Just in case you were wondering, the volcano in Iceland is an anarchist. A fine article from the Reykjavík Grapevine.
And the Horse You Rode In On
A fascinating academic article has been circulating recently, comparing the energy it takes to run a conventional farm with that required on an organic one. If you’re interested in the ‘real’ costs that go into your food, then the cost and benefits of energy use should certainly be high up there. And this study delivers. What makes it particularly good is the resolution of the information – over 1.25 million data points over six years, from the Land Institute’s Sunshine Farm. What they find is that organic farming is more energy efficient than conventional farming, when all variables are taken into account.
Win Win Lose
Melbourne, Australia
An evening with Raj Patel and Bill McKibben.
Join Raj Patel and Bill McKibben as they discuss their latest books The Value of Nothing and Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet.
Date: Tuesday 25 May
Brisbane, Australia
Join two of the leading thinkers and writers on the subject of sustainability as they come together to discuss their new books and the issues that face the planet today. Environmental, economic, social and political problems are approaching crunch time and Raj Patel and Bill McKibbin address these issues each from their own perspective.
Sydney, Australia
The Value of Nothing
Radical new thinking for our survival. Raj Patel has worked for the World Bank, the WTO and the UN, and protested against them all. He speaks to Ross Gittins about how we can change our way of life to save our planet and ourselves.
Sydney, Australia
We Need To Talk About America
Healthcare has been reformed (somewhat), but the United States’ economy is still fragile, the country is embroiled in two wars, and has decided that climate change is just too hard. Why is the “world’s greatest democracy” struggling to lead? American writers Raj Patel, Lionel Shriver, Reza Aslan, Josh Neufeld and Michael Otterman tell Anne Summers about the state of their union.
Sydney, Australia
Too Late to Save?
Our financial system, our food, our climate. The very essence of life and society, each of them suffering perhaps irremediable stress. Raj Patel, Bill McKibben and Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie talk to Michael Sexton about the most critical question of our time.
Sydney, Australia
Politics, Arts and Ecology: where to next for the environment?
The failed 2009 Copenhagen climate talks expose fracture and hopelessness in national and international political systems. Raj Patel, Donna Green and James Arvanitakis talk to Paul Brown about the potential role of the disenfranchised individual, the future of environmental politics, and where the arts sit in ecological debates.
Statistically better than a monkey with a coin
On 7th April, Alan Greenspan appeared before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, to explain what happened. He testified that he “was right 70% of the time and wrong 30% of the time.” That’s great. He spends 70% of his day asleep, eating, pooping, and commuting. It’s hard to screw these things up. Which suggests that the screw-uppy 30% was limited to those parts of the day when he was sitting in front of a desk making monetary policy.