civilisation

The Commons of Soil

by Patrick Noble. I hope to show that the bad news presented by our inevitable austerity is only bad for what can be happily lost. Laws of physics, which are about to disappoint European and American desires may simultaneously liberate us onto a lost Common. All that is best in life is encompassed by common humanity and is in no way reduced by a mere oil-deprivation.

The Ecology of Civilisation: From the Caves at Lascaux to the Cusp of Collapse – David Korowicz

Date and Time: 4th May – 22nd June 2010 (eight week course, one evening a week)

Venue: Cultivate, The Greenhouse, 17 St. Andrew St., Dublin 2, Ireland.

More information can be found at the Cultivate website, or by calling 01-6745773…

Tipping Point: Near-Term Systemic Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production – An Outline Review

The report Tipping Point: Near-Term Systemic Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production, by David Korowicz of Feasta and the Risk/Resilience Network, is now available for download. The report argues that the defining dynamic of our civilisation is the withdrawal of energy from a complex and integrated system adapted only to growing. A managed “de-growth” is impossible; what is required is rapid emergency planning coupled with a plan for longer-term adaptation. …

David Korowicz – Complexity, Economy, Civilisation & Collapse

David Korowicz documented the disturbing growth in the complexity of trade and financial networks and in the various types of infrastructure. He sees the collapse process as a system of re-enforcing feedbacks that cut investment in energy and R&D and cause supply chains and IT networks to break down.