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Civil Society: The Second Superpower

Explore the role of civil society in promoting peace, abolishing nuclear weapons, and addressing global crises like climate change and oil dependency. Learn about the successes of civil society and discover ways to actively contribute to a more sustainable future.

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Civil Society: The Second Superpower

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  1. Civil Society: The Second Superpower Mary-Wynne Ashford, MD, Ph.D. IPPNW Berlin September 21, 2008

  2. An uncertain future

  3. Has the number of major wars and genocides (more than 1000 battle deaths/year) increased or decreased since the end of the Cold War in 1991?

  4. Decreased Major wars and genocides have decreased 90% since 1991 www.humansecurityreport.info 2005 and 2006

  5. What about wars in general?

  6. Decreased • Armed conflicts have decreased by 40% since 1991 www.humansecurityreport.info

  7. 60 dictators have been toppled in the past 20 years, with only Rumania having significant violence • Nepal is #61 www.humansecurityreport.info

  8. Surprising Conclusion from the Researchers: The world is turning away from war

  9. 2008 Report on Terrorism • Terrorism is down 40% since 2001 (not counting Iraq as terrorism) • If Iraq is counted, terrorism dropped 40% between July and September of 2007 and a further 20% from October to December 2007. Centre for Human Security

  10. Why are we turning away from war? • The United Nations • International Law • Civil Society • Women

  11. 67% of UN nation building initiatives have been successful

  12. 70% of workers for peace and social justice are women (United Nations).Photo: Sri Lanka

  13. Civil Society: The Second Superpower

  14. Civil Society • Is the conscience that constrains the actions of government and big business

  15. Pillars of Society • Government • Economy • Civil society

  16. Successes of civil society It is better to light one candle than forever curse the darkness Chinese proverb

  17. LANDMINES TREATY

  18. Civil society took nuclear weapons to court Activists deposited boxes of millions of declarations of conscience at the International Court of Justice. The Court gave its opinion in 1996.

  19. International Criminal Court

  20. Mayors for Peace

  21. Nuclear abolition movement • Education • Public • Governments • Medical colleagues • Research • Advocacy

  22. Abolition of Nuclear Weapons • Huge majorities all over the world support abolition • UN resolutions repeatedly call for abolition Why have we not succeeded in eliminating nuclear weapons?

  23. Obstacles to abolition of nuclear weapons • Ignorance, apathy • Ideology • Resistance by political leaders • Personal power • Lobbying • Arms manufacturers • Big oil

  24. Big Oil • Power and economic dominance are dependent upon access to and control of oil and coal • Russia and US conflict today is over oil sources and transport, not ideology • Nuclear weapons states retain nuclear weapons to protect their oil interests

  25. Oil and Global Crises • Climate change • Overfishing • Pollution • Agricultural decline • Overpopulation • Spread of diseases • WAR

  26. Oil and War • The world’s largest consumers of oil are its militaries

  27. Peak Oil Military energy consumption • F-15 jet- burns 908 L fuel/minute at peak thrust. • F-16 jet burns twice the annual consumption of an average motorist in one hour. • F-4 Phantom fighter/bomber burns 6,359 L fuel/hour. • Supersonic speeds increase fuel consumption by 20X. • Battleship uses 10,810 L fuel/hour. • Renner, M. World Watch Institute (2000)

  28. War to guarantee oil supplies is counterproductive To address global climate change we must end both war and oil dependency To prevent nuclear war we must address competition for fossil fuels and bring resources under international control

  29. Nations • Eliminate nuclear weapons • End use of war • Stop subsidizing oil and petrochemicals • Transfer subsidies to sustainable energy sources and research • Separate government from corporate influence

  30. Nations • Regulate corporations to serve the public good • Emissions cap and convergence • Stop building airports and highways • Encourage low birth rate with goal of 2 billion world pop by end of century

  31. Personal Powerdown What can I do in my own life? • Continue opposition to nuclear weapons • Reduce my carbon footprint • Transportation • Heat • Hot water • Appliances • Consumer goods

  32. Goodbye • Plastics • Packaging • Disposables • Bottled water • Long distance goods • Flying for pleasure

  33. Hello • Bus travel • Cycling • Walking • Living close to work and shops • Filling our needs not our wants

  34. There must be more to life than having everything. Maurice Sendak

  35. We must regain our spiritual connections with the earth and each other

  36. Shaker saying • Use it up • Wear it out • Make it do • Do without

  37. Sacha Agapiev, Moscow, 1986 • “If there is anything you need, just call me.”

  38. “And I will tell you how to live without it.”

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