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capitalism
Climate change and capitalism
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I’ve long pushed the view that the so-called “free market” (or capitalism or however you care to slice and dice economics in the US and similar countries) should not be viewed as an end in itself, an all-powerful mystical force to be worshiped, but as a very powerful tool to be utilized as we collectively see fit to meet our collective...[read more]
Naomi Klein is Half Right About Capitalism vs. the Climate
Naomi Klein is always worth reading. If you haven’t seen Capitalism vs. the Climate, go ahead. I’ll wait. Her 10,000-word exposé is well worth the effort. It makes the essential point that addressing climate change means reorganizing how the world does business. Klein makes the point by arguing that the climate-denier crowd at the...[read more]
Planetary Socialism
Yesterday’s New York Times published my op-ed under the somewhat provocative heading “Going Green but Getting Nowhere.” The point, of course, is not to give up, but instead to look for policy solutions that channel market forces in the right direction. Not because the market should be king, but because it all too often is. One of the key...[read more]
Carbon Output "Socialism On A Planetary Scale"
One of the more powerful quotes about the importance of taking nature seriously goes back to Oystein Dahle: “Socialism collapsed because it did not allow the market to tell the economic truth. Capitalism may collapse because it does not allow the market to tell the ecological truth.” It’s made all the more powerful as Mr. Dahle is...[read more]
People's Agreement released following WPCCC in Cochabamba, Bolivia
Today, our Mother Earth is wounded and the future of humanity is in danger. If global warming increases by more than 2 degrees Celsius, a situation that the “Copenhagen Accord” could lead to, there is a 50% probability that the damages caused to our Mother Earth will be completely irreversible. Between 20% and 30% of species would be in...[read more]
Omelets without Eggs / Fuel without Oil
Over at the Freakonomics blog, Steven Dubner hints that we could be in the process of witnessing what Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter called "Creative Destruction."From his post "Don't Throw out Capitalism just yet." The turbulence of the U.S. economy has lots of people railing against capitalism itself, and with good reason:...[read more]
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Scott Edward Anderson is a consultant, blogger, and media commentator who blogs at The Green Skeptic. More »
Christine Hertzog is a consultant, author, and a professional explainer focused on Smart Grid. More »
Gary Hunt Gary is an Executive-in-Residence at Deloitte Investments with extensive experience in the energy & utility industries. More »
Jesse Jenkins is a graduate student and researcher at MIT with expertise in energy technology, policy, and innovation. More »
Jim Pierobon is the former Chief Energy & Correspondent at the Houston Chronicle, a consultant and blogs at TheEnergyFix.com More »
Geoffrey Styles is Managing Director of GSW Strategy Group, LLC and an award-winning blogger. More »
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“Most hydro projects do not just serve as power generation but provide flood defenses and also a more regular irrigation source for the local land. I would go so far as saying the majority of the worlds dams produce electricity as an important byproduct while the flood protection and irrigation are their primary reason to be.”
“I'm afraid that our decision-making systems make any meaningful climate change action pretty much impossible before climate change actually starts having a direct, consistent and clearly attributable negative impact on the lives of a large portion of the electorate. It will probably take many more ppm for this to happen.In the meantime, the best we can do is to prepare for very rapid changes to ...”