Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Kurt Cobb Henry Ford is famous for having once said, “History is more or less bunk.” He was, in fact, attacking tradition in an age of rapid technological and social change. Almost a century later we have a less ambitious observation which may not achieve the broad visceral appeal of Ford’s statement, but one which may turn out to have a good deal of importance, to wit: Oil and natural gas reserve numbers are more or less bunk.
-Todmorden’s Good life: Introducing Britain’s greenest town
-Public health benefits of strategies to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions: food and agriculture
-Farming with Far Fewer Fossil Fuels at Tillers International
-Americans Toss Out 40 Percent of All Food
The current economic downturn is the worst in decades. Millions are suffering devastating losses – vanishing jobs, foreclosed homes, and soaring food and health costs. In a world with fewer resources to go around, the future of environmentalism may hinge on making it synonymous with building sustainable, resilient communities that can meet everyone’s basic needs.
“To whom much is given, much is expected” – Luke 12:48
-Revisiting a Fed Waltz With A.I.G.
-Elizabeth Warren Warns: Taxpayers Are “Involuntary Investors” in “Shaky” Banks, Risk-Taking Firms
-New Study Shows Ten States Face Fiscal Crisis
-Chinese Banks In The Tank
-A world awash in debt
-How Free-Market Delusions Destroyed the Economy
-Hussman Sees 80% Chance That Stock Market Will Plunge in 2010
-Reckless Myopia
-Growth Industries
Not deterred by the international financial crisis which became widespread in 2008 or by the many recessionary patterns that grip most country economies, financial engineers are massing in København to prepare for the next wave. This one is about the commercial opportunities which renewable energy technologies, country climate funds and sectoral mitigation programmes promise to contain.
What I’d like to do for this post is ask if government policies contribute to the troubles in the food system. I see ways in which we are we working against our own interests, akin to a giant tug of war game, where the work of one only serves to counter the work of another.
Oil prices ended Thursday under $76/barrel following a week of mixed economic and geopolitical news. A surprise announcement at the end of last week that Dubai, that shining symbol of sustainable development in the Middle East, would not pay the interest on some of its massive debts on time, briefly rallied the dollar pushing down oil prices…
You’ll get no argument from me that less humans would in general be better for the health of the planet. But: “A world of difference exists between services that treat women as population targets and those based on a feminist model of respectful, holistic, high-quality care.”
-The UK Power Generation Expenditure Forecast 2010-2030
-How many cyclists does it take to power a hairdryer?
-Energy bills could rise to more than £2,000, says Ofgem
-Solar industry ‘in limbo’ as grants dry up
You may remember recently Ted Trainer’s first draft of his paper “The Transition Towns Movement: its huge significance, and a friendly criticism”, and my subsequent response. Ted subsequently sent some more detailed thoughts, and has since rewritten his piece, which you can download here. Brian Davey of Transition Nottingham responded to Ted’s piece in a beautiful, heartfelt and fiery response, which he has kindly allowed me to share with you, as many of you might find that his key points resonate quite deeply. My thanks to both.
