Proposition

[Ronnie Lipschutz]

All,

I have been pondering--as I am sure many of you have, as well--what the impacts of the pandemic might tell us about a broader social strategy for moving toward a more sustainable civilization (I don't want to seem too opportunistic in all of this, but see below).

What we have known in the abstract is now being revealed in its materiality: the dependence of modern economies on consumer consumption (65-70%+) is significantly a means of recirculating (not redistributing) money from leisure-based activities from higher- to lower-income members of society.  For example, the vast numbers of people employed in the food service industry (restaurants, cafes, etc.) are paid only by virtue of those who purchase food and drink in or from such establishments.  Ultimately, as well, automation of both service and white-collar work (including educators) might well undermine this circle of (what?) compensation, as even higher-income classes are made "redundant" (polite British term for being laid off).

This suggests it may be necessary to look more closely at basic income programs in the future, especially if consumption does not return to its pre-pandemic levels.

At the same time, we have also seen a considerable reduction in various forms of pollution, auto traffic and other environmental impacts (although not as much as the IPCC tells use is required), which seems to confirm the hunch that responding to climate change will require significant reductions in consumption and economies (and "green growth" from a much lower baseline). 

There has been a considerable amount of commentary on capitalism and the coronavirus and, I imagine, a lot about sustainability and the environment after the pandemic.  But, like this email, most of it is very much spur of the moment and not terribly analytical or deep.  Since most of us are at home--and teaching, caring for children, etc.--this might also be an opportunity to collaborate on a book or series of publications about "lessons for the future."  I'd suggest many articles of 2,500 words rather than fewer at 10,000.

Might there be interest (and time) among you to propose and prepare a contribution to such a project? 

I hope you and your families are all well.

Best,

Ronnie Lipschutz

--

Ronnie D. Lipschutz, Professor of Politics
UC Santa Cruz,1156 High St. Santa Cruz, CA  95064

e-mail: rli...@ucsc.edu; phone: 831-459-3275; web site: http://tinyurl.com/zeatctr

Codirector, Sustainable Systems Research Foundation

Host, "Sustainability Now!" every other Sunday on KSQD 90.7FM & KSQD.org

(archived at: https://sustainablesystemsfoundation.org/sustainability-now-broadcasts-on-ksqd-90-7-fm-ksqd-org/

"I have to die. If it is now, well, then, I die now; if later, then now I will take my lunch, since the hour for lunch has arrived — and dying I will tend to later.”  --Epictetus--

[Rafael Friedmann]

Ronnie—totally with you…. Time to think deeply what a future economy might look like, what political structures will be required to move in that direction… including for example either giving the WHO or creating an institution for civilization resiliency/sustainability that has the resources and more importantly, the worldwide political standing to take actions over national political institutions… e.g., for example upon identifying a foci of a potential pandemic—shutting down/isolating an area or country/ies completely—and having $ to support the ongoing livelihood in that area until the pandemic is averted.

 

Rafael

 

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[Juliann Allison]

I too would be interested in contributing to such an endeavor. I love the idea of a global governance "body" devoted to resiliency and conditionally empowered to implement and enforce necessary resolutions, but it would be a hard sell politically among those who persist in seeing the Covid-19 pandemic as a plot to empower "world government." But it's early yet in this crisis. Could it be the one that, finally, engenders. 

~ Juliann 

Juliann Emmons Allison

Associate Professor, Gender & Sexuality Studies 

Director, Sustainability Studies Major

Most Recent Publication: "Closing the renewable energy gender gap in the United State and Canada: The role of women's professional networking. Energy Research and Social Science 55 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.03.011

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[Olivia Bina]

Dear Ronnie,

Thank you. The possibility of compiling short 2000 word lessons (and I would add 'questions') for the future would help us all get our head around the fast moving cris(e)s and potential solutions.

I'd be intrigued to look at the diverse perspectives arising in the media, and what they show about our (in)capability to think in interdisciplinary manner

Best wishes,

Olivia 

Olivia Bina 
Principal Researcher ICS-ULisboa

Recent:  'Focus on Deep Drivers' (on the Earth Charter) | 'Beyond techno-utopia and its discontents: on the role of utopianism and speculative fiction in shaping alternatives to the smart city imaginary, in: Futures  | INTREPID Knowledge (Final Report of COST Action TD1408) | ''What motivates researchers to become transdisciplinary' in: Integration and Implementation Insights' & full paper Who is doing inter- and transdisciplinary research, and why? An empirical study of motivations, attitudes, skills, and behaviours, in: Futures

Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Lisboa
Avenida Prof. Aníbal Bettencourt, Nº 9 1600-189 LISBOA - PORTUGAL
T: (351) 21 7804758   F: (351) 217940274
E: bi...@ics.ulisboa.pt   Skype: oliviabina  My web page and Urban Transitions Hub

[Dana R Fisher]

Interesting questions!  You might find interesting (and potentially useful) Andrew Jorgenson and my recent piece on the Anthroshift in Sociological Theory.  Although written before the pandemic, it certainly applies here.  A free pdf is available here:  https://www.asanet.org/ending-stalemate-toward-theory-anthro-shift 

I hope everyone is staying safe!

Dana 

---

Dana R. Fisher, Ph.D.

New Book: AMERICAN RESISTANCE 

Director, Program for Society and the Environment

Professor of Sociology, University of Maryland

2112 Parren Mitchell Art-Sociology Building 

3834 Campus Drive

College Park, MD  20742

drfi...@umd.edu / phone: 301-405-6469 

www.drfisher.umd.edu 

@Fisher_DanaR
pronouns: She/Her

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[jps...@gmail.com]

Interesting proposition for sure. Just a question: I'm always wondering why we all keep talking about climate change in the future tense. It seems to me that as its happening right now, action should be right now, no?

Thanks

JP

Le 20-04-05 à 13 h 51, 'Ronnie Lipschutz' via gep-ed a écrit :

[Hannah Teicher]

Definitely worth pursuing. It seems to me there’s a lot of commentary that suggests the response to Covid is some kind of model for sustainability without taking seriously the downsides of working from home and the loss of community from physical distancing – so I’d be interested in looking at that further. I would suggest the real lessons go back to the need for long term planning and a managed transition.

Best,

Hannah

 

 

Hannah M. Teicher M.Arch. PhD

Acting Associate Director +

Researcher in Residence, Built Environment

Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions

pics.uvic.ca

E: pic...@uvic.ca

M: 250.634.0670

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[Juliann Allison]

Hello again, 

  While I am overjoyed by the clear skies, reduced consumption/frugality in some sectors, etc., the prodigious increase in waste (end to reusables--cups, bags, etc.--PPEs, mail order packaging, etc.) and skepticism about the virtues of density are concerning. I'd be interested in developing ongoing conversations, ideas for engaging communities in post-pandemic planning, and reflection exercises as well as scholarly research and publication possibilities. 

~Juliann 

Juliann Emmons Allison

Associate Professor, Gender & Sexuality Studies 

Director, Sustainability Studies Major

Most Recent Publication: "Closing the renewable energy gender gap in the United State and Canada: The role of women's professional networking. Energy Research and Social Science 55 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.03.011

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/gep-ed/DBE185F8-A70F-44E3-8CDA-67192AB5E7EE%40gmail.com.

[Beth Mendenhall]

I think there's something to be written about the 'flag of convenience' system, and maybe about the relationship between port states and flag states - especially with regard to the issue of cruise ships with sick passengers being allowed into port, and the debate over whether the non-US flagged, but US based cruise industry should receive stimulus funds. The pandemic illuminates pre-existing issues. It's not directly about sustainability, but the 'flags of convenience' system makes governance of ships more challenging in general, including with regard to environmental laws.

--

Elizabeth Mendenhall
Assistant Professor
University of Rhode Island
elizabeth-mendenhall.com

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Check out my recent publications on marine plastic debris, island-building, and nuclear-armed submarines.

[Benjamin William Cashore]

Hi all,

 

Interesting thread including Olivia’s  point about diverse perspectives on COVID.

 

In this regard I thought this might be of interest – Steven Bernstein and I wrote a piece that came out in Global Policy today on different approaches to COVID-19 management.

 

https://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/07/04/2020/why-experts-disagree-how-manage-covid-19-four-problem-conceptions-not-one

 

This piece applies a four problem types framework we originally developed to assess how applied policy analysis techniques create different cognitive frames for thinking about, and offering solutions for, the climate and biodiversity crises.

 

 

Best

 

Ben

 

 

From: <gep...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Dana R Fisher <drfi...@umd.edu>
Reply to: "drfi...@umd.edu" <drfi...@umd.edu>
Date: Monday, 6 April 2020 at 4:02 AM
To: "oli...@gmail.com" <oli...@gmail.com>
Cc: "rli...@ucsc.edu" <rli...@ucsc.edu>, GEPED <gep...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [gep-ed] Proposition

 

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