Peak Everything?

I've just read an interesting article about to come out in American Scientist. Revisiting the limits to growth after peak oil links oil to the cost of other resources from metals and minerals through to food. The authors point out that:

• commodity prices have fallen despite the fact that they have become increasingly difficult to produce because oil prices dropped. This drop hid the effect of the increased energy needed for production.
• For every calorie of food produced in the world, 10 calories of energy to into producing, processing and transporting that food.
• The maximum energy return on investment for oil was 100:1 in 1930 but between 20:1 and 30:1 in 2005. That is the amount of energy balance of energy out to energy in has dropped significantly and continues to do so.
• The "limits to growth" model developed in the 60s and 70s is actually predicting very closely the changes that we are currently seeing.
  
• Oil effectively currently provides each person in Europe and the States with "on average some 30 to 60 or more "energy slaves," machines to "hew their wood and haul their water," each slave being equal to a strong, fit person.
• Our new sources of green energy do not provide very high return on energy investment and certainly will not be able to replace oil any time soon as a source of cheap energy.
• Few scientists are working on the issues associated with human population approaching the limits to growth since there has been no funding for that work. Over the last 20-30 years. this means that there are no obvious intellectual leaders debating these issues today and governments do not appear to be taking them seriously in any way, perhaps as a result of this.

Slow living

I'm reading a book by Wendy Parkins & Geoffrey Craig called Slow Living and really enjoying it.

Slow living has emerged from the slow food movement and builds from it. They talk about slow cities - small cities of 50 000 people or less which are focused on fostering "slow spaces" - spaces where people can take time out to reflect, and wonder and to enjoy just being with and talking to other people. Slow spaces, in other words are spaces that encourage people to build some form of community.

What I really like about their argument is the idea that we need to learn how to enjoy life, "to be less impressed by money and success, . . . and to have alternative stories about what makes life good" (I'm quoting one Adam Philips here) Slowing down occasionally and reflecting on enjoyment actually enhances it. If we just keep moving fast, there it not time to notice the little things nor to reflect on or be grateful for the enjoyment and wonder that exists in the everyday.

To this end, I've started a new practice of recording all the things that I've enjoyed about each day at the end of it and I find that there are an increasing number as I get better at spotting them.

:-)

Facilitating Innovation and change

I was asked to write something the other day about innovation and rather oddly it took me some time to realise that in fact I do know quite a lot about innovation, having studied change and development processes!

Anyway, a few conversations later I found myself thinking about the conditions that foster innovation. I've reached the conclusion that the greatest problem that we have in this day and age is our focus on efficiency and time management. Having had a few months off work now, I find myself able to think, talk, work out how to do new things and generally be a more adaptable human being, despite trying not to spend much money. Innovation is sooo much easier and so much more likely because I can apply my mind to the various things the trip me up and I have time to let them tick over while I do other things without feeling the slightest bit guilty.

I put this together with the fact that we are told as New Zealanders that our productivity is very low and yet most of the people I know are working their butts off. Maybe if we worked less we'd actually be more productive?

:-)

Credit crunches and Ecological limits

A new issue of Resurgence is out. I was particularly interested to read an article by Andrew Simms called Planet Crunch where he puts together a range of issues from the links between our attitudes to credit and money and how that links to resource use. I was also interested to read his account of the way in which oil tanker drivers were able to bring the UK to its knees because of the "just in time" nature of oil distribution through the UK. This didn't just affect people's capacity to travel - it had a major effect on food distribution to the point where Simms suggests the UK was "9 meals away from anarchy". This of course links up social unrest with food distribution and in the longer term with access to a resources that people need to live their lives. Given the fact that the world human population is growing and that food reserves are at their lowest for a long time food security is becoming something to think about for all of us - rather than only those living in poverty. As Jared Diamond put it in Collapse being rich only gives you the capacity to die last when the ecosystem on which you rely collapses.

Not a happy thought but one that might be worth pondering in terms of what action is needed as we head into a world of diminishing resources.

Changing for the times ahead

I've just read an interesting account of how the current bailout packages and focus on
"getting people spending again" is not going to create the shifts that we need as we move up against our biophysical limits. Interestingly I see Chris Martenson has also just released a new report that discusses the need to think about how life might change in future as we move up against those same limits. To me, the way we do this as the pressure comes on will stem from the state of our communities at local level and the nature of our political and social system.

Dimitri Orlov confirms this in his account of what happened over the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. He also offers some analysis of how he thinks a similar collapse might be played out in the USA and in another article some ideas about best practice for social collapse, in which he points out that goverments might be better to focus on how to provide Food, shelter, transportation, and security on an emergency basis. It was interesting because it contrasts with the sense of success that one gets from reading about what happened in Cuba as a direct result of the Soviet collapse but with what seems to have been a slightly more 'together' set of communities. Orlov points out some very important aspects of the political set up in the Soviet Union and how that assisted or exacerbated recovery and the lives of people on the street. He notes also that money becomes quite irrelevant but social connections, access to needed resources are invaluable in a post collapse scenario.

lots to be happy about

Its been a while since I wrote here. What can I say? it's summer here and I've been on holidays. I"m just back from a couple of days at a retreat in Mid Canterbury and I'm feeling very relaxed and, well happy - despite all the bad news around the place!

A new blog talks about this a bit. It's one of the thing that constantly delights and amazes me that there is so much pleasure in working in the garden, reading a book, doing chores around the house, going for a wander or visiting friends. It's all a matter of having the time and I wonder sometimes what all our working working working is for when it just seems make us so time poor and to try to squeeze so much into so little time. I"ve had a month on holiday now and I"m just starting to feel like I"m getting down to a reasonable pace and starting to enjoy those small things that get lost in the rush.

roll on the next month!

Genuine progress indicator

I heard an interview on the radio the other day and it sparked my interest. the interview was with Ronald Colman and it was about the genuine progress index. The idea that GDP does not measure wellbeing or indeed progress is not new - I have read numerous articles about this over the years but what interested me that here is an organisation actually working to develop and use an index that might be useful instead.