Piketty's pipe dream

Some 20 years ago, the Paris School of Economics was set up with Thomas Piketty as its first President. It has a 'World Inequality Lab' which has published a Global Justice Report.

Piketty et al, write in the Guardian-

A global transformation that reconciles planetary habitability and high standards of wellbeing for all is possible – as long as three conditions are simultaneously met.

No more war or civil strife. A strong World Government able to enforce laws cheaply in every territory and region of earth. An accurate mathematical model of the Global Economy & planetary Ecology such that an optimal global plan can be implemented.

Sadly the last is mathematically impossible because of problem of concurrency, complexity, computability and categoricity. Still, one may say 'A Theocratic World Government may rely on Divine Revelation. Perhaps, 'Expectations will create Reality'. If everyone thinks they will get to Heaven if they obey the World Government, then laws will be cheap to enforce. We may have 'self-fulfilling prophesies'. This is why we must back a Theocratic World Government and have done with 'separation of Church & State' & Democracy & the Rule of Law. 

Fast decarbonisation of energy systems is necessary.

Sadly, it appears that it is still rising. Moreover, the need to rearm in a multi-polar world may lead to a reversal of decarbonization even in affluent countries.  

But we also need a major shift away from overconsumption towards “sufficiency”.

Sadly, my 'overconsumption' is somebody else's income. Do I really need to buy an expensive pizza when I could satisfy my hunger by eating some bread & cheese? No. But if everybody stops getting takeaway pizza, those who cook & deliver it will lose their jobs. But I myself may lose my job because the service I provide isn't really a necessity.  

This would involve a sharp reduction in labour hours

quit your job 

and the use of raw materials,

become homeless & eat only what you can find in dumpsters 

along with big changes in consumption patterns,

i.e. adopting the life-style of a hobo 

food habits, land use and forest cover.

Forest cover may increase if there is population collapse.   

Financing and politically sustaining decarbonisation and sufficiency will require a drastic reduction in inequality of income, wealth and power,

Income will fall. But power will have to increase to prevent wealth accumulating such that countervailing power is gained by a mercantile class. We need a Theocracy which severely punishes 'economic crimes'- e.g. lending money at interest, charging more than the 'just price', transacting business with those under the embargo of the Magisters, etc. 

between countries and within them.

In other words, there has to be an all powerful World Government.  

This reduction of global inequality is compatible with deep decarbonisation;

So is mass suicide or our entire species developing a debilitating mental illness 

indeed, it is a necessary condition for shared prosperity on a finite planet.

Our recent history suggests that the reverse is the case. The good news is that China may have already begun to decarbonize. The fly in the ointment, as with Europe's own decarbonization since 1990, may be that some other set of low wage countries start doing the carbon intensive manufacturing. More worrying is the perceived need to rearm and reduce supply chain vulnerability in a multi-polar world. It may be that such fears are overblown. NATO might revive once Trump loses power. A modus vivendi may be reached with the new Eurasian power-block headed by China. There may be a renewal of Global treaties conducive to carbon trading. Meanwhile, new cheap, Green, energy sources may become mainstream by the end of the decade. Sadly, it is likely that those who provide it will grow wealthy. Inequality will rise if only to drive Tardean mimetics of a productivity enhancing sort.