Feasta recently made a submission to the Irish government’s Consultation on Climate Change policy. It addresses fossil fuel emissions, carbon cycles and sinks, the transition to a sustainable economy and lastly the need for a climate law. 
Broken promises and naive expectations – that’s how many people at the McPlanet Conference held recently in Berlin clearly felt about the last two decades of global environmental policy. They believe that an imperfect-but-better alternative exists: protecting and enhancing the commons and community-based protection of biological resources worldwide, including in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa where land-grabbing is currently rife. 
Feasta member Aidan McKeown believes that overall, this book “succeeds in delivering a powerful argument that humanity will be forced into – and, crucially, benefit from – a move to a more locally-based and less societally complex way of living. Moreover, by including an historical perspective, it shows that what we are facing has precedents in our collective past: people have repeatedly adapted to crisis, often proactively choosing less complex societal arrangements.” On April 8, Feasta’s David Korowicz was the featured guest on From Alpha to Omega, a weekly podcast by Tom O’Brien. He spoke about the likelihood of economic collapse and what to expect in the coming years. You can listen to it here.…
Nick Bardsley, a Feasta member and lecturer in climate change economics at the University of Reading, has prepared a slideshow presentation for the recent Feasta Climate Group weekend which is now available for download. In it he discusses the problems associated with a biofuel-based economy, drawing on the work of energetics analysts Mario Giampietro and Kozo Mayumi. Nick also discusses his own challenges as a lecturer in ecological economics. 
Joanna Santa Barbara writes about Atamai Village, in New Zealand: a new community that attempts to respond intelligently to the need to mitigate climate change and adapt to low or zero fossil fuel use, the constraints of sea-level rise over the next century, the need to step outside, as much as possible, the mainstream financial system and the importance of a local steady-state economy within the biophysical limits of the region. From Fleeing Vesuvius. 
If you’ve visited this website before you will probably have noticed our funding appeals. It’s likely that you skimmed over these – perfectly understandably as there are so many organisations asking for money these days. However, if you’re reading this it’s probably because you’re interested in and value the work we do. If so you will be interested to know how it is that we are able do what we do. Read more 
Feasta’s Emer O’Siochru will be speaking on the first day of this conference from July 24-28 at the School of Economic Science, 11 Mandeville Place, London W1U 3AJ. It will explore a wide range of topics relating to Land Value Tax and global economic justice. More information here. 
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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