Lordy, the news and commentary on green matters is coming so fast and heavy that I can barely link to it all, much less contribute. (For the love of God, people, stop emailing me interesting stuff!)
Here’s something to chew on: James Kunstler, sick and tired of being accused of doom-mongering without offering solutions, offers a To Do list for the 21st century. It’s a fine summation of the strain of thinking that says we’ll all be forced to make radical lifestyle shifts — technology will not save us. This bit captures it well:
Life in the USA will have to become much more local, and virtually all the activities of everyday life will have to be re-scaled. You can state categorically that any enterprise now supersized is likely to fail — everything from the federal government to big corporations to huge institutions. If you can find a way to do something practical and useful on a smaller scale than it is currently being done, you are likely to have food in your cupboard and people who esteem you. An entire social infrastructure of voluntary associations, co-opted by the narcotic of television, needs to be reconstructed. Local institutions for care of the helpless will have to be organized. Local politics will be much more meaningful as state governments and federal agencies slide into complete impotence. Lots of jobs here for local heroes.
Kunstler is the dark mirror image of Amory Lovins. I imagine most of us fall somewhere in the middle on that continuum. I’ll admit my position on the continuum shifts on an almost daily basis. Give Kunstler points for consistency at least.
