The Transition to a Low-carbon Economy (and Organic Politics).

New toy for Alec!

There was precious little sign of the much vaunted 'transition to a low-carbon economy' in the Lisbon Boat Show, which Alec and I visited yesterday - it was mostly rows of flashy speed-boats, complete with monstrous fuel guzzling outboards. Flying around in their bubbles of thrills and self-regard, it seems that the moneyed people have yet to begin to modify their lifestyles, with the very odd honourable exception such as the SunConcept solar boat builders from Olhão, who at least had a stand there.

The only actual electric boat on show was a brilliant solar boat, a project from the Engineering Faculty of the University of Lisbon. Alec and I are betting that it will be a very different story in a year or two, and all those complicated and dirty gas-guzzlers will be looking very silly.
Meanwhile, Hooray for the children who are pointing out that the emperor has lost his clothes; while the adults run around in circles chasing after vanities, we are all in danger of losing the essential goods of a liveable environment and civilisation. Instead of obsessing with symbols of status and suchlike distractions, we would do better to concentrate on the needful priorities,  such as:-

• Getting out of dependency on fossil fuels and into the sustainable applications of electric power. Apart from all the other advantages, I cannot wait for a world where the noise of engines is hushed!
• Feeding and amusing  ourselves (getting the bread and circuses) without abusing the natural world and animals; halting pollution, reversing desertification (on both land and sea), developing sustainable fishing techniques, using organic methods of food production, also in building materials and the promotion of ‘the circular economy’.
• Prioritising communication, disarmament, dialogue and mutual trust, which are anyway conditions for applying ourselves to and cooperating in the above tasks; and by the way, they start within our own selves, listening to and trusting the little voice that's there, in peace and quiet. 

Such roughly speaking is the agenda that I have in mind for the Nazaré Project, but for all the urgency, it is something that will have to develop in its own time, while we get on with trying to develop our electric drives. But it's good to keep the big picture in view, while after all it is more from actually doing things like this, rather than strikes and demonstrations and what mostly passes for 'politics', that change will come.

Not to say but we do need political change, in which respect, how wonderful it is that the sorry saga of Brexit seems to be doing some good; - even possibly breaking that dreadful political set-up in England which has for many years forced politicians to suppress their own consciences, and voters to choose between two tyrannical so-called majorities, neither of which I for one was ever happy with. Now, since they seem hooked on that referendum idea, we just have to hope they can find their way to another vote, and produce a more informed edition of 'the Will of the People'!