1) The document discusses sustainability and humanity's impact on the planet. While the Earth and life will survive whatever humanity does, continued rapid growth and consumption risks collapsing the global civilization that has been created.
2) Business and industry are currently operating at 1.5 times the carrying capacity of the planet. Unchecked growth will inevitably lead to shortages, falling output, and population decline within 15 years unless radical decoupling from fossil fuel consumption is achieved.
3) The circular economy vision of transitioning from a linear "take-make-waste" model to a regenerative design could allow reduced emissions and lifting the remaining in poverty to a sustainable peak population by 2100. Leadership in business means doing more than just
Ethics and sustainable development(cosmocratic) july 2009theapparition
1. The document proposes a "Declaration of Interdependence" consisting of 12 articles that outline the technological and ecological crisis facing humanity and a solution of increased cooperation in space exploration and development.
2. It argues that humanity is on track for a technological and ecological catastrophe that will kill 90% of the population unless the flaws in our techno-ecological systems are addressed through developing space resources and a green tech revolution.
3. The solution presented is increasing international cooperation on space colonization projects, which could provide nearly limitless energy and materials to fuel ecological sustainability projects on Earth and ensure humanity's long-term survival.
This document summarizes and compares the perspectives of Joel Kovel and Paul Hawken et al. on whether sustainable capitalism is possible. Kovel argues that capitalism requires endless growth that will inevitably harm the environment, requiring an eco-socialist revolution. Hawken et al. agree capitalism in its current form is problematic but argue the core issue is how it values natural capital. They believe through policies like carbon taxes and eliminating subsidies for polluting industries, capitalism can be harnessed to create sustainable technologies and a green economy without requiring endless growth. The author of this paper aims to critically evaluate these perspectives and their implications, particularly for economies seeking growth like China's.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the late 18th century and transformed society. New machines and factories powered by steam engines increased productivity and changed the way goods were manufactured. This led to a shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy based on capitalist principles. While it brought economic growth and increased standards of living for some, it also caused hardship for many early industrial workers who faced long hours and difficult working conditions in the new factories. The Industrial Revolution marked a major structural change in society that impacted all aspects of life and established the foundations of modern Western society.
The document discusses the collapse of the Enlightenment idea of progress. It argues that while science and technology have improved lives in some ways, they have also increased dangers and harms to humanity and the planet. The overall conclusion is that unchecked scientific and technological development could lead to sinister uses that damage humanity. The document examines several thinkers and their views that modern society has become too complex, interconnected and reliant on fragile systems, making collapse nearly inevitable. It warns that catastrophic issues like pandemics, resource depletion and climate change could occur if humanity does not establish democratic global governance to control chaotic threats and build a sustainable world society.
Labour versus labour. Rethinking work in a digital societyMAKE-IT
Presented by Jeremy Millard at:
Triennale XX1
New Craft
Labour versus labour. Rethinking work in a digital society.
27-28 aprile 2016 Fabbrica del Vapore
Via Giulio Procaccini 4, Milano
Program: http://www.fondazionebassetti.org/it/focus/2016/03/labour_versus_labour_rethinkin.html
1) Modern technology is not value neutral as it carries the materialistic values of its creators. These values become encoded in technology's basic traits like centralization, mass production, and planned obsolescence.
2) These traits have benefited profits but also exacerbated issues like pollution, inequity, unemployment, and consumerism. Gandhi predicted this a century ago and proposed evolving "humane technologies" in tune with non-violence and self-sufficiency.
3) Gandhi's vision was for small, village-based technologies that meet local needs through cooperation and without exploiting people or the environment. This decentralized approach could realize equality while protecting moral values.
The document discusses the relationship between capitalism, socialism, and ecology. It presents perspectives from Marx, Engels, and other thinkers on how capitalism damages the environment and the metabolic relationship between humans and nature, and how socialism and ecosocialism could establish a more sustainable relationship. It also discusses the need for struggle and transformation to establish an ecosocialist system, referring to examples from Cuba, the USSR, and indigenous communities.
The document discusses the rise of apocalyptic visions and narratives around environmental crises like climate change. It argues that discussions have shifted from alarm to acceptance of planetary deterioration as environmental problems become normalized. It also critiques how apocalyptic thinking can foreclose alternative futures and be appropriated by authoritarian, xenophobic, and misanthropic political agendas that promise salvation by maintaining the status quo.
Ethics and sustainable development(cosmocratic) july 2009theapparition
1. The document proposes a "Declaration of Interdependence" consisting of 12 articles that outline the technological and ecological crisis facing humanity and a solution of increased cooperation in space exploration and development.
2. It argues that humanity is on track for a technological and ecological catastrophe that will kill 90% of the population unless the flaws in our techno-ecological systems are addressed through developing space resources and a green tech revolution.
3. The solution presented is increasing international cooperation on space colonization projects, which could provide nearly limitless energy and materials to fuel ecological sustainability projects on Earth and ensure humanity's long-term survival.
This document summarizes and compares the perspectives of Joel Kovel and Paul Hawken et al. on whether sustainable capitalism is possible. Kovel argues that capitalism requires endless growth that will inevitably harm the environment, requiring an eco-socialist revolution. Hawken et al. agree capitalism in its current form is problematic but argue the core issue is how it values natural capital. They believe through policies like carbon taxes and eliminating subsidies for polluting industries, capitalism can be harnessed to create sustainable technologies and a green economy without requiring endless growth. The author of this paper aims to critically evaluate these perspectives and their implications, particularly for economies seeking growth like China's.
The Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the late 18th century and transformed society. New machines and factories powered by steam engines increased productivity and changed the way goods were manufactured. This led to a shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy based on capitalist principles. While it brought economic growth and increased standards of living for some, it also caused hardship for many early industrial workers who faced long hours and difficult working conditions in the new factories. The Industrial Revolution marked a major structural change in society that impacted all aspects of life and established the foundations of modern Western society.
The document discusses the collapse of the Enlightenment idea of progress. It argues that while science and technology have improved lives in some ways, they have also increased dangers and harms to humanity and the planet. The overall conclusion is that unchecked scientific and technological development could lead to sinister uses that damage humanity. The document examines several thinkers and their views that modern society has become too complex, interconnected and reliant on fragile systems, making collapse nearly inevitable. It warns that catastrophic issues like pandemics, resource depletion and climate change could occur if humanity does not establish democratic global governance to control chaotic threats and build a sustainable world society.
Labour versus labour. Rethinking work in a digital societyMAKE-IT
Presented by Jeremy Millard at:
Triennale XX1
New Craft
Labour versus labour. Rethinking work in a digital society.
27-28 aprile 2016 Fabbrica del Vapore
Via Giulio Procaccini 4, Milano
Program: http://www.fondazionebassetti.org/it/focus/2016/03/labour_versus_labour_rethinkin.html
1) Modern technology is not value neutral as it carries the materialistic values of its creators. These values become encoded in technology's basic traits like centralization, mass production, and planned obsolescence.
2) These traits have benefited profits but also exacerbated issues like pollution, inequity, unemployment, and consumerism. Gandhi predicted this a century ago and proposed evolving "humane technologies" in tune with non-violence and self-sufficiency.
3) Gandhi's vision was for small, village-based technologies that meet local needs through cooperation and without exploiting people or the environment. This decentralized approach could realize equality while protecting moral values.
The document discusses the relationship between capitalism, socialism, and ecology. It presents perspectives from Marx, Engels, and other thinkers on how capitalism damages the environment and the metabolic relationship between humans and nature, and how socialism and ecosocialism could establish a more sustainable relationship. It also discusses the need for struggle and transformation to establish an ecosocialist system, referring to examples from Cuba, the USSR, and indigenous communities.
The document discusses the rise of apocalyptic visions and narratives around environmental crises like climate change. It argues that discussions have shifted from alarm to acceptance of planetary deterioration as environmental problems become normalized. It also critiques how apocalyptic thinking can foreclose alternative futures and be appropriated by authoritarian, xenophobic, and misanthropic political agendas that promise salvation by maintaining the status quo.
According to thinkers John Casti and Edgar Morin, humanity is facing an increased risk of catastrophic collapse due to rising complexity and interconnectivity. John Casti argues that modern systems like infrastructure have become so interdependent that a single disruption could trigger collapse. Edgar Morin believes humanity may avoid disaster through transformation, as the current political system cannot address the global crisis. Both argue that only a democratic world government can effectively plan and control chaotic global systems to prevent total collapse from issues like pandemics, resource depletion, and climate change. However, establishing such a government faces challenges from countries unwilling to give up sovereignty.
This document provides an overview of Jacque Fresco's vision for a resource-based economy and The Venus Project. It discusses how future advances in science and technology will allow more decision making to be done by machines. It argues that previous attempts at social change like Marxism and utopian socialism failed because they lacked comprehensive plans and methods for implementation. It proposes that a resource-based economic model could maximize technology to enhance all human life and protect the environment. For social change to occur, outdated political and economic systems must lose public support. True change requires addressing problems from a global, systematic perspective rather than through individual persuasion. An internationally accepted comprehensive blueprint and planning council could help transition the world to a more equitable resource-based
The document discusses the 1951 film "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and draws parallels to modern times. It argues that as in the film, where an alien arrives with a warning for humanity to curb violence or face destruction, we may now need a similar warning to address the fragmentation and conflicts in the world. It then outlines some basic global functions that could help, such as monitoring threats to the environment and human health. Finally, it proposes a new type of "Global Multilateral Intelligence" that would perform these functions and help facilitate cooperation across different countries and cultures.
R. Buckminster Fuller dedicates his book "Grunch of Giants" to three influential women: his great aunt Margaret Fuller Assoli, who co-edited the Transcendentalist magazine the Dial; Marilyn Ferguson, author of "The Aquarian Conspiracy"; and Barbara Marx Hubbard, founder of the Committee for the Future. The book introduces Fuller's concept of "livingry", which proposes meeting all of humanity's needs through invention and mass-production of interdependent technologies, rather than through politics. Fuller had been developing such inventions since 1927 to provide a sustainable living standard for all, including tensegrity structures, geodesic domes, the Dymaxion house, and maps, vehicles
Progress and development are threatened worldwide according to the document. While humanity has experienced economic growth, it has also created an unstable world with declining life expectancy, food/water shortages, and depleted natural resources. This goes against the ideals of the Enlightenment which advocated for justice, equality and human happiness. Unless enlightened men accelerate inevitable human progress through reason to prevent global catastrophe, the current path risks a total collapse of civilization. A new democratic world government is needed to plan economic/global systems and ensure humanity's survival.
