Understandably, material concerns dominate the policy conversation around sustainability and systemic transformation. Yet at the root level, our crises are created and perpetuated by factors in our psychology and meaning—making. 

From consumerist values to evolutionary impulses that skew our perceptions and political behaviours, these inner dynamics subtly dictate the course of our external world. It’s why Donella Meadows, the lead author of The Limits to Growth, saw this arena of “mindsets” as the “deepest leverage point for change.”

In an age where giving lifts to strangers is mostly advised against, this family sees it as their preferred option to get to India, for environmental and social reasons.

Mr Jones and Ms Ulman do not own a car, have not been overseas in 20 years, and wanted to show their son the world, in the least polluting way possible.

"We've done a lot of travel before on bicycles and hitching and public transport in Australia," Mr Jones said.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/10807072

Australia has one of the lowest rates of people acknowledging that 'climate disruption' is caused by humans

Colour me not suprised

South Australia has been suffering through one of the driest starts to the year on record, leaving little for livestock to graze on in most agricultural regions.  

Wot did I just read..wtf??

We know our planet’s ecosystem is breaking down…much of the destruction is irreparable. So, why haven’t things changed faster?

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/10713443

For denial doesn’t only amount to rejecting the evidence, he argues – it also consists of denying our role in the climate crisis; absolving ourselves through “carbon offsets, hybrid cars, local purchases, recycling”. And in this, far more of us are implicated.

In some ways, this argument might not seem all that new. Multiple authors have pointed out that green capitalism, not rightwing deniers of the crisis, is our greatest obstacle to properly confronting the problem. DeLay agrees. The difference is the lens he brings to it – using psychoanalysis to explain the mechanisms behind denial.

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/10670770

Central to their concerns are how the IPCC predictions rely on a tool called the Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI), which does not capture the full potential of future fires in drought and heatwave conditions.

Bureau of Meteorology senior research scientist Mika Peace and independent study co-author Lachlan McCaw identified several variables missing from the IPCC report's fire predictions under climate change.

The study of New Zealanders' travel habits found that total weekly travel emissions were 79% higher for people in affluent areas compared to those living in lower socio-economic areas.

Olsen said while it is normal for New Zealanders to leave the country, it will be harder to convince people to return, if there are ongoing issues around housing affordability and job prospects.

That ‘brain drain’ could pose problems for society as the population ages, Olsen said.

“We need to have as many young people as we can who are still part of the economy … who are being innovative and bringing their new thinking to the game so we can be more productive,” he said.

“If we are losing our young talent and we’re not able to attract them back it makes all of [that] so much harder.”

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/10459641

Over the past three years ... we've seen an even faster growth rate of accumulation of N2O into the atmosphere, almost 30 per cent faster than the previous decade.