Negative Feedback
In all our grand models, we seem to have externalized one of the basic mechanisms of change in the universe — negative feedback.
building resilient societies
What the World Can Learn from Brazil’s Shifting Stance on Science
Whether Brazil, the U.S. or any other country defunds, attacks, or ignores science, devaluing research and innovation is detrimental to the long-term well-being of any modern society, as well as for the interconnected global community.
Seeds of a better future
One of the tough parts of futures work is helping people step out of the present. The sheer weight of how we do things and think about things right here, right now, gets in the way of people imagining how things can change for the better.
Why repeating “1.5 C is alive” feels like kicking an own-goal
A new and more real hope will come after climate-informed citizens as whole acknowledge that almost nobody really likes our odds of making 1.5, frankly admit the painful consequences of this failure, and ask the population to explore new bold political possibilities.
Inequality Kills. But We Can Stop the Killing.
And Inequality Kills Us All couples all this useful information and background with leads that can connect readers directly to the groups — and activist resources — now helping to build a more effective struggle for a more equal world.
Patrick Ophuls: “Energy, Politics, and The Future”
Today, ecologist, political scientist, and author Patrick Ophuls joins Nate to discuss his new book, The Tragedy of Industrial Civilization and The Future of Politics.
Three Sources of Hope
The Great Transition scenarios, detailed in the 2022 Great Transition essay, stand the test of time. All six are alive and well, not as scenarios but as realities.
Earth vs. Futurism
Longtermism is a lullaby sung to the tune of tired fantasies of human exceptionalism. It is anaesthesia for the age of consequences.
How to Survive Us: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow on a Broiling Planet
To go back to the beginning, while such a thing is still possible, if nuclear weapons, the doctrine of mutually assured destruction, fossil fuels, and apocalyptic fear helped get us to this breaking point, we need something truly different now.
A Flowering of Radical Change
The Flower of Transformation has five petals: radical political democracy, radical economic democracy, social justice, cultural (and knowledge) diversity, and ecological wisdom.
No Red Wave, but Plenty of Red Flags
Much remains to be done if we’re to manage a leap toward real democracy—nevertheless, we’ve kept alive our prospects for achieving an ecologically livable future while fending off a host of power grabs by would-be autocrats.
Which Future Are We Living In?
We are on a perilous journey from a moribund past to…where? Although we cannot predict the itinerary or destination, we can imagine different directions.
