Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Joanna Lumley, whose glamorous high flying lifestyle includes long holidays in Bhutan, the Swiss Alps, and at least one trip on the Trans Siberian Railway, wants ordinary people’s leisure activities and travel to be restricted by a climate rationing system.
Joanna Lumley says wartime-style rationing could help solve climate crisis
Actor proposes system under which people would have limited points to spend on holidays and luxury items
Nadia Khomami
Arts and culture correspondent
@nadiakhomamiTue 26 Oct 2021 10.01 AEDTJoanna Lumley has suggested that a system of rationing similar to that seen during wartime, under which people would have a limited number of points to spend on holidays or lavish consumer goods, could eventually help to tackle the climate crisis.
The Absolutely Fabulous actor, who has long campaigned against single-use plastic, said legislation could be the only way to curb the amount of waste produced by the public. “These are tough times, and I think there’s got to be legislation,” she told the Radio Times.
“That was how the war was – stuff was rationed – and at some stage I think we might have to go back to some kind of system of rationing, where you’re given a certain number of points and it’s up to you how to spend them, whether it’s buying a bottle of whisky or flying in an aeroplane.”
Lumley, who has been involved in conservation work, said that while many people remained poor, it was largely “the western world that stuffs its face and chucks stuff away”.
“Perhaps people have got to think a bit harder,” she said. “Maybe more of our holidays should be at home or taking trains, and not hopping on a plane to Magaluf for the weekend … Every plastic bottle you don’t buy, every piece of litter you pick up, every piece of meat you don’t eat, every small thing counts.”
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/oct/26/joanna-lumley-wartime-rationing-solve-climate-crisis
Joanna Lumley famously played a dissolute hedonist in the hit series “Absolutely Fabulous“.
I understand Joanna’s call for climate rationing. When someone lives a life as privileged as Joanna Lumley, why would they want ordinary people cluttering up their favourite Swiss ski slope?
I would pronounce her eligible for old school rationing.
Joanna has provided one useful service in forcing Britain to acknowledge the contribution of its Gurkha troops. I also saaw her performing in London in a truly dreadful plaay whose name thankfully escapes me but where she played the character of Miralda Sumac with a strong addiction to shoes and a rather strong resemblance to a former Filipina First Lady. Ab Fab was funny. As a climate scientist, she makes a great actor. Now go away you stupid woman!
Joanna Lumley is a lovely actress! That’s it really. She belongs to the same intellectual elites as Emma Thompson, who flew all the way (First Class) from LA to London Heathrow, to take part in the anti Third Runway protests, catching much media attention. She then jumped back on a plane & flew several thousand miles all the way back to LA, after just a few hours of token protesting!!! I wish I had her privilege & wealth to be able to do so!!! Oh how the wealthy, ruling, intellectual elites have to suffer such privations, unlike we ordinary people!!!