A good article that summarises the problems that humanity faces now and in the coming decade. Despite being widely derided by experts who didn’t like their paradigms (and profits) being threatened, the authors of ‘The Limits to Growth’ were essentially right – all non-renewable resources have limits, and we are currently busy squandering what we have left. Yet the solution of magically transitioning our production and consumption systems to renewable energy and continuing along on the same path has been exposed by scientists such as Dr Simon Machaux as being completely unrealistic.
What to do? We need to start behaving more like stewards of the Earth and less like gluttons and pillagers for a start, and then focus on making the wisest use of what we have. Capitalism will need to be radically transformed, not by government decree but by a shift in focus to decentralisation, communities working together to meet local needs, and above all, moving beyond the fiction that selfishness and greed are fundamental to a healthy economy. If we can make this transition, we could actually end up living much healthier and happier, albeit simpler lives.
I agree with and respect the spirit of your post. But how can we – in these smaller communities with only a local focus – supply fertilizer for the fields, concrete for the schools, tar for the roads and everything we need to shelter feed and sustain us??
I agree with and respect the spirit of your post. But how can we – in these smaller communities with only a local focus – supply fertilizer for the fields, concrete for the schools, tar for the roads and everything we need to shelter feed and sustain us??
Keppel Cassidy
10 months ago
A good article that summarises the problems that humanity faces now and in the coming decade. Despite being widely derided by experts who didn’t like their paradigms (and profits) being threatened, the authors of ‘The Limits to Growth’ were essentially right – all non-renewable resources have limits, and we are currently busy squandering what we have left. Yet the solution of magically transitioning our production and consumption systems to renewable energy and continuing along on the same path has been exposed by scientists such as Dr Simon Machaux as being completely unrealistic.
What to do? We need to start behaving more like stewards of the Earth and less like gluttons and pillagers for a start, and then focus on making the wisest use of what we have. Capitalism will need to be radically transformed, not by government decree but by a shift in focus to decentralisation, communities working together to meet local needs, and above all, moving beyond the fiction that selfishness and greed are fundamental to a healthy economy. If we can make this transition, we could actually end up living much healthier and happier, albeit simpler lives.
Brendan O'Leary
10 months ago
Wiki states that the population of Covas do Barroso declined from 1,672 in 1960 to 262 (109 of whom were over 65) in 2011. Even in 1864, there were over 1300 residents.
The latest news items, promoting the opposition to the mine, say the village has “just over 100 residents”
This despite the installation of a hydroelectric plant in 1966.
So it’s not exactly thriving in its UN-approved state of decline.
Even if the mine employed 1,500 who all came to live locally, it would still not be back to its 1960 population. But we are expected to believe the activists’ claim that the current depopulated ghost-town status of the village represents some kind of utopia, which by past standards, it clearly isn’t.
Brendan O'Leary
10 months ago
Wiki states that the population of Covas do Barroso declined from 1,672 in 1960 to 262 (109 of whom were over 65) in 2011. Even in 1864, there were over 1300 residents.
The latest news items, promoting the opposition to the mine, say the village has “just over 100 residents”
This despite the installation of a hydroelectric plant in 1966.
So it’s not exactly thriving in its UN-approved state of decline.
Even if the mine employed 1,500 who all came to live locally, it would still not be back to its 1960 population. But we are expected to believe the activists’ claim that the current depopulated ghost-town status of the village represents some kind of utopia, which by past standards, it clearly isn’t.
Simon Neale
10 months ago
Before there is agency, there must be shelves that are stocked, medicine that is available, and technology that works
That reminds me of something… What was it now…Ah, yes!
Just as Darwin discovered the law of development of organic nature, so Marx discovered the law of development of human history: the simple fact, hitherto concealed by an overgrowth of ideology, that mankind must first of all eat, drink, have shelter and clothing, before it can pursue politics, science, art, religion, etc.
