The Invisible, and Growing Ecological Footprint of Digital Technology
By Paul Mobbs, Free Range Activisim Website
The elements of our lifestyle which we most closely identify with tend to be off-limits to any critical discussion. This is one explanation as to why recent research on the impact of digital technology is missing from the popular ecological debate. But as 96% of British adults have a mobile device{1} the footprint of digital technology can no longer be ignored. From electronic waste to carbon emissions, it’s taking on a life of its own.
The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics – The Gaping Hole in the Middle of the Circular Economy
By Paul Mobbs, Free Range Activisim Website
The 'circular economy' is, in my opinion, a ruse to make affluent consumers feel that they can keep consuming without the need to change their habits. Nothing could be further from the truth, and the central reason for that is the necessity for energy to power economic activity.
Taking the Fossil Fuels out of Camp Cooking
By Paul Mobbs, Free Range Activisim Website
The issue is not only to allow people to remove fossil fuels from camp cooking. The idea is that cooking on a small stick fire requires a far closer relationship to the land – and thus can be transformational for people's lifestyle generally. Their emphasis on the self-build/DIY element of the stick-fire grate is part of that greater aim, allowing people to "gain the confidence to 'make' rather than 'buy' the things you need".
Whitehall’s Fracking Science Failure
By Paul Mobbs, The Ecologist
The issue here is about science and uncertainty. So first, What is 'science'? It is a process for how we find, measure and then evaluate the real world in order to identify how it works. The problem is, particularly for contentious debates in the media and politics, that we seldom hear about the degree of confidence attached to scientific findings, or the uncertainties that surround them.
Hummus and Mindfulness: Skills, Resilience and Relaxation beyond Consumerism
By Paul Mobbs, The Ecologist
We all have to consume; it's a necessary reality of existence. However, in the 'consumer society' the most radical thing you can do is not to consume 'as directed' - by finding alternative options that meets your needs while enacting a set of principles in opposition to that overbearing and exploitative economic paradigm.
‘Credo’: Economics is a Belief System – and We are Ruled by Fundamentalists
By Paul Mobbs, The Ecologist
Brian Davey's new book, Credo: Economic Beliefs in a World in Crisis, is an analysis of economic theory as if it were a system of religious belief.
‘Beyond Petroleum’ – Fracking’s Collapse Heralds the Arrival of Peak Oil
By Paul Mobbs, The Ecologist
The Age of Oil is winding down - it has been doing so since 2005.
Underground Coal Gasification, the next extreme energy front?
By Paul Mobbs, The Ecologist
Quietly, and with no public discussion, the Government has been putting in place a system of licences and financial assistance to kick-start a UCG industry in Britain.