Video of Professor Krumdieck answering the question “the largest challenge”
The Professor create the Global Association for Transition Engineering, an academic group to effectively manage the risks of un-sustainable resource use and environmental impacts by implementing changes and adaptations in existing engineered systems
Great analysis from Micheal Robert’s blog on the economic situation in the EU.
Speaking at the close of the G20 summit of world leaders in Brisbane Australia, British Prime Minister David Cameron exclaimed that “red warning lights are flashing on the dashboard of the global economy”, threatening another recession.
Of course, Cameron was not talking about the UK economy, which is going great guns, according to the British government, with six months to go a general election. Instead, he was covering his back, so that if any downturn in the British economy took place it could be blamed on the rest of the world. You see, as Cameron put it in an article for the Guardian, don’t blame me, you lefty liberals. If things go wrong from here, it will be because of the Eurozone that you all like so much. “The Eurozone is teetering on the brink of a possible third recession, with high unemployment, falling growth and the real risk…
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As a Brit living in a country that drives on the other side, I still have a moment of hesitation crossing the road; looking both ways, both sides. I was about to cross the road yesterday to go to a conference on banking, and as I stopped the thought crossed my mind that maybe economists in the mainstream are so used to one way of doing things that they are not looking in the right direction either. I couldn’t shake the feeling something has been missing. Why have the warnings about climate change not changed anything? How are things different now that the IPCC has put its foot down and stated clearly that we need to exit fossil fuel burning and transition to clean, renewable energy? Maybe low inflation is not the answer, but HIGH inflation? Continue reading “Economists: Make sure to look in the right direction”
This matrix divides products and services up depending on energy required to make and run them. What will happen as energy prices rise or fossil fuel becomes scarce? Products that require a lot of energy to make and run will less affordable. These “make once, run expensively” types of products will migrate to the quadrants on the right. The “make once, run cheaply” or “make cheaply, use cheaply” will take over. Continue reading “Embedded energy and the future of product design”
Reproduced from Prof. Aleklett’s blog. He explains the signs that we’re on the edge of a new recession. The reason is the lack of energy to drive the economy. And the lack of demand to drive up oil prices.
(This is the English translation of my article in the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, Fallande oljepris ett tecken på recession)
Since July the price of Brent crude oil has fallen from $113 per barrel to $85.62 (on October 14). Historically we saw a similarly rapid fall in the in the oil price in late 2008 followed by the start of the global recession the year after. In 2008 the fall from July to December was from $140 down to $40 per barrel. At the moment we see no slowing of the price decline and we do not know how low the price will fall.
The fact that increased global energy consumption is a measure of economic growth means that these recent trends are pointing to an economic contraction. Many economists continue to expect that we will recover from the recession of 2009 and, of course, “growth” was also the…
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Gail again proves that actuarial and analytical skills trump journalists in this clear analysis of the situation with the peak of oil production. A must read for all sustainability afficiendos.
On Monday, September 29, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a story called “Why Peak Oil Predictions Haven’t Come True.” The story is written as if there are only two possible outcomes:
It seems to me, though, that a third outcome is not only possible, but is what is actually happening.
3. Diminishing returns from oil limits are already beginning to hit, but the impacts and the expected shape of the down slope are quite different from those forecast by most Peak Oilers.
Area of Confusion
In many people’s way of thinking, the economy is separate from resources and the extraction of those resources. If we believe economists, the economy can grow indefinitely, with or without the use of…
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I am reblogging this post by Dr.Pano Kroko calling for the reform of capitalism. It is high time thought leaders gather to have this conversation. Those of us not fortunate enough to be at the Drucker conference will be with Polly Higgins and Jem Bendell on Mallorca for http://sacredvalleydialogues.org
Oil and other commodity prices have recently been dropping. Is this good news, or bad?
Figure 1. Trend in Commodity Prices since January 2011. Brent spot oil price from EIA; Australian Coal from World Bank Prink Sheet; Food from UN’s FAO.
I would argue that falling commodity prices are bad news. It likely means that the debt bubble which has been holding up the world economy for a very long–since World War II, at least–is failing to expand sufficiently. If the debt bubble collapses, we will be in huge difficulty.
Many people have the impression that falling oil prices mean that the cost of production is falling, and thus that the feared “peak oil” is far in the distance. This is not the correct interpretation, especially when many types of commodities are decreasing in price at the same time. When prices are set in a world market, the big…
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REPORTER AND AUTHOR NAOMI KLEIN RELEASES HER BOOK This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate
Signals: Sooner or later the things we have been ignoring, brushing under the carpet, get named by brave individuals. Once a voice with enough authority and context gives it a name, it has to be dealt with. Naomi Klein, a brilliant reporter and sharp mind does just this in her new book.As she states clearly: Capitalism, since it was unshackled by the deregulation of the 1980s, has widened the gap between rich and poor. The top 3% held 55% of all wealth last year, up from 45% in 1989. The bottom 90% controlled 24.7% of wealth, according to statistics released this month by the Federal Reserve. The book represents a new wave of signals – bringing leaders, policy makers, thinkers and householders to confront cherished beliefs. Continue reading “NEWSLETTER: EVERYTHING IS CHANGED”
Length: 0.5-2 days
Purpose: Using the CANVAS approach teaches participants how to use the canvas to capture understanding of the financial flows in order to create the basis for a business plan
Why attend? Learning to use the CANVAS will give you a good tool to help take your initiative from idea to viable enterprise.
Main contents: The CANVAS method, how to unitize your offerings, finding alternative funding solutions and understanding membership
Includes: How to capture data for Business Plan, Manual and pro-forma business plan in Excel.
Creating a business model in a conventional way is daunting enough. But how can you create a viable financial model for a whole community, sustainable initiative or social enterprise? It IS possible as many initiatives up and running demonstrate, but you need to find a balance between achieving sustainability, creating the operations you want, and balancing the budget. The CANVAS is based on a participatory approach using a large board. The canvas method is designed as a way to work through possibilities to, for example, plug the leaks in your local economy, to grow from your Transition initiative into a Reconomy- initiative social enterprise or to make your Permaculture design into a thriving enterprise.