Which leads to the question “What is to be done?”, as Comrade Lenin famously said…
Ironic then that , once in power, the Marxist-Leninists proceeded to cause the most deadly famines in history. It’s all very well identifying human needs but they had no idea how to build an economy that provides, only how to destroy.
Ironic then that , once in power, the Marxist-Leninists proceeded to cause the most deadly famines in history. It’s all very well identifying human needs but they had no idea how to build an economy that provides, only how to destroy.
Simon Neale
10 months ago
Before there is agency, there must be shelves that are stocked, medicine that is available, and technology that works
That reminds me of something… What was it now…Ah, yes!
Just as Darwin discovered the law of development of organic nature, so Marx discovered the law of development of human history: the simple fact, hitherto concealed by an overgrowth of ideology, that mankind must first of all eat, drink, have shelter and clothing, before it can pursue politics, science, art, religion, etc.
Which leads to the question “What is to be done?”, as Comrade Lenin famously said…
Andrew Holmes
10 months ago
Ah, the romance of small scale, self-sufficient farming. The agency of unremitting, dawn to dark labor with the alternative of starvation. Since the Club of Rome in 1960, we have been informed that the sky is falling. Similar claims were made at the turn of the 20th century. New York City was doomed because it inevitably would be buried in horse manure. Railroads were doomed because ties rotted faster than trees could be grown to replace them. Apparently, the sky falls slowly.
Andrew Holmes
10 months ago
Ah, the romance of small scale, self-sufficient farming. The agency of unremitting, dawn to dark labor with the alternative of starvation. Since the Club of Rome in 1960, we have been informed that the sky is falling. Similar claims were made at the turn of the 20th century. New York City was doomed because it inevitably would be buried in horse manure. Railroads were doomed because ties rotted faster than trees could be grown to replace them. Apparently, the sky falls slowly.
Edward De Beukelaer
10 months ago
I agree regarding the difficulty of the energy side of things, but when it comes to farming and medicine we need to , in a hurry, wean ourselves of chemical medicines, fertilisers and pesticides. These three are for the moment taking care of life expectancy to reduce in the west. …oh maybe that will solve some of the energy issues???
Edward De Beukelaer
10 months ago
I agree regarding the difficulty of the energy side of things, but when it comes to farming and medicine we need to , in a hurry, wean ourselves of chemical medicines, fertilisers and pesticides. These three are for the moment taking care of life expectancy to reduce in the west. …oh maybe that will solve some of the energy issues???
A good article that summarises the problems that humanity faces now and in the coming decade. Despite being widely derided by experts who didn’t like their paradigms (and profits) being threatened, the authors of ‘The Limits to Growth’ were essentially right – all non-renewable resources have limits, and we are currently busy squandering what we have left. Yet the solution of magically transitioning our production and consumption systems to renewable energy and continuing along on the same path has been exposed by scientists such as Dr Simon Machaux as being completely unrealistic.
What to do? We need to start behaving more like stewards of the Earth and less like gluttons and pillagers for a start, and then focus on making the wisest use of what we have. Capitalism will need to be radically transformed, not by government decree but by a shift in focus to decentralisation, communities working together to meet local needs, and above all, moving beyond the fiction that selfishness and greed are fundamental to a healthy economy. If we can make this transition, we could actually end up living much healthier and happier, albeit simpler lives.
I agree with and respect the spirit of your post. But how can we – in these smaller communities with only a local focus – supply fertilizer for the fields, concrete for the schools, tar for the roads and everything we need to shelter feed and sustain us??
I agree with and respect the spirit of your post. But how can we – in these smaller communities with only a local focus – supply fertilizer for the fields, concrete for the schools, tar for the roads and everything we need to shelter feed and sustain us??
A good article that summarises the problems that humanity faces now and in the coming decade. Despite being widely derided by experts who didn’t like their paradigms (and profits) being threatened, the authors of ‘The Limits to Growth’ were essentially right – all non-renewable resources have limits, and we are currently busy squandering what we have left. Yet the solution of magically transitioning our production and consumption systems to renewable energy and continuing along on the same path has been exposed by scientists such as Dr Simon Machaux as being completely unrealistic.
