Politics, Poverty and Political Economy: The backdrop to climate change

1. Politics, Poverty and Political Economy:The backdrop to climate change David McCoy Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Queen Mary University Medact

3. Friederich Hayek

4. Neoliberalism A set of theories and beliefs • Free Markets • Small states • Strong private property rights • Low taxation • Monetary policy • Homo economicus • Individualism • All that matters can be priced • Idea of economic growth being fundamental • Associated with ‘globalisation’ A political project ….. Theory ≠ Practice Anglo-American roots …. Not ‘patriotic’ …. China …. Latin America ….

5. So what? • Rising inequality and enduring poverty • 50% of humanity lives below $3.25 / day

6. Davies, Sandström, Shorrocks and Wolff, 2006. World Distribution of Household Wealth. World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) • Richest 2% of adults owned 51% of global assets in 2000 • Bottom half owned barely 1%

8. Source: Alvaredo, Atkinson, Piketty and Saez (2013) ‘The World Top Incomes Database’, http://topincomes.g-mond.parisschoolofeconomics.eu/ Only includes countries with data in 1980 and later than 2008.

9. Eradicatingpoverty($5 / day) • requires GDP pc > $1.35m (2005 PPP) • 135x 2010 level • 40x high-income OECD average • increasing global GDP by a factor of >170 • takes >200 years at 1993-2010 global growth rate • By comparison • Poverty gap = 6.7% of global GDP (PPP) Source: David Woodward

10. Eradicatingpoverty($1.25-a-day) • requires GDP pc > $110,000 (2005 PPP) • 11x 2010 level • 3.3x high-incomeOECD average • increasing global GDP by a factor of nearly 15 • takes >100 yearsat 1993-2010 global growth rate • By comparison • Poverty gap = 0.6% of global GDP (PPP) Source: David Woodward Video: http://www.medact.org/resources/multimedia/david-woodward -rack-hot-place-can-reconcile-poverty-eradication-tackling-climate-change/

11. Poverty increase Increased emissions Climate change Global growth Markets/ opportunities Poverty reduction Global Growth and Poverty with Binding Carbon Constraints • Carbon intensity of global GDP must fall 92-97% to limit climate change to +2°C • Far beyond the potential of known/anticipated technologies

12. So what? • Inequality and enduring poverty • The rich provoke climate change through over consumption • The poor commit ecological suicide at a local level through desperation and short term survival • Intellectual property rights regime • Corporate capture • Monopolies and oligopolies • Financialisation • Political failures / democratic deficits The Global Health Paradox

13. Implications • Alternative development paradigm • Global governance • Political bottlenecks / millstones Between the Rack and a Hot Place: Can we Reconcile Poverty Eradication and Tackling Climate Change? David Woodward http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFpHs0sDKug

14. Health professionals for a fairer, safer and better world Weapons and War • Economic Justice • Climate and Ecology Health and Human Rights Nuclear weapons Impact assessment Biological and chemical warfare Protection of civilians and health workers Non-nuclear weapons Drones Psycho-social rehabilitation post conflict Access to care for refugees, asylum seekers People held in detention Human rights medicine and medical complicity in torture Privatisation and commercialisation of health care Corporate capture of public health Tax and Health Trade, investment and finance Intellectual property / Privatisation of knowledge Global warming Nuclear energy Water Holistic analysis of the inter-connectedness of these issues looked through the lens of health, sustainability and justice …..

15. Food worth a week of discussion …… Read up Be empowered Recognise that we are led by many an emperor with no clothes …. Recognise that we are also ruled by many who need to be opposed ….. But the bulk of us are decent and sensible Thankyou