Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Adrian Ayres Fisher A polyculture lawn, which some call a clover lawn, provides ecological services, increases biodiversity, helps manage and conserve water, and stores carbon. Not only that, it looks good, it’s safe for children and animals, and it’s cheap. All you have to do is move beyond the idea that a lawn should comprise grass and grass alone.
The good news from the Green New Deal is that ecological microeconomics (such as valuing ecosystem services) has risen from the recesses of academia into the realm of international diplomacy. The bad news is that ecological macroeconomics (such as limits to growth) apparently has not. Let’s take a look at the implications.
An alternative agricultural model based on polycultures of perennial crops will likely be more than just a ‘good idea’ in the coming post-carbon era – it’ll be a damn NECESSITY. So grab your shovels, America — it’s time to begin the transition to an agriculture that stands a chance.
– Washington Times reviews Deffeyes book “When Oil Peaked”
– The search for oil
– Energy incentives to sweeten US tax bill?
– Is Coal Here to Stay?
– End of consumerism
– Peak oil novel: “Player One: What is to Become of Us”
– Carbon-Neutral Sail-Powered Cargo Ships Scheduled to Return to European Waters in 2012
– Leaked document shows EPA allowed bee-toxic pesticide despite own scientists’ red flags
The unsettled reality of Post-Carbon Politics will likely upset our current political labels and disrupt our familiar political categories.
– WikiLeaks Is the New Journalism
– Could Wikileaks change or destroy the Internet as we know it?
– NYT: Keeping Secrets WikiSafe
– Predicting the future of WikiLeaks: Follow the media!
– Pentagon scrambles to prep for ‘thermonuclear’ Wikileaks release
– Six Anti-Theses on WikiLeaks
– Guardian’s country-by-country round-up
– Cancún agreement rescues UN credibility but falls short of saving planet
– Cancun climate breakthrough: It’s not perfect, but it’s a deal
– Bolivia’s defiant leader sets radical tone at Cancún climate talks
– Medea Benjamin: Reading the Coca Leaves: Climate Change, Cancun and Bolivia
– Evo Morales Speaks on Climate Change and Capitalism
Yes, there is serious trouble at our doorstep. Yes, society is undergoing dramatic convulsions of contraction and change—right now. But we will make things much worse on ourselves if we fail to factor into our calculations the welfare of others, not just our own. We are only as safe as the least secure of our neighbors–period. Some people respond to that idea by building deeper bunkers. What would happen if we reached out instead?
– Oil giants squeeze Chávez as Venezuela struggles
– WikiLeaks climate change cables: the unanswered questions
– Wikileaks: U.S. turned the pope into its enforcer on Copenhagen climate talks
– What the Chevron-Kazak Cellphone Row Reveals About Big Oil Overseas
‘Tis the season of giving and Oprah is in a giving mood. For most of the last decade, the TV personality and cultural trendsetter has annually bestowed upon unsuspecting studio audiences a smorgasbord of gifts large and small. The reaction of audiences is almost impossible to believe, let alone describe. I have to admit to watching clips of this year’s “Oprah’s Favorite Things” over and over again, with a mix of fascination and revulsion.
The efficiency with which people and goods move into and within cities has a huge impact on both energy use and air quality. And the availability of non-driving modes of transportation can improve people’s lives in a lot of ways.
