Ruminations on climate change
July 13th, 2019An alt-left pundit fears that global warming may lead to dictatorial power. A pro-government commentator is thankful that climate change affects Hungary less than other parts of the world.
Mérce’s András Jámbor fears that a scarcity of basic goods as a result of climate change will lead to ‘climate dictatorship’. The alt-left blogger recalls that in some parts of rural India, only politicians and wealthy people have access to proper amounts of clear water. Jámbor thinks that even developed countries will not remain democratic if global warming continues. If Hungary and other well-off states are unable to contain inequality in times of abundance, how could they do so in the case of severe scarcity, Jámbor wonders. He hints that the only way to avoid such a daunting scenario is to weaken the power of corporations as well as pro-government oligarchs, and at the same time, strengthen the solidarity of ordinary citizens.
Magyar Nemzet’s Attila Ballai contends that it is hard to distinguish reasonable fears over global warming from apocalyptic fear-mongering. The pro-government columnist believes that global warming is only partly due to human interference in the environment. The impact of man-made global warming could easily be reverted, Ballai claims. He, however, is skeptical whether even such minimal cooperation to reduce the implications of global warming could be agreed on. Ballai points out that climate change has uneven effects on different regions, and people not directly affected may not want to do anything to stop global warming. Ballai concludes by expressing thanks to ancient Hungarians who settled down in the Carpathian Basin where the implications of climate change are less severe than in many other parts of the world.
Tags: climate change, democracy