by Juan Ignacio Marin in Resilience.org….It is important to emphasize that the ideals of degrowth do not advocate a defense of economic poverty, but rather call for sufficiency. The emphasis on the true meaning of the term consumption — distinguishing it from consumerism — seeks to introduce a change in our way of life that reflects sufficiency, what we truly need.
How Musk, Thiel, Zuckerberg, and Andreessen—four billionaire techno-oligarchs—are creating an alternate, autocratic reality
by Jonathan Taplin in Vanity Fair…..In an excerpt from his new book, The End of Reality, the author warns about the curses of AI and transhumanism, presenting the moral case against superintelligence.
Economics for the future – Beyond the superorganism
by NJ Hagens in Ecological Economics….Our environment and economy are at a crossroads.
The Superorganism V. The Doughnut
by Nate Hagens in The Great Simplification…..Increasingly, these shortfalls in both ecological and social well-being of the current economic system are becoming more recognized by the general populace. In this conversation, Kate and I discuss a framework for bringing the human system in line with the biosphere while meeting the needs of everyone.
Why it seems everything we knew about the global economy is no longer true
by Patricia Cohen in The New York Times…While the world’s eyes were on the pandemic, China and the war in Ukraine, the paths to prosperity and shared interests have grown murkier.
The global polycrisis reflects a civilizational crisis that calls for systemic alternatives
By Zack Walsh, Polycrisis Transition Consultancy…A review of emerging definitions of polycrisis within cognate bodies of scientific literature exploring societal risk and collapse, plus implications for how to respond to the depth and severity of the global polycrisis via just and regenerative civilizational alternatives.
More in this category
Global tech supply chains are as complex as a circuit board
by Brendan O’Connor in Instick….The logic of the Palo Alto System that Stanford developed in breeding horses — that is, the logic of capital, articulated as eugenics — structured the organization of the new university.
Climate shocks are making parts of America uninsurable. It just got worse.
by Christopher Flavelle in The New York Times….The largest insurer in California said it would stop offering new coverage. It’s part of a broader trend of companies pulling back from dangerous areas.
Puerto Rico: A U.S. territory in crisis
by Amelia Cheatham and Diana Roy in Council on Foreign Relations…Puerto Rico is a political paradox: part of the United States but distinct from it, enjoying citizenship but lacking full political representation, and infused with its own brand of nationalism despite not being a sovereign state.
‘In a lot of the world, the clock has hit midnight’: China is calling in loans to dozens of countries from Pakistan to Kenya
By Bernard Condon, Fortune….Poor countries have been hit with foreign currency shortages, high inflation, spikes in unemployment and widespread hunger before, but rarely like in the past year.
Global rice shortage is set to be the biggest in 20 years
There’s a strained supply of rice as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as weather woes in rice-producing economies like China and Pakistan.
Yellen warns climate change could trigger asset value losses, harming US economy
Yellen will tell a new advisory board of academics, private sector experts and non-profits there has been a five-fold increase in the annual number of billion-dollar disasters over the past five years, compared to the 1980s, even after taking into account inflation.
How free-market extremism became America’s default mode
The book is a follow-up of sorts to the duo’s “Merchants of Doubt,” which pulled back the curtain on those who minimized the harms of tobacco, acid rain, climate change and much more.
A Bigger Boat | Frankly #26
In this Frankly, Nate shares some context about how he thinks about the recent global banking and financial market news.
The world at a turning point. Will philanthropy rise to the task of the moment? by Briggs Bomba in Alliance Magazine
In a recent statement, the IMF announced that one-third of the world economy is expected to be in recession in 2023, further adding that ‘it would feel like recession for hundreds of millions of people’, even for countries not in recession.
Global risks report 2023
Some of the risks described in this year’s report are close to a tipping point. This is the moment to act collectively, decisively and with a long-term lens to shape a pathway to a more positive, inclusive and stable world.
Davos worries about a ‘polycrisis’
Global crises are weighing on the World Economic Forum.Credit…Laurent Gillieron/EPA,
How the world bank can help save the planet
Big banks want multilateral development institutions to act like insurers, reducing the risk for private investors to finance climate-friendly projects
World economic forum warns of looming ‘polycrisis’
Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine have ushered in skyrocketing inflation and a low-growth, low-investment era, but a focus on the present could obscure the risks of longer-term threats.
Hurricanes and floods bring $120bn in insurance losses in 2022
Hurricane Ian in Florida caused a big chunk of the financial losses while floods in Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa killed the most people
I predicted the 2008 crash – these are the global ‘megathreats’ I can see now
Life as we know it is under threat, as short-term-thinking politicians ignore the signs that point to a dystopian future