) January 2011  (15) December 2010  (17) November 2010  (1) October 2010  (6) September 2010  (3) August 2010  (8) July 2010  (7) June 2010  (2) May 2010  (9) April 2010 (3) March 2010  (8) February 2010  (3) January 2010  (9) December 2009  (6) November 2009  (5) October 2009  (16) September 2009 (3) August 2009  (2) July 2009  (5) June 2009  (2) May 2009  (7) April 2009  (6) March 2009  (16) February 2009  (9) January 2009 (10) December 2008  (11) November 2008  (8) October 2008  (16) September 2008  (14) August 2008  (18) July 2008  (12) June 2008 (3) May 2008  (2) April 2008  (3) March 2008  (14) February 2008 (11) January 2008  (11) December 2007  (8) November 2007  (1) July 2007  (1) June 2007  (1) April 2007  (1) March 2007  (1) February 2007  (3) December 2006  (11) November 2006  (11) October 2006 (13) September 2006  (15) August 2006  (11) July 2006  (18) June 2006  (7) May 2006  (14) April 2006  (6) March 2006  (14) February 2006  (5) January 2006  (2) December 2005  (9) November 2005  (8) October 2005  (13) September 2005  (12) August 2005  (9) July 2005  (16) June 2005  (16) May 2005  (16) April 2005  (12) March 2005  (14) February 2005  (19) January 2005  (15) December 2004 (14) November 2002  (17) October 2002  (19) September 2002  (22) August 2002  (21) July 2002  (15) May 2002  (21) April 2002  (21) February 2002  (15) January 2002  (15) December 2001  (17) October 2001  (24) September 2001  (18) July 2001  (19) June 2001  (18) October 2000  (17) September 2000  (21) August 2000  (19) July 2000  (16) June 2000  (26) May 2000  (21) April 2000  (22) March 2000  (28) February 2000  (18) January 2000  (20) December 1999 (20) November 1999  (26) October 1999  (25) September 1999  (18) August 1999  (40) July 1999  (38) June 1999  (24) May 1999  (27) April 1999  (25) March 1999  (26) February 1999  (29) January 1999  (24) July 1998  (12)

Search

View socialistactionusa’s profile on Facebook
View SocialistActUS’s profile on Twitter
View SocialistActionCT’s profile on YouTube


Subscribe to Our Newspaper


Upcoming Events

No upcoming events


Category Cloud

Actions & Protest Africa Anti-War Arts & Culture Black Liberation Canada Caribbean Civil Liberties Cuba East Asia Economy Education & Schools Elections En Español Environment Europe Immigration Indigenous Rights International Labor Latin America Latino Civil Liberties Marxist Theory & History Middle East Police & FBI Prisons South Asia Trump / U.S. Government Uncategorized Women's Liberation


View Calendar


Blog at WordPress.com.









Follow





































Other related posts: