Impossible equations

Meat consumption has increased with 60% over the past 30 years in Sweden. In the meantime, the price has dropped with 40%.

Reflections

Peak phosphorous, peak oil, peak metals, water scarcity and sanitation problems, oil leaks, rapid fast and totally unsustainable logging of rain forests, collapse of fisheries , etc. etc. Shortages of raw materials and ecosystem degradation along with social and ecological consequences coincide globally in a rapid pace.

When will we seriously begin to lift the really critical issues? What are the actual social and ecological consequences of our economic systems? How does the debt, speculation and credit systems operate and how do they affect the social and ecological systems - the foundation of our survival? How, and for what reason, do we intend to allow the growth of our financial systems to continue take place? No matter what we say, in the end of the day we will need to face the reality that we will be forced to convert our societies (not least our personal lives) when we will experience shock price increases, in particular, of what we need for our survival and economic depression with mass unemployment and social unrest as a result. We need to arrange lifestyles that fit within the productive areas of this planet. And we need to critically examine this "target state" in order to balance the patriarchal, Western-oriented world, large-scale, technocratic and linear values that currently exist and which also leads us to the abyss. There are plenty of options that need to be highlighted to show the way out of the business-as-usual.

A sound and sustainable life - 20th of May

The 20th of May at ABF-huset in Sveavägen there will take place a political discussion. Topics that will be discussed are for instance if we still can continue have an economic growth with oil depletion taking overhand, if green growth is a wish or a realistic outline and how we are prepared for a fundamental adaptation lying ahead in an reality not run by a cheap and high-energy concentrated fuel.

Winona LaDuke - White Earth Land Recovery Project

The Next Energy Economy: Grassroots Strategies for Mitigating Global Climate Change
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKOJ4XMzNG0&playnext_from=TL&videos=-Zs8MNdNC0M

Distinction of, misuse and consequences of modern terminology

There is an essential difference between growth and development. Growth has a positive connotation - a forest grows, a child grows. But after a while we surely want our child to stop growing and instead developing. Not a quantitative growth, but an qualitative development.

The term growth is used and mentioned, as previously pointed out in the blog, practically in every major political or organizational instance worldwide as a operational goal.

Which solutions, what values are rewarded with growth as a motive in political desicions? Does it lead us where we want to go? Examples of unreflected references to growth in Sweden are plentiful; the Collage of Education expresses that it educates teachers for the sake of growth, the Swedish horse breed organization donates money for growth and the county council of Örebro is offering health care not for the sake of the health, but to promote growth!

One of many deeply problematic consequences coupled to continued economic growth is that required work declines when technological rationalizations improves production costs and time in manufacturing sectors generally. Problem is that this underlying trend forces overall production volymes to increase so as to secure job opportunities. Ironically, this is the logic behind all consumption-stimulating measures in the aftermaths of the financial crisis (raw material crisis?). It is also the same path towards the gap.

Alternative routes encompasses for example less than 40 labour hours per labour week, extraction and exchange of returns in productivity to free-time and sharing labour. For alternative routes we need brave, bold and engaged politicians that are more interested in the future of coming generations rather than misusage of authority and power. For alternative routes we also need a shift in values among ordinary citizens that can support real sustainable decisions.

Financial crisis or raw material crisis?

Our societies are dependent on fossil fuels in order to operate. No other fuel is so concentrated in energy than crude oil derivative products. The reigning consumption-oriented societies rest on one much important condition - access to cheap and high energy fuels. Fact is that between 2004-2007 an oil barrel rose from 35 dollar to 70 dollar - a doubling of price. The reason is that the global oil production levels have been stable since 2004, despite increasing global demand. Interestingly, year 2008 the oil price was doubled once again. This led to much important and coupled concequences. Doubling of the oil price over the two-year course led to higher fuel and food prices leading to an inflation kickstart, which in turn forced the American Central Bank to increase the interest rate, amongst one concequence being higher housing mortgages, freezed downpayments from borrowers and freezed house loans from banks, etc, etc.

Alarmingly, the strategy utilized world-wide to bring economies back on track (apart of using state tax money as stimulation packages leading to a degration of public sector welfare) is through increased consumption and continued growth. An economical governance demanding accelerated access to cheap and high-energy fuels. Not to mention climate change with all of its direct and indirect consequences.

It goes without saying that when the global economy again rises, it will again hit the same energy boundaries that initiated the crisis it was supposed to revive from.

Dead end. Try alternative route.

