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A E 706 : Facing Ecological Reality. A presentation by Robin Upton. 2014-02-05 Available from http://www.RobinUpton.com Attribution – NonCommercial - ShareAlike. History. {. The 500 Year Rampage *. Natural Wealth. Technology. 1500 2000. * Chris Hedges.
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AE706: Facing Ecological Reality A presentation by Robin Upton. 2014-02-05 Available from http://www.RobinUpton.com Attribution – NonCommercial - ShareAlike
{ The 500 Year Rampage* Natural Wealth Technology 1500 2000 *Chris Hedges
“EconomicallyUnderdeveloped Countries” ...as if Economic Development is natural or needed.
"The prosperity we have known up to the present is the consequence of rapidly spending the planet's irreplaceable capital." Aldous Huxley
Ecological crises worsen... Soil, Fossil Fuels, Metals, Ozone, Biodiversity, Polar Ice, New Diseases, Biomass,Fresh Water, Sea Level, Climate, Superbugs,Pollution ...
GDP is very closely connected to Energy Use World at Night
Can you imagine... ...expanding use of the natural world for ever? In the real world, nothing grows for ever.
Easter Island Statues (Maoi) Westerners puzzled to find the remains of huge statues!
Who built the Maoi? The biggest statues were found in quarries. The island had no trees. The locals had limited technology.
What happened? All the trees were cut down in competition to build bigger Maoi. After mass starvation, fighting & cannibalism, the locals smashed the statues.
The Tragedy Of The Monetarised Commons • Every society hasCommon property. Social norms encourage its sustainable use. As money weakens social values, common property is viewed in a financial frame and ‘rationally’ over-exploited. Money crowds out sustainable value systems, and rewards creation of scarcity!
Rethinking needs “How much do we* actually need, to thrive and to give richly to others?” Stock up, plan ahead!
Think about basic needs “How much do we* depend on money for water, food, energy, heat, transport… ? Grow food!
Leader of “The Diggers” DECENTRALISE FOOD NOW “There shall be no buying and selling, no fairs or markets, but the whole earth shall be the common treasury for every man...” Get to know your neighbours & grow food together!