Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
Last week, racism led the news. This week, recession.
Our first recession in 29 years and there is now "no chance of avoiding a deep recession” [1]. I wonder whether negative economic growth for two successive quarters, or twelve, is the worst we expect to face?
How much of a societal crisis is an economic recession?
Imagine a harsher reality.
Imagine we’d taken more energy from the Earth’s resources than we’ve made from renewable sources every quarter of every year. An imbalance keeping the planet in an energy recession for over 200 years.
Imagine. If the ecology were the economy, we would have taken action 199 years ago.
Imagine if we responded as quickly to planetary recession as we do to an economic one.
Climate change sits quietly burning. Progressing.
Cyber pops onto today’s agenda.
Leaders face one systemic issue after another.
Each one requires a slow, steady, well-advised and intentional course of action. Just as we’re doing in response to COVID. When we give a damn, we act.
When leaders care systemically, direction is more important than speed.
On every issue.
[1] Patrick Durkin “Australia Dangerously Exposed to a Deep Recession” Article in Australian Financial Review, 21 May 2020, https://www.afr.com/policy/economy/australia-most-exposed-to-great-crash-20200521-p54v1u