Monopoly in thinking among national economists

People are getting tired of consuming. Something new is starting to form that is based on a longing for higher quality of life, more spare time and engagement in social/cultural or other creative activities. However, it seems, unfortunately that it will take some more time for important decision makers to understand the unsustainable essence of the prevailing economical system. Economic growth is a similarily unquestioned concept/dogma as the 15th century notion that the planet was flat. Economic growth is, today, the overall answer to most problems; poverty, inequality, unemployment and most frequently how to boost the economy so that higher competitive can be gained. It is used throughout the world, in practically every political instance. One fundamental cause of neoliberalism being the forefront political ideology worldwide (together with all of its problems, mishaps, environmental and social consequences) is the fact that students graduating with grades of national economical is indoctrinated in the same, old-fashioned, extremely narrow and simplistic framework: neoclassical economical theory.

It goes without saying that this will need to be questioned. In editorials, in political arenas, debates of all sorts and furthermore to spread the insight that we need another way of organising our economical system. And good news is, sustainable solutions already exist.

Localisation, down-sizing, democratical participation, ecological economics, social methods of sharing labour and resources, promoting all sorts of cultural activities for the benefit of citizens - a pluralistic economical framework should be what we need.

Planetary boundaries

Johan Rockström presented today at a seminar at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise his latest work together with international collegues; Planetary Boundaries - an explaration of the safe operating space for humanity. In this fascinating and fully-holistical piece of scientific work many important key-insights are presented. The study treats nine planetary boundaries which, being trespassed, the resilience of the Earth as a system is alarmingly undermined. Results show that 3 out of 9 planetary boundaries, climate change, the biogeochemical nitrogen-cycle and biodiversity have been passed the limit of safe operating space.

What can be learned from this important contemporary holistical screening of the planets ecosystemservice functions?

First and foremost, the climate negotiations need to take into account the function of ecosystems and biodiversity as an essential aspect as they help to mitigate climate change.

Secondly, at the longer perspective, we need really to start thinking to modify our economical system. The current driving forces in the economical system are central aspects of unsustainability. We need to transform the economical system so as to be integrated with the ecological, biophysical boundaries the planet poses. We need to understand that the economy is completely dependent on healthy ecosystems.

What a marvelous piece of human history. We can co-create and co-transform the way society is designed, re-value our relationship to time and money and become more cultural so as to replace our dysfunctional cosumption-oriented lifestyle.

Let´s do this.

An alternative to conventional governance

The first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economy, Elinor Ostrom, has with her science opened up an alternative to conventional governance. State or privatized governance over whatever good or natural resource have been the conventional up to now while common governance usually has been regarded as a form of political statement and much doubtful. Elinor studies show that a critical limit in order to ensure a good function of common governance seems to be 15 000 inhabitants. After that limit is trespassed, the agreements among the individuals sharing the resource seem to be easily disrupted and inorder emerges. Also, Elinor shows with her studies 5000 examples of successfull common governance of natural resources ranging from fisheries, forests and grazing lands. This has enormous potential into developing into many more implemented examples. The prize winner could not have been presented to the world with a better timing. Understanding that political systems are not capable in dealing with humanities problems in such a paste that is needed, we rather will have to look in taking things in our own hands and forming communities again so as to live locally, thinking globally - acting glocally!

Global Day of Action

On 6th December the Global Day of Acton will take place. The ambition is through manifestations arranged in hundreds of countries worldwide call on world leaders to take urgent action on climate change during the UN top climate meeting that will be held in Poznan, Poland.

Take the opportunity to demonstrate. Take a look at http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org/

Climate party!

The 16th of October, Think Globally Radio covered a Climate Party in central Stockholm.

The idea of the party, launched by the movement "Klimataktion" in Sweden is to raise awareness of the acute climate situation as well as to highlight the relation of the participants to this global issue. A Climate Party has its roots from the "home sales party" phenomenon. However, instead of a salesman there is a climate whistleblower invited to the party.

Think Globally Radio will soon do a show dedicated for this idea together with representatives of the movement "Klimataktion".

You can visit Klimataktion here.

Sustainable steps: Ecosystem services to be incorporated into business

The responsible investment company GES Investment Services is engaged into developing a new index that will measure companies ecosystem preformance. With the help of World Resources Institutes analyze tool Corporate Ecosystem Review (CER) GES Investment Services takes one step further into shifting the focus of the business sector on end-of-pipe solutions and environmental management standards towards the holistic fact of companies dependency of well-functioning ecosystems. The index will then serve capital investors at the time of investment decision making.

"If we considered the Earth a company, then we would have a capital destruction of 60%", said Cecilia Procopé Repinski, GES Investment Services.

