stephenhinton

Does AI “get” peace? Listen to the AI generated podcast before you make up your mind.

Development of AI tools is progressing at breakneck speed. One tool we have tried is Google’s NotebookLM. The tool works as the name suggests, you create a “page” of a notebook about a specific subject, and load up “sources” of information about the subject. Sources are pdfs, web pages, etc.

Pattern language is useful in communicating alternatives that work.

Pattern language is a concept that describes a structured method of solving recurring problems in a specific context by using standardized solutions, or “patterns.” Each pattern is a tried-and-tested solution to a common issue that can be reused across different situations, forming a “language” of solutions.

All over the world, alternatives to the fossil-addicted way of living are up and running. However, these alternatives are rarely featured or communicated as they are drowned out by predominant paradigm of industrial capitalism.

Real Capital Framework: a deep dive podcast

For those readers who have followed the articles in the category Multi Capital and its focus on Real Capital, you’ll have probably seen me attempting to get to a framework with which to create decision basis for policy. A decision basis that does not rely on economic information alone.

Time for banks to join the sustainability transformation

When we think about buying a home, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? For most of us, it’s the price. How much does the house cost? How much can I afford? Will it be a good investment in the long run?

But what if we shifted our focus slightly? What if, instead of getting caught up in bidding wars and paying far above the asking price, we thought about how we could actually invest in the house itself? And we’re not talking about expensive countertops or high-end appliances. We’re talking about investing in the home’s environmental performance.

What is a municipality to do? Abandon “progress” would be a reasonable strategy.

Does a good life entail pursuing progress? As a local politician my focus is turning to adapting society to extreme weather. And a supportive, inclusive culture. Kindness is good for a feeling of well-being.

As a local politician I’ve been involved in dialogue around strategy for 2025. The process will result in a plan to be agreed in September this year (2024) for next year. My group is responsible for the built environment – in Sweden the municipality has a monopoly on built environment planning as well as domestic waste, which brings great responsibility with it. Faced with the fact that warnings from the IPCC have gone unheeded, (use of fossil fuels has increased year on year) we concluded that our #1 priority is to prepare for the consequences of 1.5 degrees. Ideas on pursuing “progress” seem so last century. But how do you put a management system in place to achieve preparedness? How do you ensure a place is good one to live in? Can we have prosperity as our aim?

A deep dive into the Swedish transport system’s chances of defossilizing.

A look at the passenger miles produced in the Swedish transport system reveals some interesting statistics. When you add the CO2 emissions per transport type you get even more interesting insights.

The graph below comes from the transport statistics authority for transport within Sweden. And the nature protection agency.

In terms of CO2 emissions, the one transport type that dominates is the one that produces a greater proportion of emissions than the proportion of passenger miles. The reverse is true of rail transport. It produces the second largest number of passenger miles and a miniscule proportion of emissions.

What does this mean for policy? Just looking at the diagram, if you want to reduce CO2 fast, then policy must be aimed at the private combustion engine car. And using the advantage of rail. Where rail cannot be used, the bus is much better than the private car.

The sea results are interesting. Boat transport is very effective, but we are looking at the ferry system included in the figures. It may well be that we need to investigate further as ferries take cars as well.

The graph would have looked different for the 1950s. The chart below shows what has happened to transport in Sweden since then: it’s been automobiled! Swedes are using the same amount of rail and bus travel as they did in the 50s – and the population has grown from 7 million to 10.5 million!

Sweden went rapidly from a rail, bus and other transport method society (MC, moped, walking, cycling) to a nation whose transport method was predominantly by car.

Maybe there is clue to how Sweden can defossilize in this, and it will have to do with building a society where people don’t actually need to take the car. How did it work in the 1950’s? I can’t believe life was that harsh. This is definitely a line to investigate more.

Some things spring to mind: towns had a lot more local shops. And people did not work all hours, so they could use public transport with routes that coincided with work hours. Or, if they worked shift, they lived close to their work.

Of course, people will feel badly hurt if their car is taken away, this needs careful planning! What could you offer instead? How about a green transition basic income with a free electric taxi card topped up to say 10,000 kms a year?

Do put your ideas in the comments section.

How to use Real Capital and its valuation to inform policy

Link here to the full briefing on Research Gate

The table above gives an example of how to use Real Capital accounting to clarify policy. Policy is an asset, liability is shortfall and equity is performance against policy. Find more explanations in the video and briefing.

Is it possible to present information in a rational way, to policy makers, that does not need financial information to be useful to policy makers? Could scientists do this without becoming economists? In an era where scientific advancements shape our understanding of the world, the gap between science and politics remains a significant challenge. This divide often results in politicians struggling to effectively process scientific information and translate it into sound policy decisions – leaving it to economists.

The video explains the main content of the methodology brieifing

Applying Real Capital to the Circular Firm

Several thinkers (including, for example, Boyd 2020 and Hazel Henderson) have suggested that the concept of real capital – or multi-capital – be introduced into the political economy to aid decision-making at policy level as well at corporate level. This may overcome one of the failings of standard economics: Policy makers often rely on economists to provide their decision bases. However, one of the failings of standard economics when preparing decision bases for policy makers, is that anything that cannot be valued in money is seen to have no value or little value. The Earth does not send a bill for the use of its atoms so the stewardship of the material world is left out. Without a comprehensive valuation framework, policy makers and strategists are likely to miss the full picture by just relying on monetary values and make decisions that could be detrimental to society, counter to the intentions of the policy.

This article gives a general explanation of the category of real capital that is built capital, and how to use its valuation in preparing decision bases. The Real Capital approach gives a more robust decision basis, helping identify long term investment needs and policy that steers investment and activities to avoid capital degeneration and promote capital regeneration.

Peace Starts with You: the Peace Education Program online

From the Academy of Investors in Peace, in cooperation with the Prem Rawat Foundation, comes an online version of the Peace Education program.

Investors in Peace, where I am helping out, are continually developing, to encourage more people to do more for peace – for themselves, each other, the Earth and future generations. It all starts with inner peace.

Not degrowth, but economic maturity

Economic growth sounds great! But as with all growth you have to ask yourself what it will look like when it’s fully grown. So too with the “economy”. I’m not talking about the monetary system that produces tokens and circulates these tokens around between citizens, companies, governments and back. I’m talking about the arrangement for keeping a roof over your head, food on your table and a load of other essential services.