Why is transition to a sustainable world taking so long to achieve? Why don't the planet's working classes rally to the cause, given that they are infinitely less responsible for environmental damage than the wealthy but the hardest hit?
Because we are not comfortable with the question itself. We want a life of ease and plenty. The full development of all our faculties and the complete enjoyment of earthly pleasures. We must therefore attack the root cause of the problem: social inequality, which is the driving force behind the continuous increase in greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of biodiversity... In short, we must ensure that a comfortable life is no longer the privilege of the few, but the reality of all.
Paul Magnette is professor of political theory at the Université Libre de Bruxelles. He was Minister for Energy and Climate in the Belgian federal government and Minister-President of Wallonia. He is currently mayor of Charleroi and president of the Belgian Socialist Party.