Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 4:09 am Post subject: "A Prosperous way down..." Howard T. Odum, et al
A prosperous way down – Principles and Policies - 2001
Howard T. Odum & Elisabeth C. Odum
University press of colorado
If you want a good introduction into topics like, how to change our ecological system, Emergy, the way to go in the future on the grand and little scale.You will learn a lot of new terms on the way like decession, turndown, Emergy and transformity. Go for this book, it’s all about principles and policies on the small, medium and grand scale.
Part I
The first one describes what the book is about, it’s not about less growth but decline. Then there’s a chapter called the present situation, it introduces a bit the views of our ecosystem, climate change from both sides and then it goes into fossil fuels. Then follows a very difficult but useful chapter on around 40-50 views of our present condition and the future (including Campbell, Hubbert, Cook, Thompson, Odum, Tainter, Diamond etc..) It gives a good sample of the books he mentions from all the different views. Soft Landers, Hard Landers, Doomers, Economists, Ecologists, Technofixers etc.. It gives you a good view of what situation we are in and the different views, there oughta be one in which we can identify ourselves
Part II
The second part is about the system principles. Chapter one tells us mainly about energy hierarchy and thus Emergy. Emergy is basicly energy converted into Solar Calories. This is done by looking at the transformity or the measure of energy going from one form to a more concentrated form. The definition of Emergy: Emergy is the available energy of one kind that has to be used up directly and indirectly to make a product of service. By doing this you get the whole ecological picture because when using EROEI you don’t calculate the costs involved in making the oil by the sun. Thus you don’t have the renewable picture of solar panels for instance. According to this calculation solar energy is a net loser when made with present oil guzzling industry. Wind energy is energy positive. You can also look it up in the EROEI tables at http://www.eroei.com. Chapter two describes the pulsing stages of society, growth, climax and transition, Descent, Low energy Restoration. Then there is a chapter about economy and how ecological influences should be added (Emergy). Well it’s all about net-Emergy. The next two chapters are about the organisation of our living space, how we should switch to a different form of input and output and the real problem namely population growth in combination with ecology and economy
Part III
The topic we have been waiting for, how to change our world.. It goes into the unequality of the world’s people, the prospects for renewable technologies based on Emergy calculations, How to sustain a nation, people were to start when going down the descent cliff. How to reorganise our cities, restore our waters. Get the landscape into a nice country again, what to focus on in trasmitting knowledge. And last but not least preparing people and a good summary. This all with very useful examples of principles and policies.
In basic it is quite a tough book to grasp, i definetly need to read it again soon because it is a very compact book with for me lots of new terms. Since i’m not into ecology which i think is a very important and interesting chapter. For instance he suggest to get a class called ecology, environment and economy on all schools. This is a must read i think if you want to learn about descent. Not really practical and it lacks the numbers in the third part but it gives you a very very good view on well... Principles & Policies ofcourse. And the chapter about the books and views is really useful for referencing and seeing how much books were just written in the past about the subject.
Joined: Mar 12, 2007 Posts: 996 Location: As close as I can get to the beginning of the pipe.
Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2008 3:33 pm Post subject: Re: "A Prosperous way down..." Howard T. Odum, et
Book report on the Prosperous Way Down
I was responding to someone’s email, and in the process reread the chapter on “Starting Down” from The Prosperous Way Down (2001), from my favorite theorist, Odum. Maybe it’s no coincidence that this chapter is chapter 13 in the book. Here are some hopeful excerpts. It reads like a road map, and reflects a lot of the discussions in these forums.
Quote:
“Global TV facilitates the rapid resetting of public attitudes caused by people’s shared experiences. Within the time of one generation, we could observe a reversal of attitude so that descent becomes good and 20th century growth ideas become bad.”
I'll be watching for the tipping point, and hoping that these forums can contribute in some way.
Someone should start or bump a thread on the positives that will come out of descent. I’m already seeing some in some of the voluntary simplicity literature.
Quote:
Inflation and the Ratio of Emergy to Money: “Adding money to the circulation when wealth is declining can’t stimulate growth and only causes high rates of inflation….People who don’t understand the changes might keep trying to expand, borrow, and invest in growth unsuccessfully. This would only generate defaulted loans and bankruptcies….When growth of real wealth is limited, new money cannot be added without losing its value. If profits and money cannot accumulate, capitalism can no longer dominate.”
Quote:
Banks: “Loans made in a period without growth are hard to repay. There are more business failures, bankruptcies, and bank closings…When populations decrease or people give up second homes, banks can buy the excess housing and sell to first time home-buyers.”
Quote:
Resource Use and Discount Rate: “According to the discount idea, more money is obtained by harvesting and selling resources now rather than later…Especially in a time of descent, the real wealth systems can hold its monetary value better than bank savings. Environmental systems such as forestry, fisheries, and agriculture generate new wealth continuously…Then it pays to buy real wealth rather than save money in the bank…Bank deposits may also lose value from inflation. Inflation is to be expected if the money in the economy is not reduced as fast as the empower.”
Patience, are you listening?
Quote:
Stocks: “Stocks of companies emphasizing the reorganization and contraction of society could rise in value temporarily…Borrow less and reduce expectations of profit from stock markets.”
Damning with faint praise, here.
Quote:
Reducing Salaries and Wages: “Perhaps the most important descent policy is cutting salaries uniformly….Instead of firing 10 percent of the people, cut everyone’s salary 10%, keeping everyone employed.”
The idea is not compatible with capitalism. I'll be watching to see if this idea can take hold--it would be a bellweather as a shift to some economic system other than capitalism.
Quote:
Reorganization of energy Use: “The auto age will come to an end when alternate needs for the fuels running the personal autos become more important than the time saved by having individual cars... Information centers may be expected to develop more around mountains where hydroelectric power—a renewable resource that costs less because more of the work is done by nature is more abundant.”
_________________ "When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross." --Sinclair Lewis
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