money

The hidden promise of climate action

As Naomi Klein has been pointing out recently, effective action on climate change requires changes that go well beyond simple shopping decisions about which lightbulb to buy - what's actually needed is political change on a global level. Rather than shrinking back from this idea, what if we embraced it and recognized that such change, if carefully planned and implemented, could bring about vital improvements to the lives of most people around the world?

In Praise of Non-Debt-Based Money

by Graham Barnes. The debt we accumulate as individuals, companies and governments is instrumental in depleting the planet and deepening the rich-poor divide. This 'value-led' critique is powerful and compelling to those wishing to listen, but it is not enough, of itself, to procure any meaningful systemic/ structural change in the monetary regime. We need to communicate widely about the side-effects of debt-based money, and to help people to imagine non-debt based alternatives.

The Parallel Punt

Feasta has been exploring the potential for parallel currencies for some time, largely through the Liquidity Network project which is aimed at boosting local economies at a time when euros are scarce. Now a related idea is gaining traction at a national level in the form of a Parallel Punt. This surprisingly conservative option was discussed at Feasta's Autumn Conference held in Dublin on 22nd/ 23rd September. In this preview Graham Barnes set the scene for what could be a gamechanging development.