Dr. Elizabeth Sawin (@bethsawin): You know how the powerful have been insisting for centuries that (sadly, unfortunately) we must sacrifice many things (our health, our peace, somebody's children, a quiet river) for the good of the economy?
Dr. Elizabeth Sawin (@bethsawin): Watch out for that same pattern, shape-shifted into the climate change discourse.
Dr. Elizabeth Sawin (@bethsawin): As in... "sadly, there's not enough time to discuss equity, it's a climate emergency."
Dr. Elizabeth Sawin (@bethsawin): As in...."we can protect this stretch of coast (neighborhood, generation...) but not that one."
Dr. Elizabeth Sawin (@bethsawin): Because in all of these the constructions (of sentences but also of policies and investments) actual things that are being protected (wealth, power, vested interests) don't even show up in the sentence. Watch out for that sleight of hand.
Dr. Elizabeth Sawin (@bethsawin): For instance, if we were to "sacrifice" wealth with a tax on it or the military budget with a change in allocation, and deploy those resources towards an emergency scale equitable transition....
Dr. Elizabeth Sawin (@bethsawin): ...we'd have to sacrifice many fewer people, communities, species etc.
Dr. Elizabeth Sawin (@bethsawin): To be clear: I'm not saying we do not face trade-offs. I am saying: put all the trade-offs in the equation, don't allow some to stay hidden.