‘It is clear that the earth is on an unsustainable trajectory. Something will have to change at some point if the human race is going to survive.’

Who do you think wrote those two terrifying sentences? Who is responsible for this latest exercise in radical truth-telling?: Extinction Rebellion? Caroline Lucas? The University of East Anglia?

The correct answer is: the world’s largest funder of fossil fuels, JP Morgan. In a detailed report written by two of their leading economists – a report that, when I Tweeted about it recently and the BBC contacted them about it, they then tried to pooh- pooh.

Luckily, the story couldn’t be held back, and it’s now made worldwide news. Those pesky eco-extremists at JP Morgan & Chase have blown the lid right off the debate, and made starkly clear just how close to the precipice we are. Perhaps the people who don’t like listening to you or me or Greta Thunberg or even Sir David Attenborough will be woken up by the deeply worrying words of a vast profit-hungry investment bank. For this is most definitely a bank that does not want to let such truths slip.

When I look back over my involvement in this tale of a private JP Morgan report warning of potential societal collapse if there isn’t deep and rapid change, one thing strikes me most strongly: JP Morgan’s oh-so-telling response to their report surfacing. This response, which consists basically of their denying that the paper is really a proper JP Morgan report, is the opposite of what they should be doing. Which would be to own this excellent report.

The reason they aren’t keen to come clean isn’t hard to figure out. JP Morgan are a huge and largely unrepentant funder of fossil fuels. If they were to accept what their own report is saying, it would require them to revolutionise their business

The reason they aren’t keen to come clean isn’t hard to figure out. JP Morgan are a huge and largely unrepentant funder of fossil fuels. If they were to accept what their own report is saying, it would require them to revolutionise their business model. It would require them to tell the truth – and to act accordingly.

They want to hold out against doing this a little longer, but the genie is out
of the bottle. How long will institutions like JP Morgan be able to continue to commit climate crimes now that their own economists are clear as day about the consequences of doing so?

It is quite obviously in the public interest that reports like this be made public. In fact, any information about our growing collective vulnerability to the biodiversity and climate crises ought to be disclosed. So I want to say to anyone reading this who is privy to such information: please bring it out into the public. If you are not sure how to, then contact The Hourglass, or me. If you need help or protection to blow the whistle, there is a platform available that supplies exactly that at www.truthteller.life

We need the full truth to be told. We need to know what army generals and military intelligence officers are scoping out in terms of contingency plans for the coming disasters and crises. We need to know about the vulnerabilities of our ludicrously-fragile food system. We need to know what the insurance companies know about the rising risks that they (read: we) are facing.

Let’s seek to dig out more reports and files and truths that they don’t want us to read. That’s how awakening proceeds: one revelation at a time.

By PROFESSOR RUPERT READ