Post Carbon Pathways: Towards a Just and Resilient Post Carbon Future

A new report has been published that draws on in-depth interviews with leading international researchers, policy makers and activists on actions needed to drive the rapid implementation of large scale post carbon economy transition strategies. It is titled "Post Carbon Pathways: Towards a Just and Resilient Post Carbon Future. Learning from leading international post carbon economy researchers and policy makers".

Key messages are:

1. The probability and risks of global warming of four degrees or more are rapidly increasing. This is, however, an argument for visionary leadership and decisive action - not political paralysis and buck-passing.

2. The technological and economic roadmaps showing the actions we need to take to avoid catastrophic global warming are now widely understood. From Germany to California and from the United Kingdom to China the global momentum for implementation of large scale de-carbonisation strategies is rapidly accelerating.

3. The biggest roadblocks preventing implementation of large-scale de-carbonisation strategies at the speed required to prevent runaway climate change are political not technological. The key roadblocks are:

• Climate science denial
• The power of the fossil fuel industry and its allies
• Political paralysis
• Unsustainable consumption of energy and resources
• Path dependencies and outdated infrastructure
• Financial and governance constraints

4. The key actions needed to overcome these political roadblocks are:

• Clear understanding of the necessity and possibility of an emergency speed transition to a just and resilient post-carbon future

• Broad recognition of the potentially enormous social and economic benefits of switching investment from fossil fuels to energy efficiency, renewable energy and carbon sequestration

• Game changing social and technological innovation

• Decisive leadership and skilful implementation by communities, business and government at every level of society.

Free up mental and physical space!

Fredrik Wass and Michael Kazarnowicz have started Crop100 - a cool initiative where they invite people to get rid of 100 products from their daily life during 1-year period and in this way get rid of clatter, free your mind and contribute to sustainable consumption. More information about the project can be found on their blog or from a DN article in Swedish “Gör dig av med 100saker under ett år”.

If you find it hard to find 100 things in your possession that you could get rid of, think about what you would take with you if your house was burning. See what others would take with them on "The burning house blog”.

Get inspired by the story of Graham Hill, whose space is small, but whose life is big.

1986 insights on problems with our consumption levels

Some people are much more insightful about societal problems than us, academics. Check out this fantastic standup routine by George Carlin about the value of 'Stuff' in our lives, which he has done in 1986 long before the problematics of consumption was on anyones agenda in sustainability circles.

A summary of this talk: "Have you noticed that their stuff is shit, and your shit is stuff"...

Alternative Consumption on the Rise

A number of civic movements are emerging that question the premises of the current economic system, that investigate what makes people happy and that offer alternative ways of satisfying people needs. Read more about various examples ranging from the non-shopping trend, to "fix it up" and to collaborative consumption in a blog-post of the WolrdWatch Europe.