(Xrisk 101): Existential Risk for Interstellar AdvocatesHeath Rezabek
(This paper is based on a joint presentation given at Icarus Interstellar’s Starship Congress, August 15-18, 2013. This work forms the basis for Project Astrolabe, at Icarus Interstellar.) http://www.icarusinterstellar.org/introducing-project-astrolabe-navigating-the-future-of-civilization/
Though the concept of Existential Risk or Xrisk denotes risks to our very existence, it will be shown that Xrisk is far from intractable or imponderable. Because of the subtypes described in our session below (Permanent Stagnation and Flawed Realization), humanity can do much to improve the prospects for Earth-originating intelligent life tomorrow by working to improve its prospects today.
This begins with directly mitigating the extinction risks that can be mitigated, and with safeguarding—to the best of humanity’s abilities—the scientific, cultural, and biological record so that future recoveries are possible if needed. The Vessel proposal attempts a unified approach to this work. If existential risk is well mitigated, the prospects for Earth- originating life over the very long term are shown to be expansive.
(Xrisk 101) is divided into two parts, and mirrors the format of the original presentation. The first part, authored by Heath Rezabek, will cover the fundamentals of Xrisk, and update on the Vessel project, a framework for preserving the cultural, scientific, and biological record in resilient facilities, on Earth and beyond. The second part, authored by Nick Nielsen, will explore the longer term implications of overcoming Xrisk for the future of civilization.
Neo-Luddism refers to a modern philosophy that fears changes brought about by technological advances. Neo-Luddites worry that technology will lead to job cuts as tasks like nursing and delivery are taken over by robots and drones. They are also concerned about issues like potential misuse of nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, big data, and biotechnology. While Neo-Luddites protest developments like drones and Google shuttles, others argue that technology is inevitable, creates new jobs, and can be regulated to support economic development if developed and applied responsibly.
This study investigates intrinsically disordered Cytosolic Abundant Heat Soluble (CAHS) proteins found in tardigrades that allow them to survive extreme desiccation. The researchers found that 11 CAHS proteins are up-regulated under dehydration stress and that tardigrades require CAHS proteins to survive desiccation as shown through RNA interference experiments. CAHS proteins were shown to stabilize the globular protein SH3 and protect the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase against dehydration better than trehalose or bovine serum albumin. The CAHS proteins form reversible gels and increase the stability and unfolding temperature of SH3. The study suggests CAHS proteins could potentially be used to stabilize pharmaceuticals
The document contains questions about osmoregulation and thermoregulation. It asks about different nitrogenous wastes and their importance, what would happen if freshwater and saltwater fish were placed in the opposite environments, the relationship between loop of Henle length and environmental temperature, properties of water that make it a good cooling agent, and ways organisms cool themselves.
Water bears, also known as tardigrades, are microscopic invertebrates that are able to survive in extreme conditions through a process called cryptobiosis. They can withdraw their limbs and form a protective covering called a tun when drying out to enter a dormant state where their metabolism drops drastically. In this state they can survive being heated, frozen, subjected to radiation levels 1000 times lethal for humans, and complete desiccation where they lose nearly all their body water. They are able to revive after these conditions through a disaccharide sugar called trehalose that replaces lost water and prevents cellular damage upon rehydration. Tardigrades were able to survive exposure to the vacuum of space and solar radiation during a 2007 mission,
Lost Orders Project_System Operations Presentation July 2013Laura Merchant
Based in Great Falls, Montana, Benefis Health System serves over 230,000 people across a 15-county region. With over 2,600 employees, Benefis is the largest non-governmental employer in the Great Falls area. The organization operates two campuses with a total of 516 beds and partners with more than 250 local physicians.
Authentic assessment aims to evaluate students' application of knowledge and skills through real-world tasks that resemble actual situations. It can take the form of portfolios, projects, debates, drama, and reports. Authentic assessment is meaningful, collaborative, emphasizes problem-solving and higher-order thinking, allows for formative feedback, and has multiple possible solutions, though it can be time-consuming and not applicable to all students.
Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic animals that can survive extreme conditions such as decades in a freezer, rapid dehydration, high temperatures, radiation, and even space. They have the ability to lose DNA to trigger cells to consume themselves for protection, and over time have evolved new protective genes and proteins to preserve their DNA under stress. Scientists have introduced tardigrade proteins into human cells, finding the cells could then better withstand radiation and oxidative stress compared to unmodified cells.
This document summarizes a speech given by Prof. Yehuda Kahane on the occasion of the insurance industry signing the Principles for Sustainable Insurance treaty with the UN. The speech discusses how exponential growth in areas like population, resource consumption, and environmental damage have created a "perfect storm" that threatens humanity. Kahane argues the insurance industry, through financial leverage tools like the new treaty, can help lead the world to a more sustainable path by decoupling economic growth from environmental impacts.
Bill Rees: The Vulnerability and Resilience of CitiesJoss Winn
Bill Rees, originator of the ecological footprint, says we are already into overshoot. We can plan to reduce our use of Earth's resources, or plunge through a series of disasters.
