Speth , The Bridge at the edge of the world

1. EVSS 680: Case Studies of Env Issues CofC Fall 2010 Speth, The Bridge at the edge of the world

2. Gandhi advocated the boycott of the machine made European clothing as it caused large scale unemployment in India. He took to making hand-made cloth called Khadi that was inexpensive and suitable for poor Indians. Most importantly, it showed Indians how to be self-reliant. Gandhi worked on his spinning wheel (called Charakha) till his last days, claiming that he felt like he was eating stolen food if he did not work.

3. Progress • “It’s a very recent phenomenon that landscapes to which people were once connected have become smothered by development—growth that we are told is a sign of progress. But is progress truly possible if its wake continually generates loss—loss of connections to place and community, loss of clean air and water, loss of other species who are truly part of our ancestral family tree?” (p. xii)

4. Myth of Progress, Intro • Book Thesis: Challenge to our current “paradigm” that “in order to progress we need to keep growing the economy.” • Paradigm: represents a core belief that dramatically structures our worldview. • Econ growth: predicated on increasing consumption of resources • Econ Development: can occur w/o increasing consumption—encouraged thru value-added activities (p. xvi)

5. Introduction • Book seeks to address both literature on unlimited growth is not sustainable AND complex systems science through chaos theory. 2 Elements of Progress that support Myth of Unlimited Progress • Material “Progress”: indicators are based on GDP • Linear Model of “Progress”: fails to acct for iterative feedback that can change how a complex system behaves.

6. Epilogue: Connection not Consumption • Main Prob: “isolation of people from community, place and reflective practice has become a crisis of culture.” (p109). • As economy & consumption grow, entropy (sys becomes disorganized & simplified as it loses energy) will accelerate. The feedback from this mounting entropy will eventually destabilize and curtail econ growth.” • “with an econ sys that continuously moves away from cooperative integration of efficient, specialized enterprises to huge transnationals that thrive on competitive exclusion, we find a system that grows increasingly wasteful, lacks critical redundancy, and as a result moves toward greater instability.” (p113) • CSA: Community Supported Agriculture  people buy shares in a farm and get all produce as members

7. WesselsVid • Wessels’ Speech (part I) (9m) • Wessels’ Speech (part II)

8. 3 Laws of Sustainability • Limits to growth • 2nd law of thermodynamics  exposes the dangers of increased energy consumption (over simplification and diffusion) • Law of self-organization

9. Myths • 1. Myth of “control” • 2. Myth of Growth • 3. Myth of Energy • 4. Myth of the “free market” • 5. Myth of “Progress”

10. Chaos and Butterflies • Chaos Theory: initial conditions have a deterministic effect on future conditions  complex systems are highly sensitive to initial conditions • Butterfly Effect: slight alterations of starting pt (in a system) can “dramatically alter its future behavior.” (p4) • Runs against predictability of Western scientific paradigm based on linearity and reductionism (breakdown into parts to understand system) (Newton and Descartes) • Today, scientific approach embraces linearity, and culture (through education) perpetuates it

11. Feedbacks in Complex Systems • Because of a complex system’s ability to feedback on itself (contrary to linearity), predictability becomes difficult • A complex system can jump to a ‘new behavior’ from feedbacks  ‘bifurcation event’ Melting Ice becomes a positive feedback to climate system. Reflective ice disappears leaving dark ocean to absorb more heat  adding to temp increase.

12. Wessel’s Myth of Control (#1) • “predictability and control lie at the heart of our reigning notions of progress. Our leaders believe they can control the future by constantly adjusting the parts. Technological advances are touted as the means to control one day those things that we can’t control right now, allowing progress to continue…control is a reality in a linear system, but in a complex one, it’s simply a myth.” (p21)

13. Myth of Growth • “Limits to growth is an inherent law that governs all organisms, populations, ecosystems, and even the biosphere—systems that are all nested within the other” (p31) (so do “earth’s physical systems”)

14. Myth of Energy2nd Law of Thermodynamics • Based on 2nd Law of thermodynamics (Law of Entropy): although energy can’t be created or destroyed (1st law), it can be transformed. • However, this transformation is never 100% efficient (some energy is always lost from system) (p42) • Entropy: process where things naturally move from a state of order toward disorder (or complexity to simplicity) • Every enviro problem today is the result of entropy—caused by increasing energy transformation by humans • E.g. erosion of topsoil or deforestation—entropy leaves behind simpler, more diffused ecosystem • Myth: Progress = More Energy Transformation; however, more energy transformation only leads to more entropy • Solution is to reduce energy consumption, although renewables will help (still energy transformation req’d) and focus on effeciency

15. Wessel’s Continuum

16. Myth of the Free Market • All biological systems increase in complexity and diversity, parts become specialized and integrated—it is the key to sustainability of bio systems (p64) • Higher diversity creates resilience and stability; simplified systems can tumult with loss of a single species. (p77) • Opposite in corp world: Mergers lead to larger orgs (MNCs) and competitive exclusion • US Agriculture: sharp decline in # of farms, limited # of crops, and subsidies (60% subs went to large agribus representing only 10% of US farms—2003) (p78) • Rise of Corp power: corps as persons (law), monopolization, interest group power • Indiv corps grow, simplifying system, with higher concentrations of power  econ sys behaves in contradiction to natural complex systems

17. Myth of Progress • Hierarchy of Progress • Reverse today’s trajectory (all about materialism) • Indivs must be fulfilled (emotional well being) at top, material progress at bottom • More affluent, higher levels of anxiety, depression, and social isolation  focus in on possessions and lifestyle (ephemeral pleasure) • Live longer but less healthy • Indicators of well-being is deteriorating

18. Hierarchy of Progress • Need different measure of material progress  hierarchy of progress with emotional well-being at top, material at bottom • “our task as individuals is to progress in a manner in which our attention, compassion, and empathy grow ever-outward to benefit our communities and society as a whole” (p95) • First, indivs have to reach a state of emotional well-being  become fulfilled • Material progress can foster well-being but it can also erode them if a society becomes too focused • Studies show: More affluence, less contentment

19. Cultural Change = Ancient Values • Large part of prob is individualism & self-absorption Lessons from Ancient cultures: • Reciprocal altruism • Each had a critical role, but knew place within world • Part of land, not apart from it • Reflective practice

20. 10000 Yrs of Cultural Transformation • 2 changes with advent of agriculture • 1. part of land replaced with being apart from it • 2. as villages grew, political hierarchies formed • * resulted in exclusion • With Ind Rev: • Extended families shed for more mobile nuclear ones • Societal changes accelerated, & with greater mobility, connections that grounded people to place were lost • Today (4th cultural transformation) • Global, postindustrial culture  shifts in populations from pol & econ upheavals and changing job mkts • Nuclear family under assault (both parents work) • Major decisions made by trade reps, MNCs, & appt officials

21. Means to true Progress • “We have become the flip side of the coin from Pinacate’s hunter-gatherers. Whereas their life was physically challenging but experientially rich, everyday experience has become physically comfortable and experientially poor for Americans today.” (p109) • E.g. “hollowness of experience” • Conclusion: “Need for real community, traditions that help us find our way, connection to our place, and ample time for reflective practice…without those connections we lose any sense of responsibility for our actions.” • “As such, greed becomes possible and when linked to the need to consume, the combination allows for dramatically selfish behavior.”