4 Shifts Campaign

Campaigning for the shift to a green and fair global economy

The world has seen massive positive change over the last 200 years since the industrial revolution. The number of people in the world living in extreme poverty has dropped from over 90% to less than 10%. This has been driven by our expanding global economy which has created wealth, jobs and the modern world. However, at the same time the impact on the environment over the past 200 years has been devastating. That same global economy is driven by fossil fuels and overconsumption of limited natural resources. Greenhouse gas emissions have increased by more than 5000%, and the total wildlife of the earth, on which we all depend for survival, has dropped by over two thirds during the last 50 years alone. If we carry on we will unleash terrible environmental destruction leading to a global collapse undoing all the positive gains of the last 200 years.

We need to rewire our global economy to be green and fair, so it still creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty, but does so without wrecking the planet. What we need is 4 Shifts, two to secure a safe environmental ceiling and two to guarantee a fair developmental social floor.

Shift One: Clean Energy

From polluting fossil fuels to clean energy. Strengthen the global Paris Agreement on climate change to scale down the use of fossil fuels to zero emissions and scale up clean energy to 100% by 2030, banning the future use of fossil fuels. Bring in national climate change laws to implement it in every sector (energy, transport, buildings, industry etc.) in every nation.

Shift Two: Circular Economy

From overconsumption and waste to the circular economy. Agree a global circular economy law to ban polluting activity, further human expansion into wild lands, the production of natural resources that takes out more than it puts back in, and all waste, in order to trigger the shift to a circular economy. Bring in national circular economy laws to implement it in every nation.

Shift Three: Strong and Fair Economies

From aid and welfare dependent to self-sufficient and thriving strong and fair economies. Every government to develop a proactive national industrial and economic development strategy to create a diverse national economy that progressively moves up the value chain from agriculture to manufacturing to services to the knowledge economy, using whatever policies are most effective at each stage.

Shift Four: Tax and Social Spending

From economies that only work for the richest to societies which tax and provide social spending to also help the poorest. Agree a global tax and social spending agreement for every nation to collect tax at an amount equivalent to at least 45% of the national economy, one third from income taxes, one third from wealth taxes and one third from other taxes. Spend at least two thirds of this on healthcare, education and social protection (pensions, benefits etc.). Bring in national tax and social spending laws to implement it in every nation.

We are the first generation in history to truly understand the choice we face between collapse and a new green and fair global economy. We are the generation that gets to choose which way the world will go. Get involved and do something amazing with your life that will make a difference and change the world forever. Join us and support Arise’s 4 Shifts Campaign.

4 Shifts Report – explaining why 4 Shifts economics is needed and what it looks like

Take the latest 4 Shifts Campaign action

Sign me up to receive monthly actions