DOCSLIB.ORG

Front Matter

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Front Matter Americans and Climate Change Americans and Climate Americans and Climate Change Closing the Gap Between Science and Action Americans and “The Conference brought together the best and the brightest from key sectors to listen, learn and work together. Most importantly, it gave us an opportunity to come up with clear and specific action for taking on one of the biggest challenges of our time.” james e. rogers, chairman and ceo, cinergy corp. Climate Change “A major recommendation to emerge from the breakthrough dialogue described here is that global warming must now be viewed fundamentally as a moral and spiritual issue. This will change the nature of the debate, and draw in believers of all faiths, particularly evangelical Christians, who have hereto- Closing the Gap Between Science and Action fore regarded it as an “environmental” matter only. The 86 leaders who recently signed the “Evangelical Climate Initiative” agree with this basic assumption. That some religious leaders disagree only makes this report more significant. If one reads and studies these pages, the inescapable conclusion is that we A Synthesis of Insights and Recommendations must all come together as Americans to act in responsible ways to solve this crisis.” from the 2005 Yale F&ES Conference on Climate Change reverend richard cizik, vice president of government affairs, national association of evangelicals “This conference, unlike most, was able to combine both the clarification of a macro challenge and the key action steps needed to help resolve that challenge with its complex overlay of political, scientific, and attitudinal dimensions. One thing stands out: the stakes on climate change are simply too high for us to continue approaching it as a partisan issue. Republicans and Democrats need to get together on Daniel R. Abbasi this as Americans above all. Read this insightful report and let’s get started.” richard b. wirthlin, chief strategist to president ronald reagan; founder, wirthlin worldwide With a Foreword by James Gustave Speth Daniel R. Abbasi Daniel R. “The world desperately needs to know what we scientists are learning from our research endeavors. We can no longer afford to talk principally to each other, in a language understandable only to us. This illuminating report arose from a path-breaking conference and outlines concrete steps that will help scientists better explain the real-life implications of our research on climate change to decision-makers and the public so that needed action can be taken — and not a moment too soon.” dr. jane lubchenco, valley professor of marine biology and distinguished professor of zoology, oregon state university; former president, american association for the advancement of science “This report makes clear that the science is now in: global warming is for real. Climate change cannot be understood or responsibly dealt with if either science or environmental concerns are politicized.” Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies & Environmental School of Forestry Yale congressman james a. leach (r-ia), u.s. house of representatives “Addressing the global threat of climate change requires more than just scientific consensus. This conference allowed the time and resources for exactly the type of meeting of industry, government, and civil society leaders that is needed if we are to move past talking about this growing threat, and start taking action. Quite frankly, the future of our economy and our way of life depend on it.” mindy s. lubber, president, ceres “This important contribution reflects a unique coalition-building effort. What emerged was a wide recognition of the opportunities that would result for the United States and the world if only our government would lead and recognize the reality of global climate change.” timothy e. wirth, president, united nations foundation and better world fund, former u.s. senator (d-co) “A fresh approach to the complex and often-controversial issue of global climate change — a collabora- tive effort, united by a simple, straightforward goal, namely to get things done. Daniel Abbasi does a skillful job of weaving together divergent views — those of science, business, government, and the media — so that a framework for change begins to take shape. A wonderfully put together book.” eileen claussen, president, pew center on global climate change www.yale.edu/environment/publications yale school of forestry & environmental studies Americans and Climate Change Closing the Gap Between Science and Action A Synthesis of Insights and Recommendations from the 2005 Yale F&ES Conference on Climate Change Daniel R. Abbasi With a Foreword by James Gustave Speth yale school of forestry & environmental studies publication series Title Americans and Climate Change: Closing the Gap between Science and Action Volume author Daniel R. Abbasi Book design Peter W. Johnson and Maura Gianakos, YaleRIS Cover design Maura Gianakos, YaleRIS Cover image The image on the cover is a snapshot from a climate simulation model that runs from 1920-2080. The model is being run by harnessing desktop computers around the world at climateprediction.net, a collaborative project of the University of Oxford, the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and others. Used with permission. To participate