Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
On this episode, Nate is joined by systems ecologist William E. Rees. Professor Rees outlines why most of the challenges facing humanity and the biosphere have a common origin – ecological overshoot.
The plights of these two species shed invaluable light on the real-life situation we humans now face as a result of our shortsighted impacts on Earth’s ecology—but do so without hitting us over the proverbial head the way scenarios in a lesser novel might.
This post offers ten heretical statements that seem obvious to me, but tend to produce emotionally charged reactions by members of the cult of civilization. Watch yourself, now.
Given a vote, would not humanity choose a living planet over a colonized one? We stand at the juncture.
If we are indeed in an overshoot phase, we must do what we can to avert or minimize a die-off event.
Yet, for a politician to advocate increased economic growth, given the evidence, they have to be ignorant, wicked or stupid.
July 28 was EARTH OVERSHOOT DAY. On July 29 we went into ecological deficit. Humans have used the entire annual budget of resources that can replenished by nature.
It’s obvious that being filthy rich is in direct conflict with a sustainable future. And not just because of how the wealthy consume, though that’s an enormous issue.
We cannot solve climate change or other symptoms of overshoot — including global injustices and the lingering threat of more pandemics — without really understanding and feeling deeply the lessons of wilderness, of ecology.
It’s really weird, I know, to want to draw lessons from this repeat lockdown to the point of turning it into an almost metaphysical experience.
Unless and until we accept that we must live within ecological limits, then climate change will not be adequately tackled. Energy and resource consumption must be addressed through controlled economic contraction.
All paths out of overshoot (genuine solutions) involve a contraction of the species and a decline of material/energy throughput. There are no exceptions.