Full keynote speech from "Resilient Cities" conference. Vancouver, October 20th 2009
Part one of four of my slides from my two-night talk at Seattle's Town Hall. This evening was introduced by Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin, and is about the global context in which Seattle finds itself making decisions.
Alex Steffen of Worldchanging Night One part 1Worldchanging
This document provides a summary of key points regarding the history and future of humanity's relationship with the environment and climate change. It notes that humans evolved tools and agriculture that allowed greater exploitation of nature. Industrialization further increased human impacts. Current consumption and population levels are stressing planetary boundaries, with mass extinction, pollution and potential climate tipping points. Alternative solutions proposed, like geoengineering, are unlikely to solve the problem on their own. Decoupling economic growth from resource use and transitioning to renewable energy and sustainable systems will be required to avoid collapse and allow for continued prosperity within Earth's limits.
Socialists And Environmentalists What Do We Have In Commonliammacuaid
1) The IPCC report and environmentalists have shown that greenhouse gas levels need to stabilize to prevent catastrophic climate change, including a 2 degree rise in global temperatures.
2) Some climate tipping points such as the loss of summer Arctic sea ice and melting of the Greenland ice sheet could become irreversible within decades due to warming.
3) Market-based solutions to climate change through carbon trading and voluntary corporate measures are insufficient and contradict the need for planned reductions of emissions that are incompatible with prioritizing infinite economic growth. Collective action is needed to transition away from fossil fuels and rationally plan production and resource use.
This document contains a collection of quotes, tweets, and snippets of text on a variety of topics related to climate change communication, science, and society. Some key ideas discussed include the need to manage the atmosphere well, the influence of media on science reporting, focusing on agreement around climate policy rather than disagreement, and paying attention to response diversity in ecosystem and social management. The document reflects on challenges and opportunities in communicating climate science to different audiences.
According to thinkers John Casti and Edgar Morin, humanity is facing an increased risk of catastrophic collapse due to rising complexity and interconnectivity. John Casti argues that modern systems like infrastructure have become so interdependent that a single disruption could trigger collapse. Edgar Morin believes humanity may avoid disaster through transformation, as the current political system cannot address the global crisis. Both argue that only a democratic world government can effectively plan and control chaotic global systems to prevent total collapse from issues like pandemics, resource depletion, and climate change. However, establishing such a government faces challenges from countries unwilling to give up sovereignty.
This document provides an overview of Jacque Fresco's vision for a resource-based economy and The Venus Project. It discusses how future advances in science and technology will allow more decision making to be done by machines. It argues that previous attempts at social change like Marxism and utopian socialism failed because they lacked comprehensive plans and methods for implementation. It proposes that a resource-based economic model could maximize technology to enhance all human life and protect the environment. For social change to occur, outdated political and economic systems must lose public support. True change requires addressing problems from a global, systematic perspective rather than through individual persuasion. An internationally accepted comprehensive blueprint and planning council could help transition the world to a more equitable resource-based
The document discusses the 1951 film "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and draws parallels to modern times. It argues that as in the film, where an alien arrives with a warning for humanity to curb violence or face destruction, we may now need a similar warning to address the fragmentation and conflicts in the world. It then outlines some basic global functions that could help, such as monitoring threats to the environment and human health. Finally, it proposes a new type of "Global Multilateral Intelligence" that would perform these functions and help facilitate cooperation across different countries and cultures.
R. Buckminster Fuller dedicates his book "Grunch of Giants" to three influential women: his great aunt Margaret Fuller Assoli, who co-edited the Transcendentalist magazine the Dial; Marilyn Ferguson, author of "The Aquarian Conspiracy"; and Barbara Marx Hubbard, founder of the Committee for the Future. The book introduces Fuller's concept of "livingry", which proposes meeting all of humanity's needs through invention and mass-production of interdependent technologies, rather than through politics. Fuller had been developing such inventions since 1927 to provide a sustainable living standard for all, including tensegrity structures, geodesic domes, the Dymaxion house, and maps, vehicles
Progress and development are threatened worldwide according to the document. While humanity has experienced economic growth, it has also created an unstable world with declining life expectancy, food/water shortages, and depleted natural resources. This goes against the ideals of the Enlightenment which advocated for justice, equality and human happiness. Unless enlightened men accelerate inevitable human progress through reason to prevent global catastrophe, the current path risks a total collapse of civilization. A new democratic world government is needed to plan economic/global systems and ensure humanity's survival.
(Xrisk 101): Existential Risk for Interstellar AdvocatesHeath Rezabek
(This paper is based on a joint presentation given at Icarus Interstellar’s Starship Congress, August 15-18, 2013. This work forms the basis for Project Astrolabe, at Icarus Interstellar.) http://www.icarusinterstellar.org/introducing-project-astrolabe-navigating-the-future-of-civilization/
Though the concept of Existential Risk or Xrisk denotes risks to our very existence, it will be shown that Xrisk is far from intractable or imponderable. Because of the subtypes described in our session below (Permanent Stagnation and Flawed Realization), humanity can do much to improve the prospects for Earth-originating intelligent life tomorrow by working to improve its prospects today.