Think Globally Radio wins Community Radio of the Year prize at the Swedish Radio Awards - Wednesday, 24 Sep 2008

Think Globally Radio accepted the award for Community Radio of the Year at a gala event at the Rigoletto theater in Stockholm on September 24th, 2008. The Jury’s motivation for awarding Think Globally Radio with the honor: “A community radio program that takes the environment bloody seriously. A program that through its proximity to science and expertise allows us to understand that we have to think globally in environmental questions.”

Think Globally Radio nominated for "Local Radio Program of the Year" (Årets Närradio)

We are proud to announce that Think Globally Radio has been nominated by the Swedish Radio Academy as Årets Närradio (Local Radio Program of the Year) for 2008. The winner will be chosen from among three nominees on September 24th at the annual Radio Gala.

Disassembling local political power

This week, in the local paper of my south Stockholm suburb dull news came infront of me. Stockholms local municipal district offices are, by the centralized politicians, in favour to become even more disassembled. No particular cause is mentioned, but everyone can realize that it is the resources that just doesnt seem to be enough. So, instead of disassembling them this year, due to total objection by all municipal district offices, they get a dispensation and will probably disassembled next year.

Why should we bother? It is obvious! No local political influence will not deliver the most appropriate decisions for the local community. Then, suddenly you might have a road on your back yard, an enourmos shopping mall in your neighborhood or a giant freeway in the nearest green area. Why can´t we try to hold on to these positive institutions? Why can´t we realize that by making everything more individual we are losing the picture of the bigger whole? By focusing on money, in whatever level of society, primarily will NOT bring us happiness, this is nowdays scientifically proved.

The world we create is simply a result based on the decisions we prioritate. It´s now, both locally, regionally and globally critical to make these decisions integrated with those existing in our hearts and souls.

In search of the common sense

Listen to KG Hammars simple and beautiful message concerning the relation to ourselves as a precondition to the relation between ourselves and nature. From Tellbärg Forum 2008:

http://www.compodium.se/tallberg08/day2/006/

Fashion of climate change..?

Focusing on necessary questions, 3

CSR, social strategies, eco-agendas, sustainbale indexes and sustainable reporting concerning and designed by corporations are fresh concepts that, at best, communicates to consumers that corporations at choise are taking their social and ecological responsibility.

Permeating, or overlooking this trend, the issue transforms into an egoistic or altruistic agenda operated by corporations. As long as CSR strategies are used for a competitive advantage for ever increasing economic growth, issues like total ecosystem footprints (how much goods are produced and how much raw material and energy is used during a year totally in one region/country etc.) and social issues (what are the consequences for social/health implications of the human beings belonging to a more and more commercialized world where competition and economic profitability always comes in first hand / what about social relationships between parents and children when lifes of modern humans are increasingly compartmentilzed due to professional carreers and constant representation of corporate values?)

Should companies/corporatioins really gain total mandate of political power and adress issues that are directly concerning the general public of communities as long as they behave, metaphorically speaking, within the mental framework of a juridical patient diagnosed as a psychopath? The question is important to reflect upon.

Is not the central issue, whether or not we should use our energies as individuals to create a world that is a little more altruistic? What about taking into consideration the publics best, for instance through sound, transparant and sustainable political institutions functioning primarily for the sake of the publics best and through increasing corporate insightful actions of less competition and agendas of economic sufficiency for the sake of the public and our ecosystems?

Balancing egoism with altruism...

Focusing on necessary questions, 2

NCC Roads Norway, supplying products and services that are used in and around roads, newly notified that they one of their green strategies involve replacing fossil fuels with fish oil when producing virgine asphalt. NCC Roads states that the fish oil used is derived from food processing industries as a by-product.

Its so vital to consider the holisitic approach here. Although this action by NCC Roads seems to be green - considering that the European fish stocks already are depleted by 88% and we are depended by third world fish stocks, its not difficult to understand that it is highly controversial.

Not to mention that this most surely will lead to capturing fish solely for the sake of the fish oil in order to saturate a large-scale investment.

Time for large enterprises to put "green" solutions into a broader context including other parts of the society, such as recent and alerting research?

Forza Italia!

No, its not South America, Southeast Asia or Africa - the picture is taken in Italy. An industrial country, part of the G8.

The situation is not much better in Greece, Spain, the balkans and the eastern european countries.

Effective recycling management dramatically reduces the usage of raw materials and energy which directly facilitiates the Kyoto protocol targets and the European Unions immidate target of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% year 2020.

Forza Italia
Forza Europa!