Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
– Nigeria fuel protests: two killed and dozens wounded as police open fire
– With Work Scarce in Athens, Greeks Go Back to the Land
– Korea: Fur shoes, fleece sweaters replace heaters in offices
– China’s city dwellers to breathe unhealthy air ‘for another 20-30 years’
The return of interest in “The Limits to Growth” continues. After decades of ridicule and insults, the value of the 1972 study and of its sequels is more and more recognized. The latest item in the series of revisitations is an article published by Debora McKenzie in the latest New Scientist magazine.
A sustainable world that works for the 99% is possible, if we can respond to climate change, economic injustice and resource depletion at the same time. The transition to a renewable energy economy can be a valuable frame for that discussion. Just as the financial elites brought about the economic crisis, they are blocking the renewable energy transition to reap more profit from their fossil fuel investments. Because of fuel depletion as well as climate change, further delay may prevent a successful transition. Social justice and sustainability advocates can blow the whistle on the 1% for this issue too, and collaborate to speed up the transition locally.
From competition among hunter-gatherers for wild game to imperialist wars over precious minerals, resource wars have been fought throughout history; today, however, the competition appears set to enter a new–and perhaps unprecedented–phase. As natural resources deplete, and as the Earth’s climate becomes less stable, the world’s nations will likely compete ever more desperately for access to fossil fuels, minerals, agricultural land, and water.
MARCH 21, 2008. The calender says spring is here, twelve hours of sunlight, seed catalogues, almost empty woodshed. Outside, Mother Nature will have none of it…
FAST FORWARD TO DECEMBER 22, 2011. We’ve just had our warmest November on record. The woods and fields are brown and unfrozen….
Why perennial grains? Primarily to eliminate the fuel, fertilizer and herbicide required for planting, cultivating and growing plants which must be seeded each year – also known as annual crops. And of course there are other reasons why staying out of the pasture would be a good thing – with topsoil loss being chief among them. Essentially all of our current grain crops – wheat, corn, oats, barely, rye, millet – require seedbed preparation, weed control and fertilization in order to become established and yield a crop – all within a few months. The hope is that perennial crops, while they might yield far less, would require a lower energy investment per pound of food produced.
So, what’s the status on this perennial grain effort?
A weekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Oil and the global economy
-The Iranian confrontation
-Problems for “Big oil”
-Nigeria
-Quote of the week
-Briefs
Many people fail to properly differentiate between energy forms and related energy systems. One result is that they can be misled regarding solutions to such concerns as “the energy crisis,” “energy security,” or “dependence on foreign oil.” This not only leads to unrealistic thinking but poor public policy. Consider three major energy forms and their differentiation.
The fact that you can’t make something from nothing, that you can’t have your cake and eat it too, is really a matter of common sense. Or it should be. The problem is that common sense is not very common any more. It’s been vanquished by disingenuous marketers, truth-bending politicians, and scholarly “smart-dummies” (generally smart, specifically dumb on technological progress) who have legions thinking there is no limit to economic growth. But surely it’s not far below the surface. Surely there is latent common sense to invoke.
-America Beyond Capitalism: Is It Possible?
-Change money, change the world
-Social enterprise stock market receives funding
-‘Just-in-time’ business models put UK at greater risk in event of disasters, warns thinktank
-How We Got Here With the Economy and How to Get Out
The U.S. Congress refused to extend the 54-cents-per-gallon tariff levied against imported ethanol. By opening up the American market to imports as of January 1, 2012, the geopolitical impacts of this decision promise to be profound.
There’s room in the movement for everyone who cares, whether their bent is for deadly serious de-industrialization, “fun and sexy” protests, technological innovation, or even, yes, going out walking.
Don’t stand there asking what to do! Look around, roll up your sleeves and get busy! Offer your talents to the task. If you can write, start writing and share your thoughts with ever wider circles of readers. If you can farm, start an organic CSA. If you are an engineer, you should be focusing on renewable energy.