This begins with directly mitigating the extinction risks that can be mitigated, and with safeguarding—to the best of humanity’s abilities—the scientific, cultural, and biological record so that future recoveries are possible if needed. The Vessel proposal attempts a unified approach to this work. If existential risk is well mitigated, the prospects for Earth- originating life over the very long term are shown to be expansive.
(Xrisk 101) is divided into two parts, and mirrors the format of the original presentation. The first part, authored by Heath Rezabek, will cover the fundamentals of Xrisk, and update on the Vessel project, a framework for preserving the cultural, scientific, and biological record in resilient facilities, on Earth and beyond. The second part, authored by Nick Nielsen, will explore the longer term implications of overcoming Xrisk for the future of civilization.
Neo-Luddism refers to a modern philosophy that fears changes brought about by technological advances. Neo-Luddites worry that technology will lead to job cuts as tasks like nursing and delivery are taken over by robots and drones. They are also concerned about issues like potential misuse of nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, big data, and biotechnology. While Neo-Luddites protest developments like drones and Google shuttles, others argue that technology is inevitable, creates new jobs, and can be regulated to support economic development if developed and applied responsibly.
This study investigates intrinsically disordered Cytosolic Abundant Heat Soluble (CAHS) proteins found in tardigrades that allow them to survive extreme desiccation. The researchers found that 11 CAHS proteins are up-regulated under dehydration stress and that tardigrades require CAHS proteins to survive desiccation as shown through RNA interference experiments. CAHS proteins were shown to stabilize the globular protein SH3 and protect the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase against dehydration better than trehalose or bovine serum albumin. The CAHS proteins form reversible gels and increase the stability and unfolding temperature of SH3. The study suggests CAHS proteins could potentially be used to stabilize pharmaceuticals
The document contains questions about osmoregulation and thermoregulation. It asks about different nitrogenous wastes and their importance, what would happen if freshwater and saltwater fish were placed in the opposite environments, the relationship between loop of Henle length and environmental temperature, properties of water that make it a good cooling agent, and ways organisms cool themselves.
Water bears, also known as tardigrades, are microscopic invertebrates that are able to survive in extreme conditions through a process called cryptobiosis. They can withdraw their limbs and form a protective covering called a tun when drying out to enter a dormant state where their metabolism drops drastically. In this state they can survive being heated, frozen, subjected to radiation levels 1000 times lethal for humans, and complete desiccation where they lose nearly all their body water. They are able to revive after these conditions through a disaccharide sugar called trehalose that replaces lost water and prevents cellular damage upon rehydration. Tardigrades were able to survive exposure to the vacuum of space and solar radiation during a 2007 mission,
Lost Orders Project_System Operations Presentation July 2013Laura Merchant
Based in Great Falls, Montana, Benefis Health System serves over 230,000 people across a 15-county region. With over 2,600 employees, Benefis is the largest non-governmental employer in the Great Falls area. The organization operates two campuses with a total of 516 beds and partners with more than 250 local physicians.
Authentic assessment aims to evaluate students' application of knowledge and skills through real-world tasks that resemble actual situations. It can take the form of portfolios, projects, debates, drama, and reports. Authentic assessment is meaningful, collaborative, emphasizes problem-solving and higher-order thinking, allows for formative feedback, and has multiple possible solutions, though it can be time-consuming and not applicable to all students.
Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic animals that can survive extreme conditions such as decades in a freezer, rapid dehydration, high temperatures, radiation, and even space. They have the ability to lose DNA to trigger cells to consume themselves for protection, and over time have evolved new protective genes and proteins to preserve their DNA under stress. Scientists have introduced tardigrade proteins into human cells, finding the cells could then better withstand radiation and oxidative stress compared to unmodified cells.
This document summarizes a speech given by Prof. Yehuda Kahane on the occasion of the insurance industry signing the Principles for Sustainable Insurance treaty with the UN. The speech discusses how exponential growth in areas like population, resource consumption, and environmental damage have created a "perfect storm" that threatens humanity. Kahane argues the insurance industry, through financial leverage tools like the new treaty, can help lead the world to a more sustainable path by decoupling economic growth from environmental impacts.
Bill Rees: The Vulnerability and Resilience of CitiesJoss Winn
Bill Rees, originator of the ecological footprint, says we are already into overshoot. We can plan to reduce our use of Earth's resources, or plunge through a series of disasters.
Full keynote speech from "Resilient Cities" conference. Vancouver, October 20th 2009
Part one of four of my slides from my two-night talk at Seattle's Town Hall. This evening was introduced by Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin, and is about the global context in which Seattle finds itself making decisions.
Alex Steffen of Worldchanging Night One part 1Worldchanging
This document provides a summary of key points regarding the history and future of humanity's relationship with the environment and climate change. It notes that humans evolved tools and agriculture that allowed greater exploitation of nature. Industrialization further increased human impacts. Current consumption and population levels are stressing planetary boundaries, with mass extinction, pollution and potential climate tipping points. Alternative solutions proposed, like geoengineering, are unlikely to solve the problem on their own. Decoupling economic growth from resource use and transitioning to renewable energy and sustainable systems will be required to avoid collapse and allow for continued prosperity within Earth's limits.
Socialists And Environmentalists What Do We Have In Commonliammacuaid
1) The IPCC report and environmentalists have shown that greenhouse gas levels need to stabilize to prevent catastrophic climate change, including a 2 degree rise in global temperatures.
