Exoteric environmentalism

Beautiful and informative- ‘Water in the...

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:56:37 +0100

Beautiful and informative- ‘Water in the Anthropocene’

Two interrelated weblinks caught my eye on social media this...

Fri, 10 May 2013 13:04:47 +0100

Two interrelated weblinks caught my eye on social media this week- Time magazine’s ‘Timelapse’, which integrates Google Maps’ satellite imagery over the last 30 years- and the piece ‘When Earth is Scarred Forever’ by i09 (linked to via the ever insightful Stockholm Resilience Centre).

Both highlight an array of images from our planet, in which human development and its impacts (from resource extraction, agricultural land use change, urbanisation, etc) can be seen in pretty significant, and dramatic, manifestations. Combining the two tools, and searching for some of the i09 examples using the Timelapse application, unearths (an appropriate term, considering the mining theme…) some quite remarkable examples of human generated global physical environmental impacts resulting from our recent, and ongoing, exploitation of the planet on an industrial scale in the era of the ‘anthropocene’.

Image- Mirny Mine, Russia: via aforementioned i09 article.

Landscapes of colour on Earth Day

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 22:27:21 +0100

Landscapes of colour on Earth Day

porridgeofknowledge: Loch Dunmore, just north of Pitlochry,...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:17:53 +0100

porridgeofknowledge:

Loch Dunmore, just north of Pitlochry, Scotland

interconnectednomad: thisbigcity: inrng: Infographic from...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:13:00 +0100

interconnectednomad:

thisbigcity:

inrng:

Infographic from Lonely Planet travel guide to the Netherlands.

Basically the Dutch love bikes.

I’ve read something I quite like that demonstrates the extent to which cycling is integrated into the Dutch cultural psyche- they have 2 distinct terms for ‘cyclists’. As I understand it there are:

Fietser- which is generally the persona of the everyday cyclist who uses their bike for getting around, for fun, doesn’t wear any specialist clothing, etc. (As the graphic shows- this is vast majority of the population riding about on city bikes.)

Wielrenner- (wheel runner) which is a cyclist who undertakes the activity as a sporting pursuit- road racing, track cycling, cyclo-cross, etc- and therefore probably wears adapted clothing, uses a specialist bike, undertakes specific training.

Like in the UK, where pretty much most people would probably describe themselves as a ‘pedestrian’ (at least at times)- less people might call themselves a ‘walker’ (or hiker/trekker/rambler). We acknowledge that many of us regularly perform the action of ‘walking’ to get about our environments in our everyday lives- but less of us would say we undertake the activity as a specialist recreational or sporting pursuit.

It seems that as the concept of people cycling in the Netherlands is so mainstream, the Dutch understand that while pretty much everyone is a ‘fietser’, less people are ‘wielrenners’. In fact, some people might swap between these personae depending on the cycling activity they are undertaking- and is a sign of ‘focal vocabulary’ (as per the ‘Eskimo words for snow’ adage)- acknowledging the range within a common concept or issue in a culture.

Photo

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 18:27:15 +0100

Reacting to risk ‘Six months ago, scientists were jailed...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 14:28:42 +0100

Reacting to risk

‘Six months ago, scientists were jailed for failing to warn of the deadly earthquake that hit L’Aquila, Italy. Now evacuations are issued more readily.’- Photo and article via bbc.co.uk

The (unintended) consequence of this decision last year in Italy has created a perverse situation. What has a greater detrimental impact on someone/society’s lifestyle? The actual risk of something happening, or the perception of risk that it might have an impact?

Understanding, and making decisions based on this, will be an increasingly relevant issue for both wider society, and individuals, as problems of environmental degradation, climate change, resource scarcity and population growth combine in the future to create new/increased risks to humanity and the planet- with the impacts and consequences communicated through technology.

Not to undermine them as issues- because they are relevant and have/will have a real impact on people’s lives- but these problems are far greater/more substantial than the ones which dominate our politics on a daily basis.

Maybe too great- to either talk about, or to make decisions on…

Circles of sustainability Sources (clockwise from top...

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:44:00 +0100

Circles of sustainability

Sources (clockwise from top left):

Planetary Boundaries model- Stockholm Resilience Centre

Doughnut model of social and planetary boundaries- Oxfam

6 Sustainable Development Goals- via Stockholm Resilience Centre

Sustainable Economy Framework- Forum for the Future

porridgeofknowledge: Visual.ly via Treehugger

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:31:49 +0100

porridgeofknowledge:

Visual.ly via Treehugger

porridgeofknowledge: Beating the opposition and the traffic by...

Sun, 24 Mar 2013 13:36:00 +0000

porridgeofknowledge:

Beating the opposition and the traffic by bike

With the city traffic making her fear she would not make it to her match on time, Serena Williams took the decision to jump on a bike to get to her tie at the Miami Masters tennis tournament- subsequently going on to win her match easily.

Afterwards she said “Riding to the match was probably one of my best memories ever.”

That’s from a 15 times tennis Grand Slam winner.

Any more advocacy needed for cycling as one of the most appropriate forms of personal transport in 21st century cities?

