Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular gender, religion,
race,
social background, class or other identifying factor develop
political agendas based around one or more of these categories. Identity labels are not mutually exclusive but are in many cases compounded into one (e.g.,
an Asian, female, middle-class,
veteran).
As the 21st Century progresses, the problem of climate change becomes more and more pressing
to solve. Many nations claim that they alone can do very little to solve climate change. They will often cite that they’re only responsible
for a tiny percentage of
global carbon emissions (this is very common to hear in
Australian politics).
In this context, an effective way to solve climate change is to create a global pact where all nations (which each account for only a small amount
of carbon emissions) come together and agree to targets and standards for reducing emissions. Attempts have been made to address this – such as in the Copenhagen and Paris climate accords,
although it’s widely believed that these accords fall far too short and will not prevent catastrophic climate change.
Nonetheless, if this problem will be solved, it’s likely to only occur at a global multinational level.
The European Union (EU) is a trade and treaty bloc comprising of 27 nation-states on the continent of Europe.
It is the successor of several other political agreements established after World War 2 to help integrate
the European continent after the war. Supporters of the EU say that the union has made Europe a safer and more harmonious place. Each nation’s economic
success is more dependent on others in the bloc than ever before. This interdependence makes resorting to wars to solve disputes less likely. The bloc also has the goal of spreading freedom and
human rights across the continent. Here, one can see that there are both economic and political goals built into this union.
