From The Simplicity Institute ... Sam Alexander speaks in Castlemaine

What is Degrowth? Envisioning a Prosperous Descent

This is a transcript of my keynote address presented at the ‘Local Lives, Global Matters’ conference in Castlemaine, Victoria, 16-18 October 2015.Other keynote speakers included Rob Hopkins, David Holmgren, and Helena Norberg-Hodge.

Introduction

Thank you for that introduction, Jacinta, good morning everyone. I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of this land and to recognise that these have always been spaces of teaching, learning, sharing, and conversation. It is a real honour to be part of this conversation today.

When I was a boy, if ever I were amongst a group of people congregating at 9am on a Sunday morning it was because I was at Church. For better or for worse, I am now a lapsed, or rather, I should say, a collapsed Catholic, although I remain a seeker. But as I look around the world today, especially from my Western perspective, it seems clear enough that God, if he is not yet dead, as Friedrich Nietzsche declared, is, at least, increasingly absent. There seems to be a tension between our spiritual sensibilities and the cultures and systems within which we live. As the poet-musician, Tom Waits, would shout in the voice of a husky wolf: ‘God’s away on business.’

But the absence of God should not imply an absence of religious thinking in our culture or cultures. In fact, I would argue quite the opposite; that our Western religiosity has become ever more intense in recent decades, and what has happened is that we simply switched idols, no longer worshipping the God of Christianity, and instead worshipping at the alter of growth, singing praises to the God of GDP, our saviour, for only in growth will we find redemption. Our high priests now take the peculiar form of neoclassical economists, bankers, and national treasurers. Daniel Bell once wrote in his landmark text, The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism: ‘Economic growth is the secular religion of advancing industrial nations.’

 The above is from the transcript of Sam Alexander's speech recently given in Castlemaine. 

Sam is the founder of The Simplicity Insitute.  You can read Sam's speech in its entirety here.

Key scientific adviser to Pope Francis, John Schellnhuber : climate scelpticism, how many people can fit on the planet, and can democracy solve this environmental crisis

JOHN SCHELLNHUBER, CLIMATE SCIENTIST

As the pope stakes out a firm position on the issue of climate change, one of his key scientific advisors meets Late Night Live, opening up about climate scepticism, how many people can fit on the planet, and whether democracy can solve this kind of environmental crisis. Please go here to read more and find a recording of interview.

Mapping Refugees and Asylum Seekers - Country of Origin and Country of Destination

REFUGEE AND ASYLUM SEEKER POPULATIONS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AND DESTINATION, 2000-12

By the Migration Policy Institute

The Migration Policy Institute have produced a clickable map showing refugee and asylum seeker populations by country of origin and destination. Data collected is for the period 2000 and 2012.

It works like this:

Based on data from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the map shows countries of origin and destination for two population groups: refugees and asylum seekers. Select a country of origin or destination for refugee or asylum seeker populations. Population bubbles will display over the countries based on estimated population size. The default year for the tool is 2012; by using the slider at the top, the year setting can be changed. Check out a different MPI interactive data tool to examine additional populations of UNHCR concern, including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and Stateless Persons.

UNHCR's Statistical Online Population Database is a work in progress and is updated from time to time; as a result, data in this tool might not always match UNHCR reports. The 2012 data should be considered provisional. For more information on sources, methods, and data considerations in the UNHCR Online Population Database, visit: www.unhcr.org/45c06c662.html.

A useful resource.

View map here: http://goo.gl/MVHdTw

The G20 Summit occurring in Brisbane : voices of the Anglican Communion speak out : message from Philip Freier, Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia & Archbishop of Melbourne

Anglican Communion voices speak out ahead of the G20 summit 

Posted on: November 13, 2014 4:17 PM 

The G20 is a forum for the governments and central bank governors 

from 20 major economies 

Photo Credit: G20 

By ACNS staff

Leading figures from the Anglican Communion are speaking out before and during this weekend’s G20 meeting in Brisbane, Australia, on a range of economic and development issues.

The G20 is a forum for the governments and central bank governors from 20 major economies that are said to account for around 85% of the gross world product, 80% of world trade and two-thirds of the world population.

 On the sidelines of the meeting will be people from countries not all represented in the G20, reminding world leaders that global growth should not come at the expense of the world's poorest people.

(l to r) Tagolyn Kabekabe and Abp Winston Halapua 
Photo Credit: ABM
 The Anglican Board of Mission (ABM) reports that the Archbishop of Polynesia, Winston Halapua is asking the G20 to consider how they might co-operate to minimise the impacts of climate change which are already being felt by people in the Pacific Islands.

The Anglican Alliance Regional facilitator for the Pacific will also be in Brisbane during the event. Tagolyn Kabekabe works with communities in the Solomon Islands who are experiencing the erosion of their homelands, poisoning of their food gardens by salt water and increasing exposure to extreme weather events.

Tagolyn represented the Anglican Communion, in particular those in the Pacific directly affected by climate change, at the C20 meeting – a civil society forum that met in June to feed in to the G20 discussions.

The Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia, Dr Philip Freier, has issued a statement in which he warns global leaders that “failure to address these issues of economic security and justice will lead to more international conflict and reduce the possibility of human flourishing”. [His full statement is below]

ABM's Greg Henderson has been organising opportunities for people in Brisbane to meet Archbishop Winston and Tagolyn Kabekabe. He says that it is important for Australians to recognise that climate change is a justice issue, "because its impact is being felt most seriously by communities who have the least power to address the causes of anthropogenic warming".

According to the G20 website, the meeting's agenda has been built around the key themes of

• promoting stronger economic growth and employment outcomes 
• making the global economy more resilient to deal with future shocks 
• strengthening global institutions to ensure they reflect the new realities of the global economy.

For more about the G20’s priorities visit  

https://www.g20.org/g20_priorities  

Statement by Dr Philip Freier, 

Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia and Archbishop of Melbourne: 

The G20 meeting of the world’s 20 largest economies in Brisbane this weekend takes place in increasingly uncertain times. There are growing fears of global recession, rising international tensions and growing economic inequality between countries and within countries. 

 In the longer term there are vast challenges, such as managing climate change, global population growth and movement, international conflict, food security, water, and potential epidemics. 

It is essential that the countries taking part look beyond their own short-term national interests and seek to address these challenges in a concerted and effective way. I echo Pope Francis, who urged last week that the discussions move beyond declarations of principle to real improvements in the living conditions of poorer families and the reduction of all forms of unacceptable inequality. 

It will require good will and trust on all sides if the G20 summit is to achieve real progress, and it is the nature of international politics that no one wants to go first on such a path. Yet without a clear-sighted optimism, real change will be impossible. 

Failure to address these issues of economic security and justice will lead to more international conflict and reduce the possibility of human flourishing. They cannot be left to fester. The Anglican Church of Australia urges the G20 leaders to search for new and cooperative solutions that can work across the globe. To that end, we offer our support and prayers. 

 +Philip, Primate of the Anglican Church of Australia