104. The slow but essential transition towards green politics

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The last few days have seen important successes for so called green parties, particularly in the municipal elections in France, but before that in Germany too. These parties propose the furthering of ecological interests ahead of GDP growth. Given that climate change is probably the biggest threat not only humanity but also GDP face today, this is not only good news, but eminently sensible. The green wave, however, is rising only in a few European countries, precisely those that are less threatened by climate change consequences. The main discriminating factor in the success of these political forces seems to be economic level and living standards. The richer countries are, the better green parties do in them. And that raises another observation. This clear tendency is not present in the US or the UK, where green parties are politically inexistent. It seems to me that GDP per capita is not the key, but rather its distribution. The US and the UK are rich, but their people are not

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Location: Hereford, UK

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