in the model using your desktop computer, go to: www.climateprediction.net Page layout Dorothy Scott, North Branford, CT Print on demand Yale Reprographics and Imaging Services (RIS) Publication series Jane Coppock editor Paper Mohawk Creme 30% recycled To obtain copies This book is available as a free downloadable pdf at www.yale.edu/environment/publications. Hard copies may be ordered at the same website. The opinions, findings, and interpretations of research contained in this volume are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect positions of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies or participants in the conference described in this volume. Permission is granted to reproduce material in this volume without prior written consent so long as proper attribution is made. To learn more about how you can participate in implementation of the full set of 39 recommendations, please visit: http://environment.yale.edu/climate. ISBN 0-9707882-4-X @ 2006 Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are con- fronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked and dejected with a lost opportunity. The ‘tide in the affairs of men’ does not remain at the flood; it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is deaf to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residue of numerous civilizations are writ- ten the pathetic words: ‘Too late....’” — Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Table of Contents acknowledgements 1 foreword 5 James Gustave Speth executive summary 9 part i: matching up to the perfect problem 15 Introduction 17 Scientific Disconnects 24 From Science to Values 39 Packaging Climate Change as an Energy Issue 49 Incentives 54 Diffusion of Responsibility 68 The Affliction of Partisanship 74 Setting Goals 80 Leveraging the Social Sciences 97 part ii: diagnoses and recommendations 105 Science 107 News Media 121 Religion & Ethics 131 Politics 141 Entertainment & Advertising 155 Education 165 Business & Finance 175 Environmentalists & Civil Society 187 summary list of conference 197 recommendations list of conference participants 203 about the author 211 acknowledgements 1 Acknowledgements Reverend and former Congressman Bob Edgar brought the house down at our Conference in Aspen when he recited the arresting Martin Luther King, Jr. quote that opens this report. But what was remarkable about our Conference was that nearly everyone there brought the house down at some point – in their unique ways. Whether through quiet moments of candor, piercing insights about dynamics in our society or intense debates, our remarkable participants delivered on the challenging mandate set before them. Therefore our first and most important acknowledgement here is of that special group of Americans who joined us in Aspen. We thank them for their inspiring and successful modeling of the kind of dialogue our society needs to have more of, at all levels, on climate change and many other high-stakes issues facing our country and world – and for their ongoing contributions to implementing the action recommendations they devised. Special thanks are due to our keynote speakers, who delivered inspiring remarks that illuminated the dynamics we were exploring in the Conference and also challenged the participants to work even harder to get at robust answers. Not only did they provide thoughtful speeches, they also stayed to engage thoroughly in the working group dialogues: Al Gore, John Kerry, Jim Leach and Jim Rogers. I express my profound thanks to Gus Speth, the Dean of our School, who has brought extraordinary vision to everything he’s done throughout his remarkable career of leadership on issues of environment and development – and continued that record in our collaboration on this Conference. Working with him on this and other endeavors is a professional and personal privilege. Without him, this Conference and the broader Yale “science-to-action” collaborative that has emerged from it would not have been possible. Ellen Susman, Susan Crown and Marne Obernauer
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Toward a New Consciousness: Values to Sustain Human and Natural Communities Anthony A
    Yale University EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale Forestry & Environmental Studies Publications School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Series 2008 Toward a New Consciousness: Values to Sustain Human and Natural Communities Anthony A. Leiserowitz Lisa O. Fernandez Follow this and additional works at: https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/fes-pubs Part of the Natural Resources and Conservation Commons Recommended Citation Leiserowitz, Anthony A. and Fernandez, Lisa O., "Toward a New Consciousness: Values to Sustain Human and Natural Communities" (2008). Forestry & Environmental Studies Publications Series. 4. https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/fes-pubs/4 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale. It has been accepted for inclusion in Forestry & Environmental Studies Publications Series by an authorized administrator of EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Toward a New Consciousness: Values to Sustain Human and Natural Communities A Synthesis of Insights and Recommendations from the 2007 Yale F&ES Conference Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies publication series 205 Prospect Street Anthony A. Leiserowitz and Lisa O. Fernandez New, Haven Connecticut 06511 With a Foreword by James Gustave Speth USA and an Afterword by Stephen R. Kellert www.yale.edu/environment/publications yale school of forestry & environmental studies Toward a New Consciousness: Values to Sustain Human and Natural Communities A Synthesis of Insights and Recommendations from the 2007 Yale F&ES Conference Anthony A. Leiserowitz and Lisa O.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloads of Center Publications Jordan United States Kenya 2 Documentaries Produced by the Center
