Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Brent Blackwelder Our modern economy is structured such that its stability depends upon ever increasing consumer spending. In my first economics course in college in 1961, the professor told the class to go out and shop because it is good for the gross national product (GNP). Then and now, mainstream economics continues to treat the Earth as if it were a business in a liquidation sale.
What is missing from most modern stories is the notion of physical resource limits. Such limits imply a tragic trajectory, the possibility of failure and punishment for overuse of the physical world. In the last half century the scientific literature has been infused with increasingly ominous warnings about such limits. But popular stories accessible to the mass of humanity, at least in rich countries, still most often champion explicitly or implicitly the ideas of a limitless material future.
A weekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Oil and the Global Economy
-Global oil glut ending
-China says 5-year efficiency drive successful
-Briefs
-Quote of the week: “Recent data releases continue to show a phenomenal pace of recovery in global oil demand.” – A report from Barclays Capital
The genius of the “transition town” movement is that it starts with a positive vision, focuses on local scenes, teaches skills, invites people to develop plans, gives them other obviously useful things to do together, and thus provides the added-value of intensifying community. You can find this in its handbook, of which the second edition will soon be published.
People are hungry for change. But the reality is that consumer demand alone won’t create the kind of food system we want. What will it take? What are the ingredients of truly local, sustainable and equitable food systems? These are the questions that we seek to answer with this series produced by The Tyee Solutions Society.
As we struggle to stay healthy during the winter, it’s helpful to see how natural approaches can help. But many of the health issues require more than individual behavior change.
A response to a response that Dmitry Orlov has also chimed in on. The immanent end of Western industrial civilization–the Industrial Growth Society–isn’t equivalent to collapse. I tend to think of collapse as something bad. Western civ is causing collapse in many areas, such as with the rampant biodiversity loss that’s breaking numerous links in the food chain, so I find it difficult to put it in the category of collapse.
The word commons dates back to the medieval era, originally describing land that was shared by a community under well-defined rules. Peasants were often given specific rights to hunt and fish in these places, or to harvest medicinal herbs, forage for berries, or gather thatch for their roofs. This tradition of common ownership still thrives among indigenous and peasant cultures in the developing world, but has disappeared in Europe except for a corner of Transylvania where a few commons customs have endured to this day.
It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Dr David Fleming, who passed away peacefully in his sleep last night while visiting a friend in Amsterdam. David was a huge inspiration to me personally, as to many others, and is one of the few people I have met who I considered close to being a genius. He was also one of the funniest, kindest and most thoughtful people I have ever had the honour to know. His passing will leave a large void in our lives. And he never did get his bloody book finished!
Trees are more than just the “lungs of the world.” Their role on this earth is pervasive, yet so often taken for granted.
Peak oil activists and the mass media have had a rocky relationship. Activists often don’t understand how the media works and can’t fathom why reporters and editors are not better informed about energy issues. Those working in the media are constrained by the interests of their advertisers, their corporate owners and the necessity of focusing on ratings and circulation. … It is more effective to deal with the realities of mass communications than to try to change them.
– Life Expectancy in China Rising Slowly, Despite Economic Surge
– Private Insurance Induced Stress Disorder (PIISD)
– Grateful People Are Happier, Healthier Long After the Leftovers Are Gobbled Up
– Cecile Andrews: Social ties are good for your health
