The trouble with Economists is that they are – for the most part – focused upon the wrong problem: making extinction “more efficient….”

The goals of technology and those of “economics” as a profession need to be thoroughly re-assessed.   For example, the goal of making things “more efficient” seems laudable in many contexts.  BUT the mindless pursuit of efficiency can become a tragic distraction and dangerous diversion from the larger problem of moving humanity collectively away from its large and growing dependence upon fossilized carbon energy sources.

We need to keep clear in our minds that the goal is not simply to become more efficient in the use of fossil fuels, but rather to displace them entirely and move to a zero-carbon emission fuel system based on the infinite supply of throughput solar energy.  Efficiency, properly conceived, needs to foster the transition from our current fossil fuel dependence toward solar sustainability.   If it fails to do this “efficiency” itself is not a virtue and may well be counter-productive, since it could serve to keep alive the illusion of heightened consumerism and continuous growth.

The life-long commitment and insightful and incisive writings of Herman Daly over the last half century represent, perhaps, the single most important critique of the myopia of neo-classical economics when it comes to our ecological circumstance.

See:

• The Law & The Profits vs. Natural Law & The Prophet: Herman Daly & the Future of the Human Prospect
• “Transition Studies” … because extinction is not the goal…and
• To Respect the Earth’s Limits — or Push Them? – Bill McKibben – The New York Times
• The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World – Charles Mann
• The Law & The Profits vs. Natural Law & The Prophet: Herman Daly & the Future of the Human Prospectas well as:
• Charles C. Mann, “The Wizard and The Prophet”
• Charles Mann: The Wizard and the Prophet
• Wizards and prophets with Charles Mann Breakthrough Dialogues Podcast

For an ecological approach to the limitations of “development economics” from a perspective inspired by the seminal work of Herman Daly, and other scholars focused on historical ecology see:

• The “Green Revolution:” Its Essence, Achievements & Aftermath
• The 500-yr+ collapse of Agricultural Development Schemes in Africa & the implications for humankind.
• The mistake of petro-intensive agriculture – the UNA “Global Engagement Summit” – 22 February 2019
• Introduction and Overview of Historical Research Series….
• Maps, Stones & Plants: Agents of Empire and the Ecology of the Atlantic Trade
• “Just take the case of agriculture…”
• Some Troubling and Enduring Thoughts of a Balliol ‘Old Boy’ on the Focus, Direction and Value of PPE at Oxford (and beyond…).
  and
• Soils, Agriculture, Carbon Sequestration and Human Survival

Guy McPherson – Aug 2018 Jamarl Thomas Interview (Parts 1 & 2)

Tim Bob
Published on Aug 12, 2018

Jamarl Thomas interview from 11 August 2018. Intro from Edge of Extinction: Consequences of an Ice-Free Arctic Ocean.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) by fixing carbon in bio-enriched topsoil, building fertility and abandoning petro-intensive agriculture

The largest “bank” of carbon in the Earth system is in its topsoils.  This has been asserted and proved time and again.  See:

• The Tragedy is that “We treat soil like dirt” — Topsoil, Climate Change and the Collapse of Civilizations
• Climate Change, Soils and Humans as a Keystone Species in the Global Ecosystem
• Restorative Development: Sustainable Agriculture and the Climate Crisis
• Got a Carbon Problem? Fix it !: Part 1 – Some Prophetic & Enduring Testimony
• Got a Carbon Problem? Fix it ! Part 2 – Global Crisis & Localized Responses
• Got a Carbon Problem? Fix it ! Part 3 – Growing Soil to Save the Human Prospect

 

Stunning Victory for Indigenous Nations as Canada Halts Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion

Lorraine Chow Aug. 30, 2018 12:22PM EST

A Canadian court “quashed” approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion on Thursday, a major setback for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose government agreed to purchase the controversial project from Kinder Morgan for $4.5 billion Canadian dollars (U.S. $3.5 billion) in May.

It’s a stunning victory for Indigenous groups and environmentalists opposed to the project, which is designed to nearly triple the amount of tar sands transported from Alberta to the coast of British Columbia.

The Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the National Energy Board’s review—as explained by the Canadian Press—”was so flawed that the federal government could not rely on it as a basis for its decision to approve the expansion.”

The project has been at the center of widespread protests from environmental groups and First Nations ever since November 2016, when Trudeau approved a $7.4 billion expansion of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline that would increase the transport of Alberta tar sands oil from the current 300,000 barrels per day to 890,000 barrels per day and increase tanker traffic nearly seven-fold through the Burrard Inlet.

…(read more).

A Global Day of Action

Local action is leading the way — Be part of the movement that’s ending the era of fossil fuels and building 100% renewable energy for all.

On September 8, we’re planning thousands of rallies in cities and towns around the world to demand our local leaders commit to building a fossil free world that puts people and justice before profits.

No more stalling, no more delays: it’s time for a fast and fair transition to 100% renewable energy for all.

Find an event near you.