    University of Massachusetts Boston ScholarWorks at UMass Boston Center for Governance and Sustainability Center for Governance and Sustainability Publications 1-1-2013 Activities and Achievements: Progress Report 2011-2013 Center for Governance and Sustainability, University of Massachusetts Boston Maria Ivanova University of Massachusetts Boston, [email protected] Craig Murphy University of Massachusetts Boston, [email protected] James Gustave Speth Vermont Law School Christiana Figueres UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgs_pubs Part of the Defense and Security Studies Commons, Education Policy Commons, Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Law Commons, National Security Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Public Administration Commons, Public Policy Commons, and the Sustainability Commons Recommended Citation Center for Governance and Sustainability, University of Massachusetts Boston; Ivanova, Maria; Murphy, Craig; Speth, James Gustave; Figueres, Christiana; and Odingo, Alice, "Activities and Achievements: Progress Report 2011-2013" (2013). Center for Governance and Sustainability Publications. Paper 2. http://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgs_pubs/2 This Research Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Governance and Sustainability at ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. It has been accepted for inclusion in Center for Governance and Sustainability Publications by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at UMass Boston. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Authors Center for Governance and Sustainability, University of Massachusetts Boston; Maria Ivanova; Craig Murphy; James Gustave Speth; Christiana Figueres; and Alice Odingo This research report is available at ScholarWorks at UMass Boston: http://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgs_pubs/2 Activities and Achievements Progress Report 2011-2013 CENTER FOR GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY JOHN W.
    [Show full text]
  • Excerpted from James Gustav Speth, America, Rising to Its Dream (Forthcoming, Yale U.P., Fall 2012) * How Can We Gauge What
    !"#$%&'$()*%+,)-.,$/)01/'.2)3&$'45))!"#$%&'()*%+%,-)./)01+)2$#'")34/$15&/"%,-()6'7#)89:9()4'77);<=;>)) 6) 7+8)#.9)8$):.1:$)84.')4./)4.&&$9$()'+)1/);9)'4$)&./')*$8)($#.($/).9() 84$%$)8$)/'.9()'+(.<=)>9$)8.<)'+).9/8$%)'4;/)?1$/';+9);/)'+)@++A).')4+8)8$) #+,&.%$)8;'4)+'4$%)#+19'%;$/);9)A$<).%$./B)3+)@$'C/)@++A).').):%+1&)+*).(2.9#$() ($,+#%.#;$/DD'4$)#+19'%;$/)+*)'4$)>%:.9;E.';+9)*+%)!#+9+,;#)F++&$%.';+9).9() G$2$@+&,$9'),;91/)'4$)*+%,$%)3+2;$')H@+#)#+19'%;$/5)I$";#+5)J1%A$<5)K+%$.5) L#[email protected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
    [Show full text]
  • A Law of the Ecological Commons?
    Chapter 14 THE FUTURE OF INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: A LAW OF THE ECOLOGICAL COMMONS? __________ Humankind’s modern history is tragically marked by the squandering of nonrenewable resources, the wanton killing of precious life species, and the overall contamination and degradation of delicate ecosystems. So severe have these ecological misbehaviors become, indeed, that, alone and together, they now threaten Planet Earth to a degree unprecedented since the dinosaurs. You have read some about these matters in our preceding chapters—in Chapter 5 (species depletion) and Chapter 6 (climate change) especially. This concluding chapter, the work of independent commons scholar David Bollier of a Amherst, Massachusetts in cooperation with Burns Weston, is in direct response to this dire predicament. Premised on the belief that the environment, from local to global, will go only from bad to disastrous so long as we continue to do humankind’s business as usual, it presupposes the urgent need for a fundamental shift in our manner of ecological governance. The time is long past due for us to move away from the flawed premises of neoliberal economics and its legal and political warrants that privilege the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade, and relatively unregulated markets to the virtual exclusion of environmental and social justice concerns. Now brought “face to face with stark, discomfiting images of a non-future,”b it is time for an ecological governance paradigm that, in the words of James Gustave Speth, insists upon “a revitalization of politics through direct citizen participation in governance, through decentralization of decision making, and through a powerful sense of global citizenship, interdependence, and shared responsibility.”c Many astute observers are coming to the same Final chapter in the Third edition of International Environment Law and World Order, edited by Professors Jonathan C.
