Those of us in the urban world, in a developed country or part thereof, tend to think of commercial and consumption-based transactions very much in business terms, we talk of doing 'business' with one another, or providing a service or 'good', or being a 'resource' for your business. For many, the earth is something the … Continue reading Dissociation and the norm
Tag: climate change
The elephant in the room is meat
We so often read that as incomes increase in developing countries, so too does the demand for meat. It seems as people have more disposable income, so do their meat purchases increases.I sometimes try to wonder why. If one looks at the so-called lifestyle diseases, diseases of affluence, in the developed world, it often has … Continue reading The elephant in the room is meat
Agroecology vs Industrial agriculture
Perhaps our excessive reliance on biotechnology and GM crops stems from not fully understanding nature and how to work with nature to good effect. In the developed world we rely on industrial agriculture models which incorporate biotech, models that rely on carbon-intensive off-farm inputs and produce water pollution, negated ecosystem and human health, and biological … Continue reading Agroecology vs Industrial agriculture
the youth speak out at COP 17
The words of Anjali Appadurai, at a youth intervention inside the COP 17 delegations, on Friday the 11th of November 2011“I speak for more than half the world’s population.We are the silent majority. You’ve given us a seat in this hall, but our interests are not on the table.What does it take to get a … Continue reading the youth speak out at COP 17
the relationship between energy and jobs is not clear cut
We are at a crossroads where, if we decide to invest in new energy infrastructure that relies on fossil fuels, we tie ourselves into decades of dirty energy use . Our economies, under the dominant global economic system, need to expand, and cheap energy is the manner in which it has been growing so far. … Continue reading the relationship between energy and jobs is not clear cut
World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth
April 22nd, Cochabamba, BoliviaPEOPLES AGREEMENTToday, our Mother Earth is wounded and the future of humanity is in danger.If global warming increases by more than 2 degrees Celsius, a situation that the “Copenhagen Accord” could lead to, there is a 50% probability that the damages caused to our Mother Earth will be completely irreversible. Between 20% … Continue reading World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth
a disconnect between jobs and nature
How is the myth of job creation over sustainability destroyed? How do people learn that sacrificing biocapacity now will lead to irreversible job losses in the future? Biodiversity loss is not reversible, neither is runaway climate change, and these will affect the ability of our ecosystems to function healthily and to an optimum, and in … Continue reading a disconnect between jobs and nature
My personal demands for the Occupy movement
1: remove the ability of special interests to influence politics, through enacting into law publicly funded elections. Governments should be beholden to all people equally, all nature and future people and nature.2: shift from a system of representative democracy to suitable forms of participatory democracy.3: within national and global policies, place economy firmly as a subset … Continue reading My personal demands for the Occupy movement
Some ideas on how we create sustainable society, part 1
These are some thoughts about how to use a carbon tax in the realms of transport.Regarding climate change, the greatest medium- and long-term threat to the survival as a species, transport is a huge contributor to GHG emissions...Despite the frustrations of years of failed global climate talks, we all know there ought to be enforceable … Continue reading Some ideas on how we create sustainable society, part 1
Earthan 