Around 35 people attended Simon's stimulating talk.
Simon explained that we are already using 1.5 times the Earth's
resources to maintain our current economic lifestyle. However all
the world's economies are advocating growth economics as the way
ahead. With an average growth forecast by traditional economists of
2.5% pa, the world's economy will double in 28 years and will be
consuming resources of 3 Earths. This sort of exponential growth
clearly cannot continue for ever and we are already seeing signs
that growth is stagnating in many of the world's developed
economies such as the UK, Spain, Italy, Greece etc. perhaps the
economists have the theory wrong ? Simon put forward lots of ideas
and ways that economies could work in a sustainable way. The New Economics Foundation has many
resources. Finally he told us of his work with ACT (Alliance
for Change Today) founded by Charles Secrett where a manifesto for
a new economics will be put before all MP candidates for the 2015
election.
See Simon's presentation, notes and reading list.
Following the talk , we broke into groups to discuss what we
could do locally. Some of the ideas are:-
1.Support all local cooperative community groups such as the
Community Bookshop and the Credit Union who were represented at the
talk.
2.Community owned energy generation
3. Produce a leaflet explaining the new economics in simple
terms.
4. Encourage Mid Devon District Council to continue with their
green policies. Where appropriate devise a local plan as part of
the Council's planning policy.
5. Sustainable Crediton to continue with its local transition
efforts.
6. Pass on Simon's presentation
7. Individuals to join ACT.
8. Use and encourage the free economy such as Freecycle
9. Really reinforce the positives Crediton has.
10. Switch your savings and bank accounts to ethical banks and
investments such as Co-op bank, Triodos bank, Credit Unions .
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A talk by Simon Tytherleigh of Bradninch Climate Action
Both the desirability and possibility of never ending growth
goes unquestioned in mainstream economics. It's odd, because the
world would be a very strange place if the same was applied in
nature. For example, from birth until around six weeks old, a hamster
doubles its weight each week. If, it didn't stop and continued
doubling each week, on its first birthday, you would be looking
after a very hungry nine billion-tonne pet hamster.
During Simon's talk we will look at climate change , economics
and see if there are better ways to run the world's economies
without destroying our planet.
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