Trump’s escalation against Venezuela is about more than oil, it is about regaining control over the ‘natural’ zone of influence of the United States at a moment where its hegemony is slipping, argues VIJAY PRASHAD
THEY did their best — the climate activists, NGOs, environmental scientists, most of the delegates and civil servants — but it wasn’t enough. Big Oil won the day.
From the Azerbaijani hosts to the flock of corporate lobbyists, the determination to live in denial of today’s climate roller coaster again swept aside all objections from the world outside.
The need for trillions of dollars going into a “repair and damage” fund was replaced by the promise of millions. And even then, the track record of delivering climate finance has always fallen well short of the promises.
The collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation poses an existential threat — but do today’s politicians have the capacity to deliver the more resilient and sustainable economics of tomorrow, wonders ALAN SIMPSON



