Category: Sustainability
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Better But Sadly Not Perfect
Can we become more sustainable as we grow the economy? This hope of ‘green growth’ is appealing but to some it seems too good to be true. As I’m relatively optimistic about our chances of doing better socially and environmentally while also growing the economy it is helpful to read more downbeat views. A paper…
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The Positive Power Of The Sun
One story that isn’t getting enough attention is how much progress has been made by solar power. Bill McKibben’s most recent book — Here Comes The Sun — tells an upbeat tale of how we can harness the positive power of the sun. To be clear, when I talk of the positive power of The…
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Growth Can Come From Climate Action
The Stern Report (2006) was a milestone in the UK’s action against climate change. Commissioned by the Labour government at the time they, and their immediate Conservative successors, took much of report’s advice to fight climate change. And they gave the economist author a peerage — he is now Lord Stern — but that is…
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The Benefits And Limitations Of Business
I am positive about the impact that business can have on the world. Business already does some useful things and could do much more. That said, sometimes people think too much of the power of business, for good or ill. We should think through the benefits and limitations of business when it comes to sustainable…
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Development And Sustainability
The world is a complex place. Countries all have their own histories, and these have intersected in the past creating some positive and other, often more noticeable, negative interactions. These feed into modern discussions. People in richer countries forget that it wasn’t always the way it is now. Sometimes they romanticize poverty in a way…
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Understanding The World
Hans Rosling was truly admirable. He started as a doctor but moved to being a public figure who worked on driving greater understand of the world, especially related to health. His Gapminder Institute has some excellent resources for teaching. Indeed, they are useful for everyone whether you are in education or not. His aim was…
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The Problem Of Moral Licensing
If we do one thing that we think is good, does that make us more likely to do a bad thing next time? The logic being that we have earned moral credit in the bank, so we don’t need to be as good next time to retain our self concept as a decent person. There…
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Wonderful Progress Brings New Challenges
Today I’m discussing a book about possibly the most amazing progress achieved by the human race. A series of battles against sickening infectious diseases have been waged, and the outcome has been incredible. Success hasn’t been evenly distributed; health outcomes are very obviously still not equitable across the world. Still, success has been very real.…
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Learn About Business Before Discussing Business
Businesspeople can often think they know more about the world than they do. CEOs share their barely coherent thoughts on current affairs. It is annoying. People involved in sustainability are right to be irritated when they hear such nonsense. Yet, the opposite is also true. If you don’t know anything about business, it is not…
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Teaching About Climate Change
Teaching about climate change is a significant problem in modern universities. Ahmed Afzaal has a book that addresses university professors who are teaching, in what he calls, our Predicament. The title, Teaching at Twilight, suggested a more downbeat view of the world than I have but that is an excellent reason to read a book.…
