Democracy Versus the Climate?
If we are to scale this challenge, we need the legitimacy conferred by a responsive democracy. More democracy, not less. Enter the citizens assembly.
Riley Thorold
Rumpelstiltskin, Debt and Economic Liberty
Modern economic systems have sanctified the payment of debt but this is not some natural or God-given rule, rather a situation designed by financial elites. The wisdom of Rumpelstiltskin needs to be revisited and adapted for modern times.
Ben Goldfarb on How Beavers can Boost the Collective Imagination
One of the finest books I’ve read recently was ‘Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers and Why They Matter’ by Ben Goldfarb. Ben is an American environmental journalist who has taken great interest in this remarkable creature and its ability to, as he put it when we spoke, “help tackle many of our ecological problems if we just get out of the way and let the rodent do the work”.
Restoring Native American Health with Indigenous Foods
No matter where Sherman speaks and teaches, he advocates the importance of preparing native plants and animals in order to live sustainably. “There should be no such word as food desert because deserts are ripe with food if you know how to look for it,” he says.
Shine On: Solar Power is Eclipsing Coal, Oil, Gas and Nuclear Energy with Rapid Growth and Cost Reductions
Ever since 2013, the installation of new renewable energy capacity has outstripped all other major energy generating sources combined, coal, oil, gas and nuclear. There are impressive figures for all renewables but the growth and fall in costs of solar power has stunned even seasoned industry observers.
The Right to Say No
We can only successfully overcome the crises triggered by extractivism if the voices that have been marginalized up until now, especially those of women, claim a space in the center of the process of change.
Roadside Wildflower Meadows are Springing Up Across the UK – and They’re Helping Wildlife in a Big Way
The joy of being immersed in a meadow – surrounded by the fluttering of butterflies, the chirping of crickets and the buzz of bees – is increasingly rare. Without urgent action to tackle dwindling biodiversity, these memories will disappear.
Taxing the (Very) Rich: An Idea Whose Time Has Come
Six months ago you might have been hesitant to say the words. But thanks to a political season of bold ideas – and the furious response of the U.S. public to four decades of extreme inequalities of wealth and power – you can now utter the words in polite company. It is time to tax the very rich.
The Human Predicament
We face a “perfect storm” of interacting global stressors. Is resilience a possible response? What does real resilience look like? Join some of the foremost thinkers in a discussion on resilience and civilizational collapse.
Climate Politics/Capitol Light (14)
Although the survey was of a small sample, the low standing of climate should be of concern. The pattern is one we’ve seen in the past around election times when issues other than climate are of greater voter concern.
As Systems Collapse, People Rise: Seven Faces of an Emerging Global Movement
What would it take to update what the Folk High School did for the Nordic countries and make it accessible globally to the emerging youth movement and to everyone interested in activating such a deep learning cycle?
Charting How We Get There
I share Bill McKibben’s sentiments 100%. I have worked in the climate trenches for twenty years, and I have always said that if you think you understand the climate crisis and you haven’t yet had that awful sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, you haven’t understood the climate crisis.