Photo and story via bbc.co.uk

porridgeofknowledge: I’m sad to hear that the famous author...

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 18:02:09 +0000

porridgeofknowledge:

I’m sad to hear that the famous author Chinua Achebe has died- but writers, particularly ones who have such wide sociological impact as he, live on through the influence of their literature. ‘Things Fall Apart’, ‘Home and Exile’ and ‘Hope and Impediments’ are all great works that give an alternative perspective of Africa, and life generally, than the Eurocentric mindset that dominates western society.

Issues which are as relevant now, including to tackle ongoing challenges we face in areas such global poverty and environmental degradation, as when they were published.

Photo source and obituary via bbc.co.uk

Is this really progress? What image do we want for the future of...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:59:00 +0000

Is this really progress?

What image do we want for the future of our towns and cities- cars or children?

These images, as well as some more quite emotive picture comparisons depicting how many urban streets in Wales have changed from being safe places for children to play, interact, and grow- to be dominated by cars and traffic- are contained in the article How children lost out to cars in the battle for space on our streets by Walesonline.co.uk.

Identified via Copenhagenize.com

This links to numerous other posts I’ve written on these themes- including:

Negative externalities of urban car culture

Health impacts of air pollution

Significant drops in UK children travelling to school alone

thisbigcity: These graphs all say pretty much the same thing....

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:29:11 +0000

thisbigcity:

These graphs all say pretty much the same thing. We’ve got a car-use problem in our cities. More in our latest post.

porridgeofknowledge: Global Carbon Footprint- total emissions...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:30:31 +0000

porridgeofknowledge:

Global Carbon Footprint- total emissions by nations: via Sustainable Cities Collective

‘We need stories that replace that linear narrative of...

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:54:00 +0000

‘We need stories that replace that linear narrative of endless growth with circular narratives that remind us that what goes around comes around. That this is our only home. There is no escape hatch. Call it karma, call it physics, action and reaction, call it precaution- the principle that reminds us that life is too precious to be risked for any profit.’

Excellent TED talk from Naomi Klein, filmed in December 2010, connecting the themes of environmental degradation, our reckless approach to risk in relation to nature, and the need for us to move from an economic mindset of limitless growth and unfettered consumption to one of precaution and prudence- appreciating the interconnection between the unrelenting impacts, and inescapable dependency, of humanity on the natural environment.

Photo

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:48:52 +0000

This quote from Gustavo Petro, the Mayor of Bogotá in Colombia,...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:48:00 +0000

This quote from Gustavo Petro, the Mayor of Bogotá in Colombia, has been popular on social media recently- and captures the essence of a pressing need for a change in our car-centric attitudes and approach to global urban mobility.

As I have alluded to in this previous post, vehicle emissions are a major contributor to air quality problems, and consequently a range of health issues, in urban centres across both developed, and developing, nations. Furthermore, road accidents are increasingly becoming one of the leading killers in developing countries, and globally it is an issue that particularly afflicts young people ’with road traffic injuries now the single biggest source of fatality among 10- to 24-year-olds worldwide’.

These issues (namely air quality and road deaths) are only a few of the wider negative externalities associated with global transport/mobility systems which have become increasingly based on motorised transport- and, in particular, individual car ownership and use which accounts for such a huge proportion of it. There are many others- carbon emissions, the social impact on cities and communities, security of supply of oil…

A shift from a situation where individuals rely on a motor vehicle, and the increasing costs and negative impacts that it entails (both borne individually, and by society more generally), to fulfil their basic lifestyle needs- to one where a fit-for-purpose public transport system (including, crucially, walking and cycling at its core) allows the vast majority of people to achieve their mobility requirements, is a universal need for all societies around the world.

The ‘Planetary Boundary’ model- which sets a...

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 22:13:08 +0000

The ‘Planetary Boundary’ model- which sets a framework bringing together a number of specific ‘earth system processes’, and judges to what extent we are using these within, or beyond, safe limits- is a concept I have referred to on a number of occasions in this blog (including in the post from last year Combining Inclusive Wealth and Planetary Boundaries).

The approach has continued to gather attention and interest, and the Guardian’s excellent Sustainable Business website has recently provided a really useful podcast bringing together the concept’s ‘architect’ Johan Rockstrom, from the Stockholm Resilience Centre, Oxfam’s Kate Raworth, and Gail Whiteman from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). It explains the model, from a number of perspectives, and is a really useful listen…

"We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our..."

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:06:00 +0000

“We will respond to the threat of climate change, knowing that the failure to do so would betray our children and future generations. Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, and crippling drought, and more powerful storms.”

- Barack Obama, 2013 U.S. Presidential inaugural address, 21/01/13 (via porridgeofknowledge)

Outdoor Air Pollution Mapped by City

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:40:20 +0000

worldbank:

Which cities have the worst air pollution? Which have the cleanest air? Find out in this interactive map by The Guardian, which plots the latest World Health Organization data on outdoor air pollution worldwide.

Click on the dots to find out how polluted the air is in any given city. How does your city’s air quality compare to others? Tell us in the comments below.