Hot, flat and crowded

Thomas Friedman: presentation



LSE presentation


EU from fundation s standpoint

The science of short term thinking

In this podcast we look at how 'short term thinking' affects all aspects of our lives, from our own health right through to global issues like climate change. We explore why people like 'quick wins' and are biased in favour of short term, rather than long term, gains. Chandy Nath from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) and psychology PhD student Laura Haynes talk to behavioural economist Daniel Read, health psychologist Theresa Marteau, neuroscientist Trevor Robbins and Shadow Chancellor for the Liberal Democrats Vince Cable MP, to find out why we behave like this, why we succumb to temptation and what might be the consequences for us and for society.


http://www.parliament.uk/podcastfiles/recordings/BehaviouralEconomics.mp3

Who might be the Henry Ford of low carbon energy and climate solutions

Miriam Horn, co author with Fred Krupp of "Earth: The Sequel", is still bullish on sustainable innovation despite the recent economic downturn. She speculates on who might be the Henry Ford of low carbon energy and climate solutions. In this interview with Celia Canfield, she identifies the attributes of these business leaders as long-term vision, appetite for risk, multi-disciplined, and having the ability to engage with the world. Miriam updates some of the business case studies that were featured in Earth: The Sequel, published in 2008 and is now out in paperback and spawned a Discovery Channel documentary. She also shares some of her new favorite initiatives that she's encountered since the publication of the the book.


http://www.sustainablelifemedia.com/files/media/MiriamHorn1.mp3

System thinking - the basics

holistic thinking is back?



EMERGY - new concept?


System theory by Joanna Macy (deep ecology)

Tragedy of the Commons and Resource Allocation

Life Boat Ethics

The appalling moral dilemmas of the present situation are reflected in the "lifeboat model" of Garrett Hardin. If we have a lifeboat with 20 people in it and enough food for only ten to survive until land is reached and if they all share the food, none will survive, and for every one thrown overboard up to ten, the better the chances the rest will survive. ... The most probable solution, unfortunately, is that the most powerful will survive. If indeed we are in this scenario in the world (and we cannot be sure that we are not), the inference is that the powerful temperate zone will simply let the tropics sink. The abandonment of the European empires may indeed be a prelude to an abandonment of responsibility. Independence might be construed as simply prying the clutching of the old colonies off the gunwale of the lifeboat.

Boulding, 1978

hm, Jellyfish Swarms Threaten Oceans????

The World’s Next Supermodel

Innovation as a Green Strategy: State of Green Business panel discussion

..............Understanding the green consumer is not so easy. Shelton pointed out that innovation usually comes from a deep understanding of consumer needs. But this hasn't been so simple in green. Even at IDEO, where getting inside the consumer's frame of mind is central, Casey explained that the green consumer hasn't been entirely identified. "What is the core green consumer demand?...Paul Hawken says, 'a green consumer is a consumer who doesn't buy anything.'"