SDSN | Planetary Boundaries and Human Opportunities

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Oxford Winter School in Ecological Economics

4-8 January 2015

Oxford Winter School in Ecological Economics: Concept Note
Oxford Winter School in Ecological Economics 2014 will be held at St Hilda’s College, Oxford.

This course explores the cutting edge methods and policy applications in ecological economics, an interdisciplinary field emerged in response to global sustainability crisis. With a clear sustainable development focus, it draws on the expertise of a range of disciplines: economics, ecology, physics, environmental sciences, sociology, psychology, complex systems theory, etc. to address the current challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, water shortages, social cohesion and achieving sustainability. Ecological economics has been critical of the dominant approaches to decision making, namely cost-benefit analysis, the use of GDP as a key economic progress measure and the limits of the economic models not taking into account resource and environmental constraints. ‘Green Economy’ and ‘Beyond GDP’ movements are inspired by the ideas proposed by ecological economists.

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MERCHANTS OF DOUBT – Clip #1

SonyPicturesClassics

Published on Oct 9, 2014

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Merchants of Doubt film exposes slick US industry behind climate denial

Robert Kenner’s documentary Merchants of Doubt looks at professionals working for the fossil fuel industry to sow doubt in the US climate change debate. Photograph: Sony Pictures Classics

Stephen Leahy

Thursday 20 November 2014 06.42 EST

Who remembers that climate change was a top priority early in George W Bush’s first term as US president? Merchants of Doubt, a new documentary film released in US cinemas this week, reminds us that in June 2001 Bush and the Republican party were 100% committed to curbing carbon emissions causing global warming.

Six months later everything changed. The film shows Republican party leader John Boehner calling the idea of global warming “laughable”, said Merchants of Doubt director Robert Kenner.

With the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center occupying attention, Americans For Prosperity, a powerful, fossil-fuel lobby group founded by the billionaire Koch Brothers, launched a decade-long, multi-pronged campaign to sow doubt about the reality of climate change.

By equating the findings of climate scientists as an attack on personal freedoms, they cleverly shifted the focus away from science to political opinion. “Creating a focus point away from what is actually going on is how magicians pull off their tricks,” said Kenner who directed the Oscar-nominated documentary Food Inc.

The deception has worked well. Few Americans know 97% of scientists agree climate change is caused by human activity and is happening now.

…(read more).

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Ecology: The Economy of Nature | Robert Ricklefs, Rick Relyea

This landmark text helped to define introductory ecology courses for over four decades. With a dramatic transformation, Ecology: The Economy of Nature, Seventh Edition becomes the first textbook to fully embrace the challenges and opportunities of teaching ecology today. The text　maintains its signature evolutionary perspective and emphasis on the quantitative aspects of the field, but it has been completely rewritten for today’s undergraduates—with extensive new pedagogy, fresh examples (including more aquatic coverage), and fully integrated media resources.

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Bumblebee Economics | Bernd Heinrich

Bumblebee Economics: with a new preface, Revised edition
Bernd Heinrich ranges from Maine to Alaska and north to the Arctic as he summarizes findings from continuing investigations over the past twenty-five years–by him and others–into the wondrous “energy economy” of bumblebees

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Fossil fuel protests mount | The Oxford Student

Oxford students and activists toured a series of historic Oxford colleges and landmarks to protest against the University’s continuing reliance on fossil fuels, while over 100 Oxford academics and 2000 students have signed an open letter requesting the University to take urgent steps to divest from fossil fuels. This comes as the University has recently closed a consultation to consider the resolutions of OUSU’s Environment and Ethics Fossil Free campaign. The University’s Socially Responsible Investment Review Committee (SRIRC) will meet to consider these submissions on 27 November and the University Council should make its decision in Hilary (spring) Term 2015.

Ruth Meredith, OUSU Vice-President for Charities & Community commented: “The size and speed of growth in OUSU’s Fossil Fuel campaign over the last year indicates how passionate the University Community is about ensuring that Oxford University takes a responsible approach toward its investment. We’re calling on the University to take a proactive approach towards climate change, and divest from coal and tar sands oil as soon as possible.”

A spokesperson for the University of Oxford said in a statement to the OxStu: “While the views expressed were diverse, there was agreement that the issue of climate change is one of great importance. It was also widely agreed that the University has a responsibility to consider its position carefully, given the significance of the climate change issue… but concern was raised with respect to a resulting loss in the funding and support received by the University from fossil fuel companies (and related individuals and companies), including funding of academic posts, academic programmes and buildings and student support, such as career opportunities, development and internships.”

Professor J. Doyne Farmer, Co-Director of Complexity Economics Thinking at the Oxford Martin School commented that “Science makes it clear that use of fossil fuels needs to stop as soon as possible. It is technologically feasible to replace fossil fuels in a short time if we only resolve to do so. Oxford University should show leadership by divesting from fossil fuel companies and supporting alternatives, and encouraging others to follow.”

Glasgow University and Oxford City Council became recently became the first University and city council respectively to pledge divestment from fossil fuels, joining institutions such as the British Medical Association and Stanford University.

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Former DEP Head Tapped as Wolf’s Chief of Staff

Newly appointed Chief of Staff Katie McGinty; Governor-elect Tom Wolf.

November 14, 2014

Former Pennsylvania DEP secretary Katie McGinty failed to win the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania Governor last spring, but she has nabbed one of the top spots in Governor-elect Tom Wolf’s administration. That could have implications for how the state moves forward on energy and environmental issues.

In an interview with The Allegheny Front in May, McGinty said, “If environment is your issue, I’m your candidate.”

Now that she’s been tapped as chief of staff to Tom Wolf, she says one of the new governor’s first priorities will be to get the state’s fiscal house in order. McGinty told 90.5 WESA that one way to do that is to tax natural gas drillers.

“That Marcellus shale severance tax (will) enable us to put money back in our schools, rehire the tens of thousands of people that have been fired, and start doing right by our kids again.”

…(read more).

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Climate Chronicles | The Allegheny Front

see also:

• http://www.alleghenyfront.org/Climate

Stories of Climate Change from Pennsylvania

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How Carbon Dioxide Travels Around The Globe

See also:

• NASA | A Year in the Life of Earth’s CO2

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