Vegetable Curries and Wealth Distribution

It’s our 600th episode! I know what you’re thinking, they don’t sound jaded and tired, which could easily be the case, after so many episodes. That’s because with every episode, the tone is set by you dear listeners, who continue to send in questions for us to discuss. We've only got nine questions lined up at present, so get 'em in now and you'll be answered quite quickly, maybe even in time for Christmas, wouldn’t that be the best present you’ve ever received!?

Alex Kauffmann is back in the listener's chair for his penultimate episode before he buggers off back to college. Has he been  with us too long, or not long enough maybe? Only you can decide.

Today’s first question comes from Estefania, Jalisco, Mexico - “We’re told the new green economy will save us, yet that's still utilising the same system that's destroying us. Green tech, if done well and for the right reasons is the right thing to do, but what we’re not told is there's one thing we can all do, that has a positive impact on all areas of climate change, that much green tech doesn't. Eat less meat and dairy”

William jumps straight in: he says that one of the biggest contributors to climate change is meat, specifically beef.  So if you could eat less meat, and particularly beef, it would have a better impact, he thinks, than any new technology.

Alex explains that while challenges are inevitable, Green Tech is not destined to replicate unsustainable systems. He envisions it developing into an ecosystem, that connects with society, much like nature does, an aspiration that takes time but follows the pattern of past innovations.

Stuart recalls warning that investing in green inventions often meant funding big oil companies, which buy up patents, only to shelve them. He argues that these corporations suppress alternatives to maintain dependence on oil, later reintroducing the innovations as if they were entirely new.

And the second question for today’s charade comes from Vinroy, Linstead, Jamaica - It is a long question, and we only get 4,000 characters to play with, you can find Vinroy’s bumper of a question right here: Vinroy’s question

Alex notes that while some societies adapt to governmental and economic structures, extreme wealth concentration remains a persistent issue. He adds that cultural differences make universal solutions difficult to implement.

William highlights the organization Led by Donkeys, which exposes how the very wealthy can easily obtain foreign citizenship to offshore money and avoid taxes. He emphasizes that some people will always prioritize their own financial interests above all else. There are ways that people can actually get around it by going to organizations like this where they can actually offshore their money. 

Stuart reflects that while the wealthy and the poor often operate on different value systems, true richness isn’t financial. He suggests that instead of chasing flashy wealth, society could adopt a different set of values that doesn’t revolve around material accumulation.

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠[e-mail]

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This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. 

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