    [Show full text]
  • Systemic Crisis and Systemic Change in the United States in the 21St Century
    Systemic Crisis and Systemic Change in the United States in the 21st Century The challenge of mounting an adequate response to climate Framing the change has to be understood within the context of the larger systemic crisis facing the United States. The perpetuation of challenges of generalized austerity and the continued reliance on traditional— a next system and manifestly insufficient—policy solutions which do not address the underlying drivers of inequality, poverty, and ecological after fossil fuels overshoot is especially wrongheaded given the historically unprecedented productive capacity our nation enjoys, and the September 2016 growing consensus on the fundamentals of post-scarcity monetary theory. As the ecological rift widens, we must recognize the Gar Alperovitz, incompatibility of core features of the current corporate capitalist James Gustave Speth, system with a sustainable, just, and equitable future. We identify Ted Howard, five key problematic drivers embedded in the current system— and Joe Guinan namely, the growth imperative; the centrality of consumerism; the reliance on extractivism; the dominant role played by corporations; and the weakening of democratic political control. Furthermore, the pronounced US tendency towards extremely unsustainable spatial patterns of development exacerbates these ecological and economic problems. Thus, there is an urgent need for a “next system”—a pluralist vision of a new economy centered around the values lacking in the current system. Such a vision can draw upon a myriad of local experiments in democratized ownership, community control, and revitalized local economies—a base of practical experience in new “laboratories of democracy” that can help clarify the contours of larger scale solutions.
    [Show full text]
  • Declaration of James Gustave Speth in Support of Plaintiffs' Response In
    Case 6:15-cv-01517-TC Document 298 Filed 06/28/18 Page 1 of 35 JULIA A. OLSON (OR Bar 062230) ANDREA K. RODGERS (OR Bar 041029) [email protected] [email protected] Wild Earth Advocates Law Offices of Andrea K. Rodgers 1216 Lincoln Street 3026 NW Esplanade Eugene, OR 97401 Seattle, WA 98117 Tel: (415) 786-4825 Tel: (206) 696-2851 PHILIP L. GREGORY (pro hac vice) [email protected] Gregory Law Group 1250 Godetia Drive Redwood City, CA 94062 Tel: (650) 278-2957 Attorneys for Plaintiffs UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF OREGON KELSEY CASCADIA ROSE JULIANA; Case No.: 6:15-cv-01517-TC XIUHTEZCATL TONATIUH M., through his Guardian Tamara Roske-Martinez; et al., Plaintiffs, DECLARATION OF JAMES GUSTAVE “Gus” SPETH in Support of Plaintiffs’ v. Response in Opposition to Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; DONALD TRUMP, in his official capacity as President of the United States; et al., Defendants. Declaration of James Gustave Speth in Support of Plaintiffs’ Response in 1 Opposition to Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment Case 6:15-cv-01517-TC Document 298 Filed 06/28/18 Page 2 of 35 I, James Gustave “Gus” Speth, hereby declare and if called upon would testify as follows: 1. I make and offer this declaration in my capacity as an expert, retained by Plaintiffs, on issues relating to this matter. MY BACKGROUND 2. I am a U.S. citizen, and am a retired Professor of Law at the Vermont Law School and a senior fellow at Vermont Law School, the Democracy Collaborative, and the Tellus Institute.
