There’s a good discussion by Mike Sandler on the Huffington Post of the controversy over the trillion dollar coin; it’s encouraging that the debate over money creation is becoming so mainstream in the US. “Be on the lookout for debt-free, interest-free money, coming soon to a country-needlessly-plunged-into-recession-by-austerity near you.” Some useful comments also. Read the post.…
We need to cut carbon emissions, and soon. But Nick Bardsley reminds us that any mechanism that we introduce in order to cut them – such as Cap and Share – will have to be accompanied by a number of other measures or it will prove counterproductive. Topics covered in his paper include a proposed substitute for the much-criticised Clean Development Mechanism, the current displacement of food production by biofuels, the relationship between food and energy use, the required shift away from debt-based money and the need for a land value tax. Amy Goodman has just interviewed James Henry, the author of the report on offshore banking that was cited in the Guardian. You can see the interview or read a transcript at here. He makes the point that when you take offshore finance into account it becomes clear that states like Nigeria are actually net creditors. These countries don’t really have a debt problem – they have a tax problem. …
In the first chapter of Sharing for Survival, Brian Davey reviews strategies for climate change mitigation given the disinterest and even hostility in the political mainstream. He puts forward a strategy for civil society and community organisations in a future of economic chaos to connect to the struggle for equity. 
Published by Green Books, The Future of Money by James Robertson restates much of his thinking around monetary reform and brings it bang up to date in the context of the Euro crisis. It focuses a great deal on the arguments for governments reclaiming their right to issue money from the banks, and the enormous potential benefits to society of so doing. Highly recommended. 
Credit rating agencies do a terrible job of forecasting their clients’ futures, and yet their ratings can have catastrophic effects on financial markets and on vast swathes of the world economy. Clearly something needs to change here. Could a proposed new European agency help? 
Feasta is badly in need of funding at present. Early in 2013 we will lose a sizable proportion of our core funding owing to the winding down of a trust fund that has been supporting Feasta for many years. Joining Feasta, making a donation or buying one of our books are much-appreciated gestures of support towards an organisation with a well-established track record of researching, debating and promoting the much-needed switch to a sustainable and just economic paradigm. 
Feasta and Sensible Money are organising a one day conference in Dublin on Friday 31st May to explore the consequences of our malfunctioning money system and some of the proposals for its reform, replacement or supplement. The morning session will explore the repercussions of the way in which money is currently created while the afternoon session will focus on responses, including some Irish initiatives. 
Environmental activists and anyone with an interest in environmental law are cordially invited to a weekend seminar organised by FEASTA and WinACC (Winchester Action on Climate Change). The seminar will consider fresh approaches to tackling climate change and how they might be put into action. It will appeal to those who like to hear alternative perspectives, challenge conventional thinking, and explore ideas through discussion with others. Saturday June 29th – Sunday June 30th 2013. 
Richard Douthwaite, co-founder of Feasta and much-loved colleague and friend, died on November 14th 2011 after a long illness. We will miss his unique and far-ranging intellect, the clarity of his thought and writing, his warmth and his laughter. Tributes to him have come in from around the world and you can read them here. 
Feasta’s Autumn conference examined measures that this country could adopt to secure its economic future which would not leave it reliant on external factors largely outside of its control. Scenarios explored included the potential collapse of the eurozone. The conference featured prominent international and Irish economists and was aimed at economists, politicians, policy-makers, business people, social partners, and other key decision-makers.
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