2) Some climate tipping points such as the loss of summer Arctic sea ice and melting of the Greenland ice sheet could become irreversible within decades due to warming.
3) Market-based solutions to climate change through carbon trading and voluntary corporate measures are insufficient and contradict the need for planned reductions of emissions that are incompatible with prioritizing infinite economic growth. Collective action is needed to transition away from fossil fuels and rationally plan production and resource use.
This document contains a collection of quotes, tweets, and snippets of text on a variety of topics related to climate change communication, science, and society. Some key ideas discussed include the need to manage the atmosphere well, the influence of media on science reporting, focusing on agreement around climate policy rather than disagreement, and paying attention to response diversity in ecosystem and social management. The document reflects on challenges and opportunities in communicating climate science to different audiences.
This document is a 16,469 word MSc thesis by Heather Alberro from 2015 that examines challenges posed by contemporary capitalism and explores two social movements - The Venus Project and Transition Towns Network - as responses. It provides historical context on criticisms of capitalism dating back to the 19th century and analyzes modern issues like climate change, inequality, and environmental degradation. The thesis argues that fundamental reconstruction of social organization is needed for long-term sustainability and happiness.
This document discusses predictions for the future in the year 2050 in several areas:
- Population is expected to continue growing, especially in poorer countries, which may struggle to provide food and resources for their people. Some countries may be governed indirectly by more advanced nations.
- Technologies like flying cars, robot soldiers, life on Mars, and renewable energy sources could become realities. However, overreliance on technology could also cause unforeseen problems if not developed responsibly.
- Environmental issues like species extinction, pollution, and climate change may worsen by 2050 unless addressed. Resources and living conditions will vary greatly between more and less developed parts of the world. Overall the future remains uncertain, but predictions provide
The document discusses the impact of human-caused climate change and the incompatibility of capitalism with addressing environmental issues. It summarizes Marx and Engels' views on human relationships with nature and the environment. It argues that inequality cannot be addressed without revolutionizing production to be more sustainable and that environmentalism without anti-capitalism has limitations.
This document provides an overview of the concept of sustainability through examining the Biosphere II experiment and discussing four dimensions of sustainability: human survival, biodiversity, equity, and life quality. The Biosphere II experiment showed that creating a self-sustaining closed ecosystem is extremely complex and prone to unforeseen issues. Regarding human survival, while humans are unlikely to go extinct, environmental damage could kill many individuals and devastate cultures. Biodiversity is also threatened by human activity. Achieving true sustainability requires consideration of all living creatures as well as equity and quality of life.
This document provides an overview of the concept of sustainability through examining the Biosphere II experiment and discussing four dimensions of sustainability: human survival, biodiversity, equity, and life quality. The Biosphere II experiment showed that creating a self-sustaining closed ecosystem is extremely complex and prone to unforeseen issues. Regarding human survival, while humans are unlikely to go extinct, environmental damage could kill many individuals and devastate cultures. Biodiversity is also threatened by human activity. Achieving true sustainability requires consideration of all living creatures as well as ensuring equity and a decent quality of life.
Information provided at the "Training for Transition", Totnes, September 2009.
Informaci'on suministrada en el training de TT en Totnes, Septiembre 2009
An Economic Cause for Protecting our PlanetTanvirShovon6
The document discusses the need to protect the global commons through new social contracts and collective action. It notes that four of nine key planetary boundaries have already been crossed due to issues like greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and water pollution. Individual actions are important but not enough; a global effort is needed to bring food systems and resource use back within safe environmental limits before irreparable damage is done. The health of the global commons affects everyone, so coordinated international cooperation is crucial to preserve resources for future generations.
Doomsday scenario: How we should prepare to be able to rebuild our civilizati...Marionito Marquez
We have built the Global Seed vault (also known as Doomsday vault) at Spitsbergen, part of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago to ensure the future of humanity in case of catastrophe caused by pandemic or nuclear war. There are discussions how we can bring back the civilization using the plough that kick started our civilization. This paper proposes how we can bring back the civilization faster by safekeeping all the patents, formulas, and important theories that have shaped our economy and way of life through global consortium which we must establish to secure the future of humanity.
Can humanity achieve a sustainable balance within our closed ecosystem, or have we reached the point where that vision is just another example of the hubris of human exceptionalism? Is it time to switch our focus from sustainability to one of resilience in the face of societal collapse and industrial decline?
The document discusses the Anthropocene period, defined as the current geological age marked by human activity significantly impacting the Earth's climate and environment. It traces the evolution of human impacts from early agriculture and industry to the current Anthropocene age, where population growth and industrialization have caused large-scale global disruptions. The document also examines potential future scenarios under continued business-as-usual practices, mitigation efforts, or geoengineering interventions, concluding that transitioning to a more sustainable "Sustainocene" approach will determine the trajectory of the planet.
Naming the Epoch: Anthropocene, Capitalocene, EcoceneEcoLabs
The Anthropocene is the proposed name for the geological epoch where humanity is dramatically affecting geological processes. The name draws attention to severe environmental problems – but it also does other things. Jason Moore asks: “Does the Anthropocene argument obscure more than it illuminates?” (2014, 4). Donna Haraway argues that the Anthropocene must be “as short/thin as possible” (2015, 160). Moore, Haraway, Solon and Latour claim the concept uncritically imports Western rationality, imperialism and anthropocentrism – and thereby narrows options for the development of sustainable alternatives.
