Embedded Files
Lectures from a course and conference exploring the fundamental connections of our economic system to the biophysical energy base of our environment. Considering frameworks for thinking about the predicaments of our time, and analysying the geo-political situations that are emerging in our world today.
What's it all about?
What's it all about?
Today we're facing many challenges converging from different directions. On one hand we have environmental degradation, catastrophic oil spills, rising CO2, collapsing fish stocks, and on the other hand we have financial crisis, political unrest, increasing wealth disparity and declining regional towns.
Current economic ideas aren't rooted in the ecological realities of our planet. What can we learn from looking at the whole?
The EEE course and conference explores a new view incorporating thinking across economics, ecology, environment and energy, better to understand our world today.
The Course and Conference
The Course and Conference
In 2013 we decided to gather together a number of ideas and interested people to run a 5 week course to present the ideas in a structured way and discuss them as a group hosted by the Economics faculty at the SPES. The core frameworks aimed to build a view of economics from the fundamentals of thermodynamic and biophysical principles, and show how the environment, material and monetary systems are depent on, and interact with each other. In 2014 we gathered a conference together with some of the leading visiting speakers, John Michael Greer, and Robin de Carteret, and presented the outline of this framework.
We all know our environment is important and we are facing significant challenge. But why does society seem unable to adapt our economic life in response? Can understanding energy and ecology help us see what is really happening in our economic life? How can we respond to the challenges we face in a rational and coherent way?
This interactive course of 5 evenings over a 5 week period discusses the principles of ecology, energy, economics, and finance. It explores new perspectives and frameworks which can integrate our economic world into our environment.
John Michael Greer's blog, “The Archdruid Report” has become one of the most widely cited online resources dealing with the future of industrial society. He brought his practical insight to the question we all ask ourselves: "I'm just one person. How can I make a difference?"
How can we really understand nature? Robin de Carteret, with an MSc in systems thinking from Schumacher College, challenged us to take our understanding beyond the theoretical to experience the principles of living systems through an engaging experiential workshop.
Ecosophic Isles Community
Ecosophic Isles Community
The conference in 2014 was attended by over 100 delegates, many of whom were readers of John Michael Greer's blog, associates of Schumacher College or students of economics and philosophy courses at the SPES. A community of like-minded people, interested in economics, ecology, environment and energy formed an online community called Ecosophic Isles. This continues to be active today.
Page updated
Report abuse