What to do? We need to start behaving more like stewards of the Earth and less like gluttons and pillagers for a start, and then focus on making the wisest use of what we have. Capitalism will need to be radically transformed, not by government decree but by a shift in focus to decentralisation, communities working together to meet local needs, and above all, moving beyond the fiction that selfishness and greed are fundamental to a healthy economy. If we can make this transition, we could actually end up living much healthier and happier, albeit simpler lives.
Wiki states that the population of Covas do Barroso declined from 1,672 in 1960 to 262 (109 of whom were over 65) in 2011. Even in 1864, there were over 1300 residents.
The latest news items, promoting the opposition to the mine, say the village has “just over 100 residents”
This despite the installation of a hydroelectric plant in 1966.
So it’s not exactly thriving in its UN-approved state of decline.
Even if the mine employed 1,500 who all came to live locally, it would still not be back to its 1960 population. But we are expected to believe the activists’ claim that the current depopulated ghost-town status of the village represents some kind of utopia, which by past standards, it clearly isn’t.
Wiki states that the population of Covas do Barroso declined from 1,672 in 1960 to 262 (109 of whom were over 65) in 2011. Even in 1864, there were over 1300 residents.
The latest news items, promoting the opposition to the mine, say the village has “just over 100 residents”
This despite the installation of a hydroelectric plant in 1966.
So it’s not exactly thriving in its UN-approved state of decline.
Even if the mine employed 1,500 who all came to live locally, it would still not be back to its 1960 population. But we are expected to believe the activists’ claim that the current depopulated ghost-town status of the village represents some kind of utopia, which by past standards, it clearly isn’t.
That reminds me of something… What was it now…Ah, yes!
Which leads to the question “What is to be done?”, as Comrade Lenin famously said…
Ironic then that , once in power, the Marxist-Leninists proceeded to cause the most deadly famines in history. It’s all very well identifying human needs but they had no idea how to build an economy that provides, only how to destroy.
Indeed! It would be amusing if the materialist conception of history had not had such tragic consequences.
Indeed! It would be amusing if the materialist conception of history had not had such tragic consequences.
Ironic then that , once in power, the Marxist-Leninists proceeded to cause the most deadly famines in history. It’s all very well identifying human needs but they had no idea how to build an economy that provides, only how to destroy.
That reminds me of something… What was it now…Ah, yes!
Which leads to the question “What is to be done?”, as Comrade Lenin famously said…
Ah, the romance of small scale, self-sufficient farming. The agency of unremitting, dawn to dark labor with the alternative of starvation. Since the Club of Rome in 1960, we have been informed that the sky is falling. Similar claims were made at the turn of the 20th century. New York City was doomed because it inevitably would be buried in horse manure. Railroads were doomed because ties rotted faster than trees could be grown to replace them. Apparently, the sky falls slowly.
Ah, the romance of small scale, self-sufficient farming. The agency of unremitting, dawn to dark labor with the alternative of starvation. Since the Club of Rome in 1960, we have been informed that the sky is falling. Similar claims were made at the turn of the 20th century. New York City was doomed because it inevitably would be buried in horse manure. Railroads were doomed because ties rotted faster than trees could be grown to replace them. Apparently, the sky falls slowly.
I agree regarding the difficulty of the energy side of things, but when it comes to farming and medicine we need to , in a hurry, wean ourselves of chemical medicines, fertilisers and pesticides. These three are for the moment taking care of life expectancy to reduce in the west. …oh maybe that will solve some of the energy issues???
I agree regarding the difficulty of the energy side of things, but when it comes to farming and medicine we need to , in a hurry, wean ourselves of chemical medicines, fertilisers and pesticides. These three are for the moment taking care of life expectancy to reduce in the west. …oh maybe that will solve some of the energy issues???