“Transition Studies” … because extinction is not the goal…

Tim Weiskel   30 August 2018

[An excerpt from the final lecture in a series on “Climate Change and Transition Studies”  offered to a group of Chinese students known as the “Young Scholars’ Online Learning Initiative” organized by IvyMind Consulting, LLC.]

A related course on “European Colonial Expansion & Its Aftermath: The Historical, Ecological and Cultural Consequence of 1492” contains the historical background to the kinds of transitions that are now needed for human survival.

Program episodes related to both of these courses can be found at: “Conversations in Transition Studies.”   In particular, see:

• Making extinction “more efficient….”
  and
• VOX – Voices from Oxford – Tim Weiskel
• The Troublesome Legacy of Columbus: Look Out ! What Are We Celebrating?
  and
• Drawing the Wrong Conclusions – An Anthropologist Looks at History: Cultural Mistakes Since 1492 – The “Frontier” Metaphor & the Myth of Endless Growth

We need to learn to run a finite system on the
infinite throughput of solar energy:

Paulson Institute – Paulson Institute

Our mission is to strengthen U.S.-China relations and to advance sustainable economic growth and environmental protection in both countries.

The Paulson Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit “think and do” tank grounded in the principle that today’s most pressing economic and environmental challenges can be solved only if the United States and China—the world’s largest economies, energy consumers, and emitters of carbon—work in complementary ways.

A new approach: We believe that sustainable economic growth is only possible with a healthy natural environment, and we seek economic solutions for environmental challenges. We often work at the intersection of economics and the environment, as well as on important macroeconomic issues.

Our programs—the “Do” side—focus on advancing the transition to more sustainable, low-carbon economic models in China and the United States through industrial transformation, smart urbanization programs, and environmental conservation. In so doing, we aim to advance industrial and nature-based solutions to climate change. We also promote bilateral cross-border investment that will help create jobs and strengthen U.S.-China relations.

Our Think Tank publishes prescriptive and analytical papers from leading scholars and practitioners on the most important macroeconomic and structural reform issues facing China today.

Founded in 2011 by Henry M. Paulson, Jr., the 74th Secretary of the Treasury and former Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs, the Institute is based in Chicago and has offices in Washington and Beijing.

Reunifying Cyprus: Hopes and fears, 44 years on

FRANCE 24 English

Published on Aug 30, 2018

Subscribe to France 24 now: http://f24.my/youtubeEN FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7 http://f24.my/YTliveEN Barbed wire, checkpoints, abandoned buildings and military bases: all of these are common sights in Cyprus – a country that remains split in two, 44 years after the Turkish military invaded and occupied the north. In 2017, peace talks slated as the “best and last chance” by the United Nations, collapsed. Following President Anastasiades’ re-election in February of this year, our team travelled to Cyprus to unpick the biggest issues that could help, or hinder, the path to peace. We travel to both sides of the buffer zone to meet Members of the European Parliament, who tell us what they think Europe should be doing to help its third-smallest member state; as well as the outgoing foreign minister; the Greek Cypriot chief negotiator; Turkish Cypriot officials and citizens; gas experts involved in exploiting precious offshore reserves; and some of the 1,600 Russians who’ve been granted Cypriot nationality in the last decade under a new fast-track scheme. We bring you several reports during the show: “Reunification, what now?” by Luke Brown and Johan Bodin, “Is gas a game-changer for the future of a united Cyprus?” and “Russia: Welcome to Limassolgrad”, by Luke Brown.

FRANCE 24 English
Published on Aug 30, 2018

Subscribe to France 24 now: http://f24.my/youtubeEN FRANCE 24 live news stream: all the latest news 24/7 http://f24.my/YTliveEN Barbed wire, checkpoints, abandoned buildings and military bases: all of these are common sights in Cyprus – a country that remains split in two, 44 years after the Turkish military invaded and occupied the north. In 2017, peace talks slated as the “best and last chance” by the United Nations, collapsed. Following President Anastasiades’ re-election in February of this year, our team travelled to Cyprus to unpick the biggest issues that could help, or hinder, the path to peace. We travel to both sides of the buffer zone to meet Members of the European Parliament, who tell us what they think Europe should be doing to help its third-smallest member state; as well as the outgoing foreign minister; the Greek Cypriot chief negotiator; Turkish Cypriot officials and citizens; gas experts involved in exploiting precious offshore reserves; and some of the 1,600 Russians who’ve been granted Cypriot nationality in the last decade under a new fast-track scheme. We bring you several reports during the show: “Turkish Cypriots: Europe or Erdogan?” by Luke Brown and “Citizens unite for Famagusta” by Raphaëlle Vivent and Guillaume Chamerat.

Mangroves: The Skin of Our Coasts

University of California Television (UCTV)
Published on Aug 29, 2018

(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/) Scripps Oceanography’s Octavio Aburto examines how Mangroves, trees that form forests in the transition between land and sea, provide an essential habitat for a great diversity of plants and animals and why it is vital to put enormous efforts into understanding the value of mangrove ecosystems. Recorded on 06/12/2017. Series: “Jeffrey B. Graham Perspectives on Ocean Science Lecture Series” [8/2017] [Show ID: 32430]

Air pollution may cause reduction in intelligence, study finds