Health

OUR economy is killing us.

Even before the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, rates of healthy life expectancy were falling in Scotland. People living in the poorest areas in the UK were dying younger because of deliberate cuts to social security and public services. Now, each week sees a new headline about the rising tide of destitution. At the same time,Continue reading “OUR economy is killing us.“

THE PARALYSIS OF TRUTH IN PRACTICE

Epistemic vices which nullify epistemic virtues In May 2020, I LIKE TRAINS the Leeds based indie band shared a brand new single, The Truth, which was the first single from their upcoming album, KOMPROMAT. The inspiration behind KOMPROMAT, is a social as well as a conceptual representation of the current and ongoing theme ofContinue reading “THE PARALYSIS OF TRUTH IN PRACTICE”

Transformation with a focus on Human Value

If we are to effect transformative change towards a more sustainable future, then the policies which underpin such change must embrace and place human value at the centre of the economic life of society. Yet the adversarial character of democratic politics tends to focus more on the expectations of change than on a cogent reality.Continue reading “Transformation with a focus on Human Value”

PREFACE TO THE DAS GUPTA REVIEW ON THE ECONOMICS OF BIODIVERSITY

We are facing a global crisis. We are totally dependent upon the natural world. It supplies us with every oxygen-laden breath we take and every mouthful of food we eat. But we are currently damaging it so profoundly that many of its natural systems are now on the verge of breakdown. Every other animal livingContinue reading “PREFACE TO THE DAS GUPTA REVIEW ON THE ECONOMICS OF BIODIVERSITY”

Celebrating the Trees of Derbyshire: their contribution to climate change, flood risk and our mental health.

Guest Blog by Sarah EA Parkin Growing up in the flat lands of the West of England, I enjoyed drawing and painting. My background is in textiles with an MA specialising in Printed Design. A love of nature, wildlife and getting out into the landscape is a thread that runs through my life. Moving toContinue reading “Celebrating the Trees of Derbyshire: their contribution to climate change, flood risk and our mental health.”

ABSURDITY AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRISIS

Albert Camus published his novel, The Plague, in 1947, and there are many similarities with our current response to the pandemic. Camus describes the ineffectiveness of the authorities; the complacency of the citizens in the early days and the challenges and dilemmas forced on individuals. The novel highlights the powerlessness of individuals to affect theirContinue reading “ABSURDITY AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CRISIS”

NEW WAYS of THINKING AND ACTING in the ANTHROPOCENE

Guest Blog by Barry Carney: MSc (Centre for Alternative Technology, UK); Change Agents UK research associate. In the age of the Anthropocene, we urgently need new ways of thinking and acting. Economists are predicting that biophysical limits will determine the post-growth world and, as things stand, this will be characterised by mass migration, profound naturalContinue reading “NEW WAYS of THINKING AND ACTING in the ANTHROPOCENE”

TRANSITIONING FROM THE PANDEMIC: Sound Advice from the OECD

As governments proceed to reduce the lock down measures implemented to contain Covid-19 they are being encouraged to implement a 5-step decision making framework which takes account of longer-term impacts of climate change. We do not need gung-ho business as usual changes which stimulate carbon intensive industrial and consumption growth, knowing only to well thatContinue reading “TRANSITIONING FROM THE PANDEMIC: Sound Advice from the OECD”

Our House is on fire

I have written in an earlier blog about Greta and my links with Sweden and its education system. I have also been honoured to work with Karl Henrik Robert the founder of the Natural Step a framework for sustainability (https://thenaturalstep.org/approach/ ). And, following the 2002 Earth Summit, I worked as a facilitator of an amazingContinue reading “Our House is on fire”

CONTAINING THE CONTAGION

LESSONS LEARNT? Human history is littered with stories of plagues and we are currently facing yet another. This latest one is a respiratory virus, first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which has now infected thousands of Chinese citizens and spread to several other countries. It has been declared a global emergency by theContinue reading “CONTAINING THE CONTAGION”