Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
It would be more just to Canute if the term “Canutist State” referred to a wise government that constrained the ignorant attempts of its businessmen and economists to grow forever. With apologies to the wise King, I will perpetuate this injustice because the image of a stupid government serving business interests by trying to countermand nature’s laws is such an apt description of what is happening today that we need a name for it.
– Debate over natural gas drilling now being waged at universities
– Guatemala farmers losing their land to Europe’s demand for biofuels
– Tax Billionaires, Carbon to Improve Prosperity, says UN
– Is Union Busting to Blame for Power Outages in D.C.?
– David Suzuki: Renewable Energy, Not Carbon Capture and Storage
Everyone knows that world oil production has been running between 88 and 89 million barrels per day (mbpd) this year because government, industry and media sources tell us so. As it turns out, what everyone knows is wrong.
It’s wrong not because the range quoted above can’t be found in official sources. It’s wrong because the numbers include things which are not oil such as natural gas plant liquids and biofuels. If you strip these other things out, then world oil production has been running around 75 mbpd this year.
– Why Americans Should Work Less – The Way Germans Do
– AIG Chief Sees Retirement Age as High as 80 After Crisis
– The Lower Ninety Percent – how they’ve fared since 2001
– Derivatives challenge citizenship (and economic survival)
– Debranding Movement Takes on Consumerism
– Transition 2:0 – A story of community and climate resilience in a time of global inaction (movie review)
– Archivists as Activists: Curating Social Movements
– The revolution will be organized
My new job is a little more than five miles from home, and I’ve started biking regularly. This is an extension of an already established habit, so every morning I must make the decision again: today I’m going to put my lunch and other necessities in my backpack, sling it on, put on my helmet, roll my bike out of the hall and through the door, carry it down the steps, get on and go.
While Tainter’s theory of social complexity has much to commend it, in this paper I wish to examine and ultimately challenge Tainter’s conclusion that voluntary simplification is not a viable path to sustainability. In fact, I will argue that it is by far our best bet, even if the odds do not provide grounds for much optimism. Moreover, should sustainability prove too ambitious a goal for industrial civilisation, I contend that simplification remains the most effective means of building ‘resilience’ (i.e. the ability of an individual or community to withstand societal or ecological shocks)
Grace Lee Boggs, a legendary figure in the struggle for justice in America, shrewdly assesses the current crisis—political, economical, and environmental—and shows how to create the radical social change we need to confront new realities. A vibrant, inspirational force, Boggs has participated in all of the twentieth century’s major social movements—for civil rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, and more. She draws from seven decades of activist experience, and a rigorous commitment to critical thinking, to redefine “revolution” for our times. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, she is 95 years old.
[Her ideas sound remarkably like Transition and similar movements.]
– Jeremy Leggett: Monbiot says he was wrong on peak oil but the crisis is undeniable
– Peak Oil Reloaded
– Oil and Illusions
– ‘Unser Öl’: Warum unser Sprit nie wieder billig wird
– In the valley of the shadow of peak oil
– Civilization and the Price of Oil
Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government has been weakening Canada’s environmental regulations and slashing funds for oversight and research — all while promoting aggressive resource development. Critics warn these unprecedented actions pose a major threat to the nation’s vast natural heritage.
For anyone watching peak oil this has been a busy week. The Harvard report by Leonardo Maugeri, covered in last week’s newsletter, has been seized upon by those waiting for a chance to consign peak oil to the dustbin of history. In Britain, columnist George Monbiot fell for it hook line and sinker, presenting the report as conclusive proof that peak oil is bunk – evidently without a moment’s critical appraisal…read on for exclusive analysis…
Several years ago I heard some words that would change the course of my life, both spiritually and in terms of values, ethics and morals. The words were “global crisis”. Being curious, a lover of nature and always in search of wisdom, I realised my inner compass was “guiding me” to something unknown, terrifying and chilling.