It is important to be specific about exactly what ‘anthropos’ are doing to destabilise climate systems and other planetary boundaries. There is a particular model of development driving dramatic Earth System change. There are other options. In response to this problem, the Capitalocene is a concept that asserts: “the logic of capital drives disruption of Earth System. Not humans in general” (Salon, 2014).
Bruno Latour says the Capitalocene is “a swift way to ascribe this responsibility to whom and to where it belongs” (2014, 139). It is more specific. Consequently it opens space for other opinions. Yet while the Capitalocene is critical, is not creative. Beyond the assumptions of Anthropocene and the critical perspective of the Capitalocene, new ways of understanding social and ecological relations are emergent.
Design theorist Rachel Armstrong states “there is no advantage to us to bring the Anthropocene into the future… The mythos of the Anthropocene does not help us… we must re-imagine our world and enable the Ecocene” (2015). New ecologically informed ways of thinking and living must be generated. The Ecocene has yet to be designed. Its emergence depends on a new understanding of ecological-human relations and new types of development that emerge from this perspective. The transformative Ecocene describes a curative catalyst for cultural change necessary to survive the Anthropocene.
A presentation at Climate Change: Spatial, Environmental and Cultural Politics University of Brighton, Thursday 28-Friday 29 April 2016.
Trainer the radical implications of zero growth economy.pdfrashi39442
1. The document argues that eliminating economic growth while maintaining other aspects of consumer-capitalist society is not possible, as the core structures and processes of the current system require continuous growth.
2. It also argues that the major global problems cannot be solved by focusing only on growth, and requires more fundamental changes to consumer-capitalist society, involving a transition to a zero-growth economy and simpler way of life.
3. The document outlines the scale of global resource overshoot and environmental damage, and argues this indicates the need for a post-growth economy and radical changes to social and economic systems.
Highlights of Thomas Friedman's arguments in "Hot, Flat, and Crowded." Lecture prepared by Dr. LaRae Donnellan and shared with her students at Florida A&M University
1. Management in the 21st century:
Sustainable development or a narcissistic drowning
“No matter where we hail from or who our parents were, we are descendants from the
hardy survivors of unimaginable catastrophes. Each of us is a runner in the longest and most
dangerous relay race there ever was, and at this moment, we hold the baton in our hands.”
– Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Episode 9, 2014
LIFE is grand
What do you think of when you hear the word, sustainability? Do you
think about saving the planet? An astronomical mass of 5.9 sextillion tons that
formed around 4.5 billion years ago. Maybe not. It is hard to see how the Earth
could be in need of our rescue. What about saving animals or, at least, the cuddly
ones? Well, it doesn’t get any cuddlier than a waterbear (a.k.a. tardigrade).
Tardigrades are eight-legged micro-animals that possess
amazing survival skills, like the ability to withstand
temperatures from absolute zero to well above boiling
and re-animate after 10 years without food or water.
They have survived all five mass extinctions over the last
530 million years. If the tardigrade is any example, as
much as we may cling to Life, it seems we need Life much
more than it needs us. In 1987, the United Nations defined sustainable
development as, “development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In
short – the survival of the human race. Unfortunately, unlike tardigrades, we
rely on a fairly narrow range of environmental conditions to survive and thrive.
The good news is we are living in a cyclical glacial intermission that, if the past is
an indication of the future, should last for another 50,000 years. Of course,
things have changed since the distant past written in Antarctic ice cores. After
taking all of human history for population to reach one billion, we added six
billion people in just over 200 years. Despite the dire predictions of Thomas
Malthus in 1798, we have managed to sustain rapid growth AND extend life
Puddle sculpture by Spanish street artist, Isaac Cordial, unofficially entitled “Politicians discussing Global Warming”
2. expectancies. In fact, we currently supply sufficient calories for almost 75% of
humanity and only overfeed roughly half of the well-fed {pat on back}. Since the
industrial revolution, we’ve experienced a 100-fold increase in economic output
and gained the wealth and comfort of modern life. The only drawback is that we
have become a threat to ourselves. Burning fossilized plankton and trees is
threatening the uncharacteristically mild and stable temperatures of human
memory. Current observations show a dangerous decline in critical aspects of
the biosphere - like biodiversity, the nitrogen cycle, the water cycle, and ocean
chemistry. As we said, the Earth will survive whatever we throw at and so will
the institution of Life. Even fragile humankind might eek through the population
bottleneck of an environmental collapse. Genetic studies suggest that all of us
are descendant from 2,000 hardy survivors that lived around 70,000 years ago.
That means no matter what havoc we wreak, some of us are bound to get lucky,
right? What IS at stake, however, is the survival of the increasingly rich, healthy,
and peaceful global civilization we have created in our image.
