Commentary

The economy – is stupid!

by Lothar Luken. Just had a crash, wrote off two cars. Now where's my medal for stimulating the economy? Two replacement cars have been bought; one driver seen by a doctor; an assessor coming to inspect the wreckage; state keeps motor tax for the old cars; insurance (UK-based!) pays scrapper for wreck crushing. Nice stimulus package - according to official theory.

The Transition Towns Movement; its huge significance, and a friendly criticism

by Ted Trainer. The only way the alarming global sustainability and justice problems can be solved is via a Transition Towns movement of some kind. At present the rapidly growing movement is inspiring, but there is an urgent need for critical thought about vision, goals, and means. There is a serious risk that without this it will not make a significant contribution to solving our problems.

Preface to Fleeing Vesuvius by Eamon Ryan (Irish edition)

Preface by Eamon Ryan (Irish edition)Managing a retreat is the most difficult of all political tasks. It is always easier to offer something new rather than to try to take back an existing benefit. But when it comes to our use of fossil fuels, which have provided huge benefits to our society, it is now time for an organised retreat. We need to retreat because the emissions from burning coal and gas threaten the climate system upon which our lives depend. We also need to do so because we face a peak in global oil production and we have to start changing our food and transport systems to cope with the decline in oil supplies that will follow.

Introduction to Fleeing Vesuvius: Where we went wrong

Introduction: Where we went wrongby Richard Douthwaite This book grew out of a conference in 2009 called the New Emergency. What emergency was that? Most people didn't think that there was an emergency then and they don't think there is one now.They know that the world is facing a lot of problems at present but they probably would not elevate any of them even to the status of a crisis, still less an emergency. The world has always had problems, they think, and it always will. Very few of them think that there's anything going on at present that requires Ireland to mobilise all its resources in the way that it did in response to the old Emergency, the Second World War. However, once you recognise that most of the worst problems the world faces have a common cause and that time is running out to solve them, you have an emergency. That's my position.

Shale Gas – Bonanza or Hype?

by Brian Davey. In recent months there have been a lot of very rosy news items about so called "unconventional gas" as a "game changing" new feature of world energy markets. It's bonanza time... Maybe....however, before going further, its useful to think about what happens in a gold rush. Very few of those out prospecting get rich. But people who sell wagons, equipment and the banks do. The problem is that when it comes to any news from the hydrocarbons market one should never take things at face value...

Allan Savory wins the Buckminster Fuller award

We are delighted to learn that the Africa Centre for Holistic Management and Allan Savory have won the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Award. Allan Savory was our Feasta lecturer for 2009, and Feasta was interviewed at length about the value of Mr. Savory’s work before the award was announced. His lecture, “Keeping Cattle: Cause or Cure for Climate Crisis?” summarises his ideas about using livestock to restore degraded land and address climate change. You can find out more about Mr Savory’s work at the Savory Institute website. …