Ecology and the Nature of Progress

Over the past 150 years, post-industrial societies have generally been marked by rising standards of living, longer lifespans with improved health and welfare, and ever increasing economic production. However, this so-called progress has also been attended by a commensurate depletion and degradation of the natural environment. This unsustainable trend of rampant consumption has a tragic trajectory on a finite planet, particularly as global population continues to grow and people in developing nations strive for higher standards of living. It has been said that climate change is the defining issue of our time but, really, it just signals a much larger sustainability problem, which we must confront.

“Overpopulation, combined with overconsumption, is the elephant in the room”

— Paul Ehrlich [1]

Great Books

The expression “you are what you eat” known to many a child applies to more than just food; to borrow a phrase from Jefferson Airplane's “White Rabbit”: feed your head! These may not be the greatest literary works of history but the following books have had a significant influence on me. [more...]

Sustainability

Our way of living in this industrial-consumerist society is no longer sustainable; indeed, it never was. Yet, it has never so clearly been at risk, threatened with a perfect storm of global issues, most notably unbridled population growth, environmental deterioration and climate change amongst others. These and related matters are, primarily, the motivation for and intended motif of this blog. [more...]

Out of the Shadows

Welcome to the Blogosphere! No, not you, me. Oh, I've been online since before the the Internet was a household word but for most of that time I've lurked and when I did participate, it was usually anonymously or using a pseudonym. It might have been that, as an information security expert, I was sensitive to matters of personal privacy or maybe it was just that I thought I had nothing significant to say. But now there are some issues on which I feel I need to add my voice. [more...]