#Nobel #Laureate touts #ThreeZero #theory
"framework called “Three Zero”, referring to zero #carbon #emissions, zero #wealthconcentration & zero #unemployment. Prof #Yunus argued tt #business in tis new civilisation mustn't be driven by #greed, which he warned inevitably leads to #wealth accumul'g among a select few.. He criticised modern #society’s deep-rooted #consumerism, stating tt e pursuit of tis at all costs has led to #unsustainable waste & environ'al degradation"
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2995986/nobel-laureate-touts-three-zero-theory

#Environment #psychology #unsustainable

The question "why isn't humanity like this?" compares what is, with what isn't. Terms such as generally, relate to the way many people think & behave that is environmentally harmful.

It's common for humans to want far more than they need. To show off their wealth (their status) Even, or rather usually, at the cost of the environment. Consumerism is the economic manifestation of this. Crap that society doesn't need that #pollutes the #environment.

My ★★★★★ review of Seaspiracy (2021) on @letterboxd: https://boxd.it/8peGBv

An excerpt from: The ‘#degrowth’ movement envisions global #ClimateJustice, but must adapt to #GlobalSouth realities

Published: February 6, 2025
by Claudius Gräbner-Radkowitsch and Birte Strunk

What about the global south?

"Today, many degrowth advocates assert that the richer countries of the global north, being largely responsible for environmental degradation, should be the ones to scale back economic activity to avert ecological catastrophe. But what about the poorer countries of the global south? Should they adopt degrowth strategies? Some argue this would impose a #neocolonial agenda, with wealthier countries once again dictating the terms of global development. Others note that many poorer countries need economic growth to combat poverty. And even if degrowth were limited to the north, it could still have significant effects on the south – both positive and negative.

"A review of academic literature on degrowth and the global south reveals two main perspectives: those who see degrowth as incompatible with the south’s development needs, and those who believe it could offer synergies with sustainable development goals.

"Supporters of degrowth often point out that many of its core ideas originate in the global south. Anthropologist Jason Hickel cites figures such as Sri Lankan philosopher #AnandaCoomaraswamy, Indian economist #JCKumarappa and Bengali poet #RabindranathTagore as inspirations. While these thinkers may not use the term 'degrowth', they promote ideas aligned with it, such as the Latin American #SumakKawsay (or “#BuenVivir”) or the South African #Ubuntu. These non-Western perspectives have been instrumental in shaping the degrowth discourse in the global north.

Degrowth as decolonisation

"Degrowth advocates argue that scaling back economic activity in the north could help dismantle the unequal global division of labour, in which raw materials are extracted from the south and processed into consumer goods in the north. This system disproportionately benefits wealthier nations while leaving poorer countries with the social and #environmental costs.

"#FedericoDemaria, a researcher in political ecology, argues that northern countries must 'pay for past and present #colonial #exploitation in the south' – a central theme in contemporary degrowth discourse.

"Some researchers suggest that dependence on economic growth is problematic for both the north and south. They argue that growth alone does not guarantee poverty reduction – wealth distribution and institutional reforms are just as crucial. Degrowth could help both regions avoid #unsustainable development models by focusing more on social well-being than perpetual economic expansion."

Read more:
https://theconversation.com/the-degrowth-movement-envisions-global-climate-justice-but-must-adapt-to-global-south-realities-238276
#SolarPunkSunday #PostColonialism

#Pesticides causing widespread #harm: study
""It's assumed tt pesticides r toxic primarily to e target pest & closely related organisms but this isn't true.. found #pervasive -ve impacts across plants, animals, fungi & microbes, threatening #integrity of #ecosystems" >800 species in land & water assessed to hv suffered detrimental effects.. UN #biodiversity experts warned #overconsumption & #unsustainable #farming r fuelling overlapping crises in #nature & #climate"
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2960486/pesticides-causing-widespread-harm-to-animals-and-plants-study

#Degrowth and #Socialism: Notes on Some Critical Junctures

by Güney Işıkara and Özgür Narin

"Most degrowth thinkers agree that growth, as both a fact and a concept, is brought about by #capitalism. It is even acknowledged that growth is not the driver, but an outcome, the “surface appearance or ‘fetish’ of an underlying process: capital accumulation.” One would then expect that the challenge to it and the imaginary of an alternative society would be based on the negation of capitalism as a mode of production. Yet instead, growth remains the focal point of the discussion.

