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Today’s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh XXIII–‘Clean Energy’ and the Stages of Grieving
Today’s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh XXIII Tulum, Mexico (1986) Photo by author ‘Clean Energy’ and the Stages of Grieving Today’s thought was motivated by another Tyee article that carries on the notion of ‘clean energy’ and the ‘magical thinking’ needed to buy into such narratives. As long as language is being manipulated (e.g., ‘clean energy’ is a […]
Today’s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh VI–Infinite Growth, Finite Planet; What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Today’s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh VI October 9, 2020 Teotihuacan, Mexico (1988) Photo by author Infinite Growth, Finite Planet; What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Tyee commentary…(https://thetyee.ca/News/2020/10/09/Australian-Invasion-Big-Coal-Plans-Alberta/) _____ It’s truly unfortunate that our society pursues such self-evidently egregious exploits on our environment. You can’t continue to pollute your backyard without eventually destroying the complex ecological systems that […]
A Mirage of Abundance
A Mirage of Abundance Mirage. Image source “Truth is like poetry. And most people fucking hate poetry.” Adam McKay, The Big Short — We will never run out of minerals, or petroleum for that matter. There is an ample amount of these resources in Earth’s crust, actually more than we could ever extract. — Phew! Are […]
No, Nuclear Energy Won’t Save Us
No, Nuclear Energy Won’t Save Us Soon to be mementos of a lost age. Photo by Lukáš Lehotský on Unsplash Ever since the first commercial reactors have started to produce electricity for the grid in the 1950’s (um, about 70 years ago now…) we keep hearing how nuclear is the clean, green power of the future. No emissions, […]
Dusk of a Global Empire
Dusk of a Global Empire The slow passing of a global hegemon, the Empire of all empires, made me ponder how it will pass to the pages of history books. Apparently, its ruling elite has chosen a strategy called spite: knowingly (or unknowingly) hurting their own self interest, hoping that their enemies will be hurt […]
Unrelenting economic growth on a finite planet is laying waste to entire living systems
Unrelenting economic growth on a finite planet is laying waste to entire living systems Meanwhile, governments everywhere are talking about “supercharging our economy.” — No 2784 by fw, October 5, 2021— George Monbiot “There is a box labelled ‘climate’, in which politicians discuss the climate crisis. There is a box named ‘biodiversity’, in which they discuss […]
Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet
Energy and Human Ambitions on a Finite Planet Where is humanity going? How realistic is a future of fusion and space colonies? What constraints are imposed by physics, by resource availability, and by human psychology? Are default expectations grounded in reality? This textbook, written for a general-education audience, aims to address these questions without either […]
On a finite planet, maintaining endless economic growth is not a viable option
On a finite planet, maintaining endless economic growth is not a viable option Cooperative conservatism could help to get us off growth with minimum pain and maximum gain, says Richard Heinberg. — Richard Heinberg “Both the U.S. economy and the global economy have expanded dramatically in the past century, as have life expectancies and material progress. […]
Opinion: Sooner or Later, We Have to Stop Economic Growth–And We’ll Be Better For It
OPINION: SOONER OR LATER, WE HAVE TO STOP ECONOMIC GROWTH — AND WE’LL BE BETTER FOR IT The end of growth will come one day, perhaps very soon, whether we’re ready or not. If we plan for and manage it, we could well wind up with greater well-being. Illustration by Kelsey King January 8, 2019 […]
The unacceptable collateral damage of overconsumption
Source: The International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme The unacceptable collateral damage of overconsumption The Great Acceleration, un-burnable carbon, and global impacts We are living in extraordinary times and transformation is already happening and accelerating all around us. Many technological, social, and environmental changes are racing up the steep end of the exponential curve. In almost every area of […]
We need to end growth dependency, but how?
We need to end growth dependency, but how? Introduction: escaping growth-dependency It has long been understood that the standard economic prescription of economic “growth”, to fix multiple economic, social and environmental ills, is highly implausible3. This stems from the elementary observation that you cannot expand the material throughput of the economy (the materials and energy it […]
The Seneca Cliff Explained: a Three Dimensional Collapse Overview Model
The Seneca Cliff Explained: a Three Dimensional Collapse Overview Model A Three Dimensional Collapse Overview Model In this post, Geoffrey Chia illustrates one of the fundamental characteristics of the “Seneca Effect”, also known as “collapse,” the fact that it occurs in networked systems dominated by feedback interactions. This is a qualitative interpretation of collapse that […]
Tim Jackson: The High Price Of Growth
Tim Jackson: The High Price Of Growth A finite planet cannot sustain infinite economic growth Modern society is addicted to and engineered for perpetual economic growth. Now, a fourth-grader can tell you that nothing can grow forever, especially if you have finite resources. But that simple realization is eluding today’s central planners, despite multiplying evidence […]
Capitalism, the State and the Drowning of America
Capitalism, the State and the Drowning of America Photograph Nathaniel St. Clair As Hurricane Harvey lashed Texas, Naomi Klein wasted no time in diagnosing the “real root causes” behind the disaster, indicting “climate pollution, systemic racism, underfunding of social services, and overfunding of police.” A day after her essay appeared, George Monbiot argued that no […]
The Fallacy of Endless Economic Growth
THE FALLACY OF ENDLESS ECONOMIC GROWTH What economists around the world get wrong about the future. The idea that economic growth can continue forever on a finite planet is the unifying faith of industrial civilization. That it is nonsensical in the extreme, a deluded fantasy, doesn’t appear to bother us. We hear the holy truth […]
