The Collapse Prevention Party

Why?

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Surveys suggest that most people are glad to be alive. It can be assumed that most people are happier being in modern society compared to what they would be if living through the years after it has collapsed, which would probably bring mass starvation, a complete stop to law and order, and the end of life for billions of people.

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Society is currently very unsustainable, to the point where there is a very high risk that it could collapse within decades. We are far too reliant on oil and other fossil fuels, and these are likely to begin to run out within decades. Society would not have become so advanced without fossil fuels and will struggle to continue surviving without them as they are heavily used in food production and other essential sectors. This is assuming that society is not wiped out by global war, the effects of climate change or another apocalyptic event before this happens.

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Take food production for example. The use of fossil fuels allows the production of artificial fertilisers which greatly increase the output of crops. The population of the world has skyrocketed because of this. However, what will happen when there can no longer be any artificial fertiliser? There are possible alternatives for the production of artificial fertilisers which might be commercially available in the future, but these will likely need lots of energy to produce and most of our energy currently comes (and will probably continue to come for the foreseeable future) from the use of fossil fuels.

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Society is currently heading full speed into a brick wall without a seatbelt. Steps should be taken now to reduce the likelihood of its collapse. We need to slow down, use less resources and live more sustainably. This may mean making sacrifices in the short term but there will be long term rewards.

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This hypothetical manifesto suggests policies that would help to make society as sustainable as possible so that chances are increased that it can endure for many future generations.

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How?

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Universal Basic Services should provide all the basics needed for living a decent life and should be free for everyone. This includes food and water, housing, access to information, a basic level of education, a reasonable amount of electricity and heating, public transport, and a reasonable amount of internet data.

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On top of this there should also be a Universal Basic Income which provides monthly payment given to all citizens (including children) to give them the flexibility to buy additional things they want or need.

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These policies would make work optional for most people and would mean that everyone can have a decent life without the need of constant and unsustainable economic growth. People would have more flexibility to choose more local jobs rather than being forced into travelling large distances to earn a living.

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Companies and public services would not have to be weighed down by minimum wages. Therefore, they could provide more opportunities for those who can contribute to society, reducing unemployment and strengthening the feeling of being a part of society. There are unlimited opportunities when it comes to food, health and social care, education, and other essential sectors.

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Community kitchens cooking all food in larger quantities will make supplying of food much more efficient. Meals could be delivered door-to-door in reusable packaging rather than everyone having to travel to a shop to buy food and then take it home to cook it. This would also cut down on the need of disposable packaging as food bought in bulk doesn’t need so much.

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There should be a reduction in the eating of meat with it only being offered by the community kitchens on four days each week. Meat bought outside of what is offered for free should be heavily taxed to make it more expensive.

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All other essentials and optional goods should be ordered, and they will be delivered. This will massively reduce the need for traveling so much as one lorry can go to lots of households in a logical order rather than lots of cars all going to the same destination. Local shops could still be open but the need to travel to them will be reduced.

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Energy costs (beyond what is provided for free under Universal Basic Services) should be increased by heavy taxes to discourage the waste of energy and to encourage businesses and individuals to invest in their own supplies of renewable energy. This would not matter for essential businesses and services as these would be funded using tax money anyway. It would probably push up the prices of non-essential goods making people less likely to buy and own so much stuff.

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A huge investment should be made in the creation of renewable sources of energy for public transport and other essential sectors. Investment should also be made in carbon capture technologies.

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All non-essential travel by car, plane and ship should be banned. Instead, there would be free public transport for when people need to travel. More trains and buses can operate along main routes. Ring-and-ride services could efficiently plan routes to pick up multiple people and take them to popular destinations. Walking and cycling should be prioritised and encouraged with plenty of bike hiring schemes. Less traffic on roads will make cycling more attractive.

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The need to travel can be further reduced by converting empty office spaces, empty shops, and pubs (during weekday daytimes) into co-working offices, which should be free to use for anyone. This means that less people must travel into cities every day for office jobs as they will likely have somewhere to work within walking distance. The use of virtual meetings on the internet would be encouraged instead of all participants having to travel to the same destination.

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The need for so much energy used by industry can be reduced by encouraging shared ownership instead of everyone owning the same things. Libraries of commonly owned things which are not constantly used (such as lawnmowers and other tools) should be opened in local communities. The buying of new non-essential goods should be more heavily taxed whereas getting things repaired should be subsidised.

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Services, such as video streaming and entertainment, should charge customers on a pay-as-you-go basis rather than allowing unlimited consuming. Video content should also be provided in standard definition rather than high definition to save data and its associated energy use. The reintroduction of local and affordable cinemas could reduce the need for everyone to own large TVs.

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Artificial intelligence and the use of cryptocurrency should be banned for the public as they consume an enormous amount of energy. They should only be used when needed and by licenced users. Space travel and exploration should be put on hold.

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The need of energy for heating should be reduced by the compulsory wearing of woolly hats and coats indoors rather than using central heating. Additional heating can be provided locally to a person using electric blankets and hot water bottles if necessary. A single room in the house should be heated only if completely necessary or if there are multiple people in there. Central heating should be used as a last resort. Huge investment should be made for insulating homes to prevent the need for so much heating.

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New housing should be more communal. Kitchens, bathroom areas, living areas and in some cases, bedrooms can be larger and shared. Clothing can be shared so that not everyone needs to have clothing for every occasion. Washing and drying of shared clothing can be done in larger batches and therefore more efficiently.

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Healthcare should not be free. This is to help reduce the rate of the aging and increasing population and reduce the heavy burden on society caused by this. The money provided by Universal Basic Income can be used or saved to pay for healthcare. Those who cannot afford treatment could rely on charities and crowd funding so that healthcare is more democratic. Euthanasia should be legalised to allow anyone who is suffering with long-term mental or physical health problems to end their life in a peaceful and dignified way if they choose to.

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Education beyond the age of 16 should not be free. Instead, companies and public services should be paying to train people with the skills they require. This is more efficient as apprenticeships and traineeships lead to an opportunity rather than people having an education in a field which they do not use for work. However, this does not limit the ability of people to learn as access to the internet and information is free with the Universal Basic Services.

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Reducing expenditure on education and healthcare are some ways in which money can be saved to be able to afford the Universal Basic Services and Income. There would also be less need for government departments which decide who gets what benefits as it would be simpler.

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In the ideal world, there would be an international effort to cooperate (possibly forming an international government) which would see less need for spending on defence and military, reducing the likelihood of war. These policies should ideally be implemented in every country to ensure that there is as much equality as possible.

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All these policies would be possible by rethinking the way that the economy and society works. The economy and the use of money is basically just a way of deciding who gets what and how resources are divided. This can still be done without the need of our current systems.