https://medium.com/presencing-institute-blog/axial-shift-the-decline-of-trump-the-rise-of-the-greens-and-the-new-coordinates-of-societal-b0bde2613a9e?fbc
https://medium.com/thebeammagazine/why-a-transition-to-clean-energy-alone-is-not-enough-for-a-sustainable-future-35eee2ac9901
https://www.aau.at/en/social-ecology/research/social-metabolism/
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I’m not overly bright, but what I’ve learned over my 72 years is fairly simple for most anyone to figure out, and especially the energetic and intelligent young ones in today’s world. (Of course it doesn’t mean that we have the morals & ethics, and intestinal fortitude-individually and collectively–to do so … and to do something truly Good about our destructive behaviors. Moreover, … in terms of doing Good for all for both the short and long-term, Faith and blind/false hopes are complicating factors.)
Anyway, what I have learned is:
1. Resources here on Eaarth are limited.
2. It took millions of years for “Life as Homo sapiens knows it” to evolve into a “somewhat fragile “homeostasis”/symbioses, but it seems to be something which is pretty Good!
3. Long ago, groups of Homo sapiens recognized that equity and an Ethic of Reciprocity in socio-ecological systems are good for a “homeostatic” symbioses.
4. The very important law, the Second Law of Thermodynamics, basically tells us that if one system, e.g., populations of Homo sapiens, works and transforms energy excessively, this will cause disruption of symbioses, or the living system in “homeostasis” which, relatively speaking, can provide quality life for all (and including a long period for Homo sapiens & associated species).
5. Continued global human and domesticated animal population-growth and economic-growth run counter to these facts & principles mentioned cursorily in 1-4.
6. Neo-liberal capitalism and technological fixes generally do more harm than good.
7. For quality life for all, for as long as possible, we Homo sapiens need to live sabiamente (wisely), simply, smally, slowly, steadfastly, sharingly, SUSTAINABLY. We must lower our individual & collective ecological footprints, daily per capita & collective energy transformation, and embodied human appropriation of net primary productivity. That means:
- living a quality life in symbioses … with less,
- employing “appropriate” technologies appropriately, & abiding by the Precautionary Principle,
- placing more emphasis on the “S” & “M” in STEM vs. the “T” & “M”,
- focusing more on PEACE than War, and
- developing local low-input/-throughput agrarian economies (quasi-LISA, or Low Input Sustainable Agriculture) which are relatively in concert with symbioses, and which involve appropriate use of plants and animals, AND include some hunting/gathering. (Wow, that’s a mouthful.)
8. Local & global governance needs to utilize continued learning about sustainable ecological principles & processes, effective goal-setting, strategic planning & policy-setting, and development of sustainability indicators which are measurable and useful in moving us toward a holistic ethic of reciprocity and sustainable maintenance of the natural resource base and symbioses.
7Ss / VV->^^
pbm
[Illustrations by Laura Salazar and Elizabeth Martin.]