"The emphasis on growth as an aggregate phenomenon that emerged only with industrial capitalism and turned into an unquestionable economic paradigm following the Second World War is not trivial. It implies that growth as we know it is capitalist growth, or actually accumulation of capital, constituted in processes of exploitation and expropriation peculiar to capitalism, measured by indicators designed by and for capitalist societies. Why should we then be so concerned with growth as such from the viewpoint of a socialist (or #postcapitalist) society? The degrowth position is that it mesmerizes and captivates individual and social imaginaries, political movements, parties, and projects, including that of socialism: “Growth is the child of capitalism, but the child outdid the parent, with the pursuit of growth surviving the abolition of capitalist relations in socialist countries.”

"The transplantation of growth from its capitalist historical context into a socialist future, and thereby the problematization of growth as such—which supposedly transcends social relations upon which societies are founded—can be justified only under one condition: if all growth, regardless of the underlying relations of humans to both humans and nonhuman natures, can be seen as homogeneous, or at least alike to a significant degree. This is precisely what Giorgos Kallis puts forward: 'socialist growth cannot be sustainable, because no economic growth can be #ecologically #sustainable. Growth in the #material standard of living requires growth in the #extraction of materials. This is unavoidably damaging to the environment and ultimately undermines the conditions of production and reproduction.”

"The logical conclusion of this argument is that all human activity involving extraction, transformation, and use of materials—that is, all human reproduction—is in direct conflict with the environment as the former unavoidably damages the latter. This is a reversion to crude materialism founded on the oppositional binary of nature and society. According to Kallis, this conflict becomes #unsustainable if material living standards keep growing. Growth, however, is still understood in its meaning in the capitalist context, representing a process of accumulation.

"The qualitative difference between socialism and capitalism as two distinct modes of production is highly relevant here. The primary function of production under socialism is to provide all citizens with use values to satisfy a universal standard of basic needs (essentials), which determines the length of the necessary working day. This comprises not only shelter, basic food items, clean water supply, health care, education, and accessible public transport, but also child and elder care, parks and recreation, basic cultural and informational services, (possibly) ecological restoration activities, and the like."

Read more:
https://monthlyreview.org/2023/07/01/degrowth-and-socialism-notes-on-some-critical-junctures/

Dreadful tabloid-esque headline writing in the Guardian. They could omit the "studies reveal" for a start, because they aren't 'revealing' anything. At best they're 'confirming'. In any case, the presentation of 100% incontrovertible proof that #ClimateChange is real and that we're at the start of an unfolding catastrophe doesn't make any difference to the climate change deniers. Sadly, it doesn't have much effect on our politicians either. #Unsustainable growth is all they seem to understand.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/nov/18/climate-crisis-to-blame-for-dozens-of-impossible-heatwaves-studies-reveal

“Generative AI is being sold on multiple lies.” – EDWARD ZITRON

✩ The Subprime AI Crisis https://www.wheresyoured.at/subprimeai/

Hat tip: Andrew Spittle #hype #bubble #sustainable #unsustainable #ai #openai #longread

Data center emissions probably 662% higher than big tech claims. Can it keep up the ruse? | Technology | The Guardian

Sir, step away from the cloud!

#technology #environment #unsustainable #ai

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/sep/15/data-center-gas-emissions-tech

"The increasing severity of #wildfires and #drought highlights that reforming #ForestStewardship – taking better care of the forests, including safeguarding #OldGrowthForests – is one of our best hopes to protect communities across B.C.

Harmful #forestry practices like #clearcutting and #unsustainable #IndustrialLogging make extreme heat and wildfires worse. #Clearcuts are #tinderboxes, more prone to creating embers because dead trees and branches dry out in the hot sun and become more #flammable. Tree plantations and improperly tended young forests also increase wildfire risk: Younger trees have thinner bark and low-hanging branches that can act as ladder fuels, and the trees are often planted too close together, making it easy for fire to spread.

Fortunately, intact and properly managed #forests are more resilient to the worsening wildfires and heatwaves. For example, #OldGrowth #rainforests have dense canopies which provide cooling shade that resists fire. They are cooler and wetter than young forests, acting as giant sponges. Old-growth trees in the drier interior have thick bark, high branches and are widely spaced which all reduce #WildfireRisk.