Key points from an event by Extinction Rebellion UK: XR has designated de-escalators who scan the crowd and empathize with the individuals that make up the crowd. XR is nonviolent, but our tactics, even down to the tone we sing songs in, can become aggressive by causing harm to people without us wanting to. We … Continue reading XR allows anyone to join if they agree with the values – so how do our actions stay nonviolent?
Category: Environmentalism
When farmers are terrorists and Greta gets charged with conspiracy for tweeting: Law as storytelling
The ongoing farm protests pose an incredible study for sociology of law and the anthropology of the state. While reading the following chronology, note the role of how physical presence is regulated, how events in different spaces affect each other (Twitter) of interpretations of the *purpose* of legislation, and of how government institutions have reacted, … Continue reading When farmers are terrorists and Greta gets charged with conspiracy for tweeting: Law as storytelling
Nachhaltiges Norderstedt – Klimaneutral bis 2025 statt 2040?
Das Ziel der norddeutschen Stadt Norderstedt ist es, bis 2040 klimaneutral zu sein. Das liegt unter dem Bundesdurchschnitt (2050), und Norderstedt ist sehr stolz auf dieses pro-Klima Image und gewinnt gerne viele Preise. 2040 reicht natürlich bei Weitem nicht, und die Organisation Extinction Rebellion spricht sich für ein 2025 Ziel aus. Nur mit einem strikten … Continue reading Nachhaltiges Norderstedt – Klimaneutral bis 2025 statt 2040?
Voice Messages from Friends: Bhaavya on the Disappearance of Indigenous Knowledge in Cotton Farming
In the series 'Voice Messages from Friends', I type down and edit for clarity (with permission) the voice messages friends have sent me explaining to me topics they are passionate about. Bhaavya is the founder of IROIRO, a zero-waste fashion brand with a circular economy model. IROIRO up-cycles discarded cotton shreds from textile companies. Bhaavya … Continue reading Voice Messages from Friends: Bhaavya on the Disappearance of Indigenous Knowledge in Cotton Farming
Snap Out of It, You’re Not Actually Thinking Outside of the Box
Climate change, poverty and inequality are not symptoms of humanity – instead, they are symptoms of our current system of organizing ourselves. For decades, economists could only think in terms of “GDP growth” – strategies regarding improving human livelihoods may have differed vastly across political camps, but all groups agreed: Growth is a must and cannot be compromised. Today, economists are slowly starting to imagine economic prosperity to be possible without GDP growth. At this point, the whole underpinnings of society might have to be overturned, everything we think must be taken for granted. But how does one even learn how to think outside of the outside of the box? That is the question.
Die Alternativen sind da!
Ein paar Gedanken über die Klimabewegung … nur werden sie nicht umgesetzt, weil bestimmte Firmen großes Lobbying betreiben, um ihre Gewinne nicht zu verlieren, und weil sogar einige Präsidenten und Regierungen auch ihr Interesse daran haben, internationale Firmen im Land zu behalten. Wie einer meiner Professoren, Dr. Paul Behrens, einmal sagte (frei zitiert): „Wir haben … Continue reading Die Alternativen sind da!
How to Prevent Conflicts over Resources through your Lifestyle
The single most effective way to reduce our tendency to buy products that fuel civil wars and fights over livelihoods is to combat our general consumerism. The tendency to spend on leisure products and indulge on items that are not actually essential leads us to buy whatever is offered to us and to prefer cheap items over ethical ones. I personally urge governments to act and impose restrictions on the available products in shop and incentivize a lifestyle that is long overdue. Until then, it seems to be left up to us to act according to the urgency that is required.