Hmmmmm..... yes, but no - "Just getting the NDC's (the Nationalally Determined Contributions) is not going to get the planet back into a safe-operating-space, right? You'd need major food transformation, you need circular economy... production/consumption pattern changes, you need energy-transition. All of these things together are the only thing that's going to get us back to a safe-operating-space for humans. So we still have a lot of challenges within this space from a comms perspective of really understanding what is the solution. If we're just going to double-down on the energy transition at the expense of the biosphere, that's not going to help us."
Undoubtably, this integrated and holistic analysis is more useful than a narrow focus on emissions, however, the "transformation" described by Kari Stoever, is still subject to the laws of physics generally and thermodynamics particularly. And, in this regard, it must be understood that all transformation of any kind requires energy and produces entropy/waste/pollution. Therefore, an enormous 'transformation' as a presupposed 'solution' to our predicament of extreme human ecological #overshoot, runs into serious conflict with the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Essentially, large scale transformation is a #hypergrowth of material extraction, exploitation, and emissions, which only serve to accelerate our predicament.
Arguably, as opposed to 'transformation' we should be rationing and triaging superfluous systems whilst using minimal pre-existing materials and energy to decelerate our trajectory. #JustStop #JustCollapse #RadicalDegrowth
Great podcast and useful to know about the planetary health check. Yohan Rockstrom is brilliant and your podcast with him a couple of months ago was outstanding.
I’m struggling with how the year ++ long genocide in Gaza fits in with all of this systems talk, etc.
Western countries joined Israel to destroy Gaza - bomb, burn them alive, and starve them inside an open air prison they’ve been living in for decades. This ferocious daily bombing campaign was certainly a big contributor to ecocide and climate change during the past 13 months, - not to mention the 2000 pound plus bombs in both Gaza and Lebanon added to the mix. These bombs are close to the impact of nuclear bombs. The U.S. military is the biggest polluter and global warming contributor in the world. And it unleashed a maelstrom on unarmed civilians, infants, children, etc. But I don’t recall seeing or hearing condemnations from environmental orgs, or resilience orgs, or orgs working on climate change, etc. Like it’s some sort of parallel universe - because Gaza is Palestine?? Because they are brown? Because —- Israel? AIPAC? Really I just don’t get it.
I’m a retired U.S. diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, so I understand how the international system works. But I am shocked that such a large sector of society (environmentalists, systems thinking, scientists, the climate, natural resources, wildlife, mainstream media, environmental NGO sector, etc.) literally has ignored the Gaza genocide. Don’t get me wrong, books upon books will be written on how could the world have let this happen in the coming years. (Except for gen X college students.)
Hmmmmm..... yes, but no - "Just getting the NDC's (the Nationalally Determined Contributions) is not going to get the planet back into a safe-operating-space, right? You'd need major food transformation, you need circular economy... production/consumption pattern changes, you need energy-transition. All of these things together are the only thing that's going to get us back to a safe-operating-space for humans. So we still have a lot of challenges within this space from a comms perspective of really understanding what is the solution. If we're just going to double-down on the energy transition at the expense of the biosphere, that's not going to help us."
Undoubtably, this integrated and holistic analysis is more useful than a narrow focus on emissions, however, the "transformation" described by Kari Stoever, is still subject to the laws of physics generally and thermodynamics particularly. And, in this regard, it must be understood that all transformation of any kind requires energy and produces entropy/waste/pollution. Therefore, an enormous 'transformation' as a presupposed 'solution' to our predicament of extreme human ecological #overshoot, runs into serious conflict with the 2nd law of thermodynamics. Essentially, large scale transformation is a #hypergrowth of material extraction, exploitation, and emissions, which only serve to accelerate our predicament.
Arguably, as opposed to 'transformation' we should be rationing and triaging superfluous systems whilst using minimal pre-existing materials and energy to decelerate our trajectory. #JustStop #JustCollapse #RadicalDegrowth
Planetary Hospice
Someone with knowledge should consider using Oxygen as fuel which could exhaust water. Something that replenishes vs using sources that diminish.
Great podcast and useful to know about the planetary health check. Yohan Rockstrom is brilliant and your podcast with him a couple of months ago was outstanding.
I’m struggling with how the year ++ long genocide in Gaza fits in with all of this systems talk, etc.
Western countries joined Israel to destroy Gaza - bomb, burn them alive, and starve them inside an open air prison they’ve been living in for decades. This ferocious daily bombing campaign was certainly a big contributor to ecocide and climate change during the past 13 months, - not to mention the 2000 pound plus bombs in both Gaza and Lebanon added to the mix. These bombs are close to the impact of nuclear bombs. The U.S. military is the biggest polluter and global warming contributor in the world. And it unleashed a maelstrom on unarmed civilians, infants, children, etc. But I don’t recall seeing or hearing condemnations from environmental orgs, or resilience orgs, or orgs working on climate change, etc. Like it’s some sort of parallel universe - because Gaza is Palestine?? Because they are brown? Because —- Israel? AIPAC? Really I just don’t get it.
I’m a retired U.S. diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, so I understand how the international system works. But I am shocked that such a large sector of society (environmentalists, systems thinking, scientists, the climate, natural resources, wildlife, mainstream media, environmental NGO sector, etc.) literally has ignored the Gaza genocide. Don’t get me wrong, books upon books will be written on how could the world have let this happen in the coming years. (Except for gen X college students.)
Good way to see the climate crisis https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/you-should-be-furious-at-the-political-class-for-enabling-this-climate-catastrophe
Thanks for this enlightening interview!