James Samuel

Human growth has strained the Earth’s resources, but as Johan Rockstrom reminds us, our advances also give us the science to recognize this and change behavior. His research has found nine “planetary boundaries” that can guide us in protecting our planet’s many overlapping ecosystems.

I first read Rob’s post then this response from John (excerpted below), I couldn’t help but feel a desire to see the two of them in the same room, clarifying their respective points, and coming to a mutual respect for the valuable work each is doing. Dialogue is something I have long felt has such an important part to play in creating a different sort of future than the conflict-ridden recent history we have witnessed.

His analysis ends with a fatalistic statement: “Determined action at the global level will become possible only when climate change is no longer some scientific prediction, but a reality that people feel … A world incapable of preventing climate change will have to live with it.”

The Transition Towns movement attracts me because of what I perceive as a shared understanding that the current dominant paradigm of “I”, while it is inherently destructive is only that – a paradigm. I find in Transition Towns, people who are informed and, with eyes wide open, are embracing a paradigm of “we” and building the future we want to see – the best one we can imagine, knowing we are all in this together.

I put facilitating the buying and selling of land, in the same basket as brokers trading on the stock market. Neither contribute much to the general well-being of the community in which they operate. I don’t believe that any cash benefit to the community, of selling Waiheke land (and homes) to the highest bidder, has outweighed the detrimental effects of the changes that have come about, albeit as unintended consequences.

My heart sang last night, to see members of my community look at the challenges of the future, square in the eye, and then with energy and creativity name some creative, and do-able solutions. Here’s a six minute video I put together summarizing the evenings activities. Read on…

The 22 statistics detailed here prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the middle class is being systematically wiped out of existence in America. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer at a staggering rate.

At some point in the collapse, it will become necessary to nationalise all unproductive land and distribute it to those willing to produce food for local consumption (this is already happening in Venezuela and Brazil – and some other countries).

Talk of sustainability is largely futile while we have a global monetary system whose very design widens the gap between rich and poor and forces continual economic growth. To struggle for social justice and reversing of the destruction of our habitat without introducing a diverse and benign money system is largely misdirected effort.

I am most curious what happens when we come across new information, that once understood, begs a change of habit and some new actions. I’ve noticed in myself and others, that information alone is rarely enough to change how we act from day to day. So what does make the difference?