Writing for Spiked magazine, Ben Pile has given his assessment of the Paris pantomime: it was, he says, ‘a humpty-dumpty fudge’ so vague that one of its major outcomes will simply be to give ‘more licence to climate champions than a precisely worded document ever could’. More licence, that is, to keep the whole racket rumbling on in one form or another, and therefore more licence to keep themselves in the lifestyle to which they’ve become accustomed.

Earlier in his piece Ben makes what to me is the spot-on observation that such preoccupations exist because of the remoteness of the environmental movement from the concerns of ordinary people:

Whether they come in the form of a man, a woman or an organisation, climate champions are characterised by their disconnection from ordinary people and everyday life. Yet they nonetheless occupy positions of power and influence. Unsure of the mandate from below, the concentration of gasses in the atmosphere above gives the climate champion authority and secures their privilege. The political consensus on climate change, then, is not an agreement on climate change, but a compact to close ranks against the putative climate champions’ own worthlessness: a mediocracy is formed.

As usual, it’s an excellent read and highly recommended. Read it in full here.