    [Show full text]
  • Gus Speth Grads Radical Departure from the Environ­ Mental Movement’S Strategy As He Urges Americans to Rethink Our Very Way of Life
    42 43 yale law report winter 2009 the green issue Nations Development Programme, the principal arm of the United Nations for Calling for Transformative Change funding and coordination of interna- James Gustave Speth ’69 tional assistance for development. Dean, Yale School of Forestry & Since 1999, Speth has been at the Environmental Studies School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, where he now serves as the Carl W. Knobloch, Jr. Dean and Sara As a boy in the rural South Carolina low endowed and well-respected environ- Shallenberger Brown Professor in the country, James Gustave “Gus” Speth mental organization. After nrdc, as the Practice of Environmental Policy. He is grew up hunting, fishing, and swim- principal White House adviser to the author of several books, including ming the Edisto River. Each summer President Carter on environmental most recently, The Bridge at the Edge of the he visited his grandparents on Lake affairs, Speth was responsible for the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Junaluska in the North Carolina development and coordination of the Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability and mountains. The year he turned thirteen, Speth arrived for his summer in the mountains to find the lake wiped out— dead—due to a major pollution incident. Working within this system alone In Speth’s words, “That did it.” The death of that lake propelled is not going to solve the problem ... Yale Law School counts among its graduates Speth toward a lifetime devoted to Green environmental advocacy. Now, with What we really need is transformative a great number of leaders in the environmental arena.
    [Show full text]
  • Foreword Chapter 1. Failing Governance, Unsustainable Planet
    Notes Foreword 1. James Madison, “The Federalist No. 51: The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments,” Independent Journal, 6 February 1788. 2. Nicholas Stern, The Economics of Climate Change: The Stern Review (Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2006), p. xviii. 3. Nicholas Berggruen and Nathan Gardels, Intelligent Governance for the 21st Century (Cambridge, U.K.: Polity Press, 2012); David Runciman, The Confidence Trap (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2013), pp. 318–20. 4. John Platt, “What We Must Do,” Science, 28 November 1969, pp. 115–21. 5. Lisa-ann Gershwin, Stung! On Jellyfish Blooms and the Future of the Ocean (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013); Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis, Contribution of IPCC Working Group I (Cambridge, U.K.: 2013). 6. Adam Hochschild, Bury the Chains (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005). 7. U. Thara Srinivasan et al., “The Debt of Nations and Distribution of Ecological Impacts from Human Activi- ties,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 105, no. 5 (2008), pp. 1,768–73. 8. John Stuart Mill, Principles of Political Economy (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1848/1940), pp. 746–51. 9. Kenneth E. Boulding, “The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth,” presented at the Sixth Resources for the Future Forum on Environmental Quality in a Growing Economy, Washington, DC, 8 March 1966. 10. White House Council on Environmental Quality, “Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change,” Executive Order (Washington, DC: November 2013). 11. Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation (Boston: Beacon, 1967/1944), p.
    [Show full text]
  • Panel of Experts the Wellbeing Project
    Local Wellbeing Index Development: Panel of Experts The Wellbeing Project Panel of Experts has been assembled by RAND Corporation, in partnership with the New Economics Foundation (nef), to draw upon the deep knowledge base of leading researchers from various disciplines to inform and advise development of the framework for the first Local Wellbeing Index. Anita Chandra, DrPH, is the lead representative from RAND’s Behavioral and Policy Sciences Department, working in collaboration with Saamah Abdallah, Senior Researcher with nef’s Centre for Well-Being. About the Panel Saamah Abdallah – New Economics Foundation Saamah is Senior Researcher at the Centre for Well-being, where he has worked since its foundation in 2006. Saamah leads the Centre’s analytical and measurement work, including work on indicator and indicator sets such as the Happy Planet Index, National Accounts of Well-being, and the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare. Other recent projects include a report based on analysis of the European Quality of Life Survey, advising Eurostat on measures of quality of life and well-being, and BRAINPOoL - an EU funded project looking at the opportunities and barriers to Beyond GDP indicators being used in policy making. Saamah is a member of Eurostat’s Quality of Life Expert Group, and the UK Office for National Statistics’ Technical Advisory Group on Wellbeing. Saamah is particularly interested in how the science of well-being can inform research into pro-environmental behaviour and value change, and a more sustainable economy. Saamah has an academic background in the natural sciences, having graduated from the University of Cambridge in Experimental Psychology, and having worked for two years as a research assistant, in Cambridge and at the University of Barcelona.