Surviving in a material world
The late industrialist Ray C. Anderson described his moment of epiphany as a
“spear in the chest”. In 1994, Anderson (founder and chairman of Interface, Inc.
one of the world’s largest producers of floorcoverings) was floored by what he
read in Paul Hawken’s The Ecology of Commerce. He arrived at three
conclusions, (1) our life support systems are in decline, (2) the biggest culprit in
that decline is the TakeMakeWaste industrial system and, (3) the only
institution on Earth that is large and powerful enough to reverse the trend is
Business and Industry. For more on humanity’s impact on our planet, check out
Johan Rockstrom’s talk on planetary boundaries or browse through photos of
the Anthropocene here. The material economy, both the supplier and the
primary consumer of fossil fuels, is currently operating at 1.5 times the carrying
capacity of our planet. A business-as-usual scenario out to the year 2100 (adding
4 billion people and maintaining 2-3% per capita wealth growth per year) would
place us in the absurd position of consuming at the rate of something like 5
earths. Of course, the tap may run dry before we get there. In 1972, a think tank
called The Club of Rome published a report entitled “The Limits to Growth”
based on a forecasting model created by two researchers at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. The central conclusion was simple and essentially the
same that Malthus reached 200 years before. The earth is finite and human
growth is exponential. Unchecked growth thus inevitably leads to a chain
reaction of scarcities increasingly onerous capital requirements for extraction
3. a fall in industrial and agricultural output and ultimately population
decline. The doomsday prognostication was widely lampooned. Unfortunately,
researchers at the University of Melbourne recently confirmed the projections,
40 years on, and the horizon for collapse is 15 years. Fifteen years is within the
life span of more than 80% of us alive today (i.e. the ones holding the batons).
Limits to growth
Alternatively, a radical decoupling of economic growth from consumption of
non-renewable resources (including fossil fuels) could allow us to put the ghost
of Malthus to rest for another 200 years. For example, if we can reduce CO2
emissions by a factor of eight in relation to per capita wealth, we might be able
to stave off the worst of global warming. In addition, decoupling would create
the basic conditions to lift our remaining 1 billion brothers and sisters out of
extreme poverty by 2030 and set us on the path to support a peak population
of 11 billion by 2100. The Circular Economy is a vision for this kind of decoupling.
It describes a second industrial revolution, from today’s linear
“TakeMakeWaste” model to one that is regenerative by design. This is the
same vision that Ray C. Anderson had in 1994. At the time of his epiphany,
Interface was the same as any other carpet company, as he put it, “...so oil
Chart Sources: Meadows, D.H., Meadows, D.L., Randers, J. and Behrens III, W.W. (1972) (Linda Eckstein)
4. intensive you could think of it as an extension of
the petrochemical industry”. As a self-indicted
plunderer of the Earth, he devoted the remaining
17 years of his life to turning Interface into a
leading example for the transformation of
industry.
Leadership means doing the right things
There are those that believe that the sole purpose of business is to make money.
It is hard to for me to see how that is a satisfactory goal for humanity’s most
pervasive endeavor. The former U.S. presidential candidate, Al Gore, once said,
“More money is allocated by markets around the world in one hour than by all
the governments on the planet in a full year.” Whether or not that is true (or
inconvenient), it is clear we live in a society dominated by markets. A society
where the question, “What is possible?” is based not only on human capability
but also filtered through an analysis of costs and returns. Systemic management
theorist Russel L. Ackoff had a few thoughts on how to decide what is worth
doing. He said, “Doing the wrong thing right is not nearly as good as doing the
right thing wrong.” His supporting example was the Japanese automobile
industry:
“The Japanese are doing things right but they are doing the wrong thing…You see, the
automobile is destroying urban life around the world. Just visit…any of those major
cities where…children…are not allowed to walk out of doors because the pollution is
so intense. And then we talk about the quality automobiles that they are driving!”
Ackoff went on to discuss the difference between efficiency and effectiveness.
The legacy of the industrial revolution up to the present time is an enormous
success of improved efficiency. Unfortunately, most of the efficiency
improvement has been focused on a renewable resource with growing and
potentially excessive supply – human labor. I believe Business and Industry need
to do more than just be efficient. We need effectiveness, now more than ever,
in a world of increasing environmental strain where businesses are the key
players in an interconnected global system. W. Edwards Deming revolutionized
the thinking of Japanese engineers in the 1950’s by showing them that their
fragmented organization of people, managers, and departments was actually a
system.
5. In 1976, Walter Stahel and Geneviève Reday-Mulvey published a seminal work
on the Circular Economy describing their vision for an “economy in loops”.
The vision of a supply chain as a system-in-loops should look familiar to those
who were inspired by Deming’s image of an organization. I also believe that the
techniques developed to help organizations overcome the “deadly diseases of
management” and drive systemic thinking could be put to better use if they
were tied to the higher purpose of creating a sustainable form of industry. The
message of “Quality doesn’t cost, it pays” is to the 1950’s what “Sustainability
doesn’t cost, it pays” is to the 21st
century. Another giant in the field of Systemic
Management, Eliyahu Goldratt, defined his management philosophy, the Theory
of Constrains, in one word: Focus. He further defined focus as “doing what
should be done”. The question I ask to the
reader is - Are you using your knowledge of
systemic management to lead industry towards
doing what should be done?” If not, never fear,
at least there’s an army of cost accountants
working to slow the cancerous growth of
industry while the rest of us struggle to keep
businesses afloat and help them “make more
money now and in the future”.
Production viewed as a System, W. Edwards Deming, Japan (1950)
Stahel and Reday-Mulvey, ‘The Potential for Substituting Manpower for Energy’ (1976)