I recently visited my daughter in Berlin, where she is studying the impact of the fashion industry on the environment and society. The industry’s impact on climate change exceeds that of all international flights and shipping combined, yet 85% of all textiles are dumped or burnt every year.
She’s always had an interest in fashion, but in her teens she shifted from a consumer of fast fashion to a lover of second-hand clothes after she woke up to the impact of her choices.
Being in Berlin because of her career path heightened my awareness of the themes at play in the world.
Berlin continually reminds you of the potential destruction of a thriving, progressive society. From the pieces of the wall that divided east from west to the mishmash of architecture or the half-cathedral left as a stark reminder of the destruction wrought during the Second World War, in which most of the city was damaged or destroyed.
I was fortunate to see an exhibition at the Neue Nationalgalerie, Ruin and Rush, which showed the tension between excess and poverty, all coexisting in a rapidly growing, cosmopolitan city during the period between the First and Second World Wars.
The Berlin of today is also showing signs of stress, with increasing homelessness and protests for more support for those outside the system. While global wealth is at a peak, there is an underlying trend of the average population feeling more impoverished and fearful about the future.
While America is erecting golden statues for its leader and the exuberance of Silicon Valley seems unstoppable, the fortunes of the general population have taken a turn for the worse due to the dramatic increase in oil prices caused by the war in Iran.
While global forces such as climate change are at play, they will also play into the hands of politicians who are willing to sweep up those left behind by progress.
Recent floods in South Africa remind us how frequently this destruction now occurs and how hard it hits poor communities. It’s the inequality and feeling of unfairness that allowed Hitler to gain support in Germany before the Second World War.
Back at my desk, I found it difficult to believe that financial markets were once again at near-all-time highs. There seems to be a disconnect between markets and reality, especially the reality of ordinary people.
I can’t help but feel a chilling apprehension about the gap between the fortunes of wealthy asset owners and the suffering and hardship that define the daily lives of the population.
Those of us who find ourselves on the fortunate side of the gap must realise that the responsibility is on us to bridge this divide. The longer we leave this gap to stretch, the more dangerous the divide will become.
The price will be higher taxes, increasing insurance costs, social unrest, destructive politics or war. All forces likely to erode our wealth.
The choice is ours. We either support bridging the divide or see the divide closed in infinitely more destructive ways.
My daughter continues to make her choice, one second-hand purchase at a time. She reminds me that I have daily choices too.
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