Anne McDonald

Biodiversity in Kanazawa: Summer’s lesson

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Food production and consumption comprise a major dimension of human life in which biological and cultural diversity intersect and are mutually reinforcing. The influence of biodiversity on Kanazawa’s food culture spans all the scales on which biodiversity occurs — from landscapes to local crop varieties. The city’s vibrant local cuisine displays creative combinations of ingredients and tastes, reflecting the diversity of the plentiful supply of fresh foods provided by the surrounding sea, fields and mountains. Local food culture, as manifested in the tastes and desires of the city’s people, has played an important role in the continuous cultivation and use of traditional vegetables, selected over the years for desired characteristics, as they were taking into themselves the very substance of the region’s soil and climate.

The Canutist State

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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.

Towards an ecological macroeconomics

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As many have argued, modern macroeconomics has proved itself spectacularly unsuited to anticipate and understand the crisis. This is no wonder, considering that the majority of models – including the macroeconometric models of the main central banks – treat money in an unrealistic textbook way and don’t even consider the existence of private banks, which, instead, are the major players in the process of creation and allocation of credit in the economy, as nef’s recent “Where does money come from?” brilliantly explains.

Will Commoning in England’s New Forest Disappear?

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A thousand-year-old tradition of farming commons in southern England may be jeopardized as housing prices drive out farmers and render the commoning rights moot. Yes, there are still self-identified commoners in England. BBC radio recently interviewed a handful of the remaining commoners who rely upon the New Forest in Hampshire to feed their cattle, sheep and chickens. The 23-minute radio report focused on how the farming commons is a way of life that has preserved the distinctive ecological landscape – and how this future is now in doubt.

How changing the definition of oil has deceived both policymakers and the public

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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.

A short journey by bicycle

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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.

Peak oil – July 7

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– 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