Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Today, Nate is joined by Political Economy Professor Helen Thompson to explore the evolving understanding of energy’s role in international relations, particularly in the context of recent conflicts in the Middle East.
This is not the time to sink into despair, but to acknowledge how much we have accomplished on climate. And how many avenues we have to continue making progress in our cities and states, communities and bioregions. Let’s be thankful for what we have done, and get ready to roll up our sleeves to do more.
To protect the Earth’s ecosystems, we must protect and respect the human cultures that have grown alongside them. The future of Loliondo, and indeed our planet, depends on our ability to embrace this inclusive vision of conservation that honors both nature and humanity.
In France, Jean-Baptiste Fressoz has been provoking the energy and climate debate for some time. He denounces the obsession with technological solutions to climate change and advocates a reduction in the use of materials and energy.
Our ancestors, future generations, and millions of other species are both counting on us and rooting us on. Even if the forces of destruction ultimately overwhelm our efforts, at least we will have lived a life of great integrity and adventure, and can finally rest easy knowing we’ve tried our best.
However, while organic food is sometimes hard to find and more expensive, it is a relatively simple step that many of us can incorporate into our daily lives, providing a crucial opportunity to help mitigate climate change.
We have an increasingly useful 7-million-year-old global data set to better understand ourselves and how to survive and improve our well-being. With time, it will be increasingly recognized that using this information as a reference and planning tool is advantageous for practically every endeavor.
So, forget imposing resource caps as such. We need to set targets for reduced resource use, yes. And then use credit guidance to adjust investment flows accordingly, until the targets are achieved.
As Roger Pielke, Jr. has noted, “there’s no such thing as a climate voter.” So without the support of enough Republicans, Earth’s environment will continue to be the victim of the culture wars.
Whatever model replaces the current one in providing comfortable, well-nourished, safe and stable societies will clearly need a lot of work to define and drive, but should clearly aim to achieve these things without the need for lots of shiny but unsustainable toys. Time is short, but there’s no time like the present to get started.
I worry that clinging to the special construct of mind keeps us at arms’ length from being part of nature—made of the same atoms and belonging to the world.
In this Reality Roundtable, Nate sits down with documentarian Damon Gameau and three young activists featured in his documentary film The Future Council, to discuss their experiences grappling with the complex challenges of transforming a system that is actively harming our planet and what they think should be done to save humanity from itself.
