Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Capitol Hill Republicans and the Trump administration are under great pressure to produce significant, observable progress on the incoming president’s America First agenda. Although Trump will be free to issue executive orders, much of the agenda depends upon congressional action.
Somebody needs to buy U.S. trade policymakers a periodic table of elements. China last week banned export of the key high-tech metals antimony, gallium and germanium to the United States. In this case, China has the upper hand.
No matter where the effort began, the transformation in each of the stories is about relocating functions to the local citizen sphere from the managerial sphere. All of these stories are about democracy in action to and within the capacity of citizens to solve problems and implement new creations.
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.