    [Show full text]
  • Bill Mckibben As Journalist, Public Intellectual and Activist
    Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy Discussion Paper Series #D-78, March 2013 Nature’s Prophet: Bill McKibben as Journalist, Public Intellectual and Activist By Matthew C. Nisbet Shorenstein Fellow, Fall 2012 School of Communication and the Center for Social Media American University Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. INTRODUCTION Over the past two decades, a unique class of journalist and public intellectual has gained prominence. Rather than straight reporting, these “knowledge journalists” specialize in the translation of complex subjects, often championing specific policy positions or causes. As public intellectuals, they tend to view the world deductively, immersing themselves in the synthesis of complex areas of research, offering analysis across cases and events. Through their best-selling books and commentary, they influence how we think and talk, infusing the abstract with meaning, and turning the complex into a common vocabulary. Yet, they are also criticized for their characterization of uncertainty, for imposing their point-of-view, for lacking specialized credentials, for reducing explanations to a single idea, theory, or field; and often, for blurring the lines between journalism and activism. Knowledge journalists in popular discussion remain loosely identified as celebrity authors who trade in big ideas, coin trends, drive book sales, and inspire movements. Leading contemporary examples include The New York Times’ columnist David Brooks (author of The Social Animal),1 CNN/Time magazine’s Fareed Zakaria (The Post American World),2 The Nation’s Naomi Klein (The Shock Doctrine),3 and University of California journalism professor Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma).4 Yet despite their prominence, little to no scholarship has been done on the nature of their work or their influence.
    [Show full text]
  • James Gustave Speth © As Delivered. a New American Environmentalism
    James Gustave Speth © As delivered. A New American Environmentalism and the New Economy James Gustave Speth Senior Fellow, Demos and Professor of Law, Vermont Law School (7/2010) The 10th Annual John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture National Council for Science and the Environment Washington, D.C. January 21, 2010 I’m both pleased and honored to have been asked by NCSE to give this 10th Annual John H. Chafee Memorial Lecture. I knew John personally and had the opportunity to work with him during his long and distinguished service on the Senate Environment Committee. He was a wonderful person and a great Senator. I wish we had a dozen John Chafees in the Senate today. And I want also to acknowledge the ever-more important role NCSE has played in our national life. Many of you are familiar with its contributions, including this blockbuster conference, but you may not know of its leadership in creating and supporting a council of deans and directors of America’s environmental schools. I know that that initiative meant a lot to us at Yale. And let me especially join in celebrating the achievements of the remarkable Herman Daly, a profound thinker, a generous soul, and a great wit. Herman launched us into considering the steady state economy and led in the creation of the now highly-productive field of ecological economics. We owe him a great debt for all he has done. To begin, I would like to invite you to join me in a journey of the imagination. I want you to join me in visiting a world very different from the one we have today.
    [Show full text]
  • The Joyful Economy
    The Joyful Economy A Next System Possibility1 By James Gustave Speth Introduction In his 1976 book, The Joyless Economy, Tibor Scitovsky saw environmental neglect and other problems as results of a very American pattern of “putting the earning of money ahead of the enjoyment of life.”2 Four decades later, his observation remains valid. In this essay, I will explore the transition from a Joyless Economy to a Joyful one. In the Joyful Economy, the goal of economic life is to sustain, nourish, and restore human and natural com- munities, so that the material and non-material blessings of life are available to all. It is a new system of political economy that gives true and honest priority not to profit, production, and yst w s em p e s n s o l s a s i s b o i l p o it r ie s & p power but rather to people, place, and planet. Its watchword is caring—caring for each other, for the natural world, and for the future. I will argue that promoting the transition to such a new political economy should be the central task of a new environmentalism. To guide us, we desperately need a new American Dream—a dream of an Amer- ica where the pursuit of happiness is sought not in more getting and spend- ing but in the growth of human solidarity, devoted friendship, and meaningful accomplishment; where the average person is empowered to achieve his or her human potential; where the benefits of economic activity are widely and equita- bly shared; where democracy and civic participation flourish at all levels; where the environment is sustained for current and future generations; and, where the virtues of simple living, community self-reliance, good fellowship, and respect for nature predominate.
    [Show full text]