THE ANTHROPOCENE

The Anthropocene

A Changed Planet by Jan Zalasiewicz, Martin J. Head, Colin N. Waters, Simon Turner, Mark Williams, John R. McNeill, Jaia Syvitski, Anthony Barnosky, Naomi Oreskes, and Peter Haff Anthropocene: when atmospheric chemist and Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen spontaneously coined the term during a meeting of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme at Cuernavaca, Mexico in 2000, a … Continue reading The Anthropocene

Overshoot and the Incredible Shrinking Planet

A Many-Faceted Problem by William E Rees, PhD, FRSC Setting the conceptual stage Let's start with a thought experiment. Suppose you and your close family and friends, perhaps 150 people in all, were confined to an isolated island - let's call it Esperanza - characterized by landscapes and soils that were representative of average arable … Continue reading Overshoot and the Incredible Shrinking Planet

Modest Proposals for an Ecological Economy

A New Paradigm is Needed by Joshua Farley, Professor, University of Vermont Economists in general want to improve human welfare. Mainstream economists claim welfare improvements are best achieved by maximizing the monetary value of what we consume. This requires allocating raw materials to the production of goods and services with the greatest value, then apportioning … Continue reading Modest Proposals for an Ecological Economy

Wellbeing and the Psychology of Consuming Less

What Are We Being Sold by Natasha Parker Since Veblen's1 observations in the 1890's that the leisure classes consumed conspicuously to impress their peers, consumption has become a culturally dominant means of seeking happiness, success, and the good life. But amid the current backdrop of the climate and ecological crisis, reducing individual consumption is going … Continue reading Wellbeing and the Psychology of Consuming Less