Witness in Australia the climate elections, starting with Kevin07 in 2007, where solutions with a focus on how to stop climate change have been deeply influence by micro powers.Īs a result many if not all major initiative from any of the main political parties or leaders stall. The influence of micro-powers, whether that of the minor parties or of factions within the minor parties, to be able to say no, has created what he describes the “vetocracy”. He argues that in the leading democracies around the world the decay of centralised power and rise of micro-power means that governments are in many cases stymied because they no longer have majority power. Naím looks at checks and balances in our democracies (ie upper house vs lower house, senate vs legislature) that were originally created to prevent abuse. However in well established democracies he identifies the decay as perhaps having gone too far. How to stop climate change – and the decay of power in politics In many parts of the world where tyranny has prevailed Naím identifies the value arising from a decay in power, which has shifted such countries more to the middle of the curve. Some of the drivers of disruption impacting on how to stop climate change

More micro-powers aggressively pushing ideas and positions.

More information flow, so more scrutiny.

In politics there has been a decay of power because of the drivers of more, mobility, mentality: e.g. Decay of power and how to stop climate change

For institutions with an interest and influence in how to stop climate change, the middle of this curve is the sweet spot. The left side of the X axis represents where power is highly concentrated – representing tyranny, the right side where power is almost all dispersed – representing anarchy. Naím presents an inverted “U graph” (reproduced below), with the Y axis showing political and social stability and economic vitality, and the X axis being the diffuseness or decay of power. “ mentality revolution” of changes in mindset, aspirations and expectations.“ mobility revolution” which has sent people, money, ideas etc across the planet and the.“ more revolution” – more people, better standards of living, more literacy and education.

The theme of this 2013 book by Moisés Naím is that power is weakening because the barriers to power have weakened by: “From boardrooms to battlefields and churches, to states, why being in charge isn’t what it used to be.” For those of us who are interested in how to stop climate change this simple sentence provides insights into why it seems such a struggle.

The end of power by moisés naím