Dagbok från Schumacher College 1

Kanske av intresse för fler att följa diskussioner och föreläsningar på detta sägenomspunna Sustaiability college i södra England!

Tre logementen, en jättefin, jättestor o jättegammal huvudbyggnad, odlingar, labyrint, parker, kompost- o avfallssortering i högre skolan, damm etc, etc. Till sist tändes en lampa och ev volontär kom ut för att göra frukost. Fick litet te och sedan visste hon från en lista vilket rum som var mitt. Packade upp och gjorde mig installerad vid 06.40. Frukost och morgonsamling m de andra.
Sen rullade dagsprogrammet i gång med full kraft. Arbetslag på roterande schema m diverse sysslor.
Mitt lag hade 'cooking', så jag fick en kraftfull lektion i hur man mentalt och andligen skall vara NÄRVARANDE och FÖRUNDRAD! när man lagar mat. Ganska mycket folk rör sig runt på detta relativt lilla ställe; lärare o personal ca 10st, MSc- studenter, som är här för att under ca månader ta en examen i holistic science, ca 6 stycken.
Under denna eg tre-veckorskurs finns det de om går bara innevarande vecka (vi är 5), som går alla tre ca 8, och de som går under två veckor, ca 5st. Därtill kommer fem volontärer och litet lösa kompisgäster, så till maten är vi i runda slängar minst trettiofem pers.

Dagens och de kommande dagarnas huvudföreläsare är Ian Christie och jag känner väl igen hans namn. Han är rådgivare till brittiska regeringen i miljöfrågor samt föreståndare på ett miljöinstitut.

Mycket fin och klok person och bra efterföljande diskussioner.

Från anteckningarna:

Ian Christie, Green Alliance and Centre for Environmental Strategy

After Copenhagen: -WHAT HAPPENED???
People do have multiple perspectives!

America did not make any generous offer. Obama had over inflated expectations on him, but he is not an activist!
He was as radical as he could be….

Mark Lynas said China directed the conference, but others say other things. They both wanted to be spokespersons for dvpt countries and at he same time a superpower that could say NO.
EU was a huge disappointment. Did not even make a 20% decrease to 2020 offer that they were expected to do!
Only one taking about ethics was Cuba and Small Island states. USA: no recognition of historical debt… Every one aiming at the 2° goal which is still a very bad boundary.

No emotional or empatethic aspects were articulated, except from Venezuela, Bolivia and SIS.

In effect the framework is almost exhausted, too much is up to Mexico meeting!

Key word is “trustworthy”! What ever that mean to different people.

SEI: two level- margins to act upon (men for biodiversity it is already too late and for nitrogen it is also too late)

Climate science is unormally fuzzy – it is post-normal “it depends”- sort of science.
"Climate gate" was a tactic mistake more than a scientific mistake.

The debate is very emotional because it touches the sense of identity.

Nothern elite mindset:
• Disbelief in forecasts of ecological disasters
• Ideology of growth, innovation, adaptability
• Disconnection from nature and instrumental view
• Disbelief in all predictions of doom
• Huge personal distance from hot spots nad from people in need
• No penalty no pressure from us

"CC is a conspiracy against America….."

Top -down doesen’t work.
Put pressure on the system
Clumsy institutions can turn their ways to solutions (Ellinor Orstrom’s check list of requirements for sust. management)

Frank Geels: “regimes and niches” against the dominant world view – work out ways to make the niches meet within the system

Michel Thompson:
Individualism / egalitarianism/ fatalism/ hieracy helt olika rationaliteter/världsuppfattningar i ett fyrfältsdiagram I clumsy institution har alla roster hörts ger mer stabilitet.
Både att sprida budskapet om SD och metoderna fysiskt för SD kräver klumpiga “trial and error” strategier.

Avoid collapse it will evoke violence which is disastrous.

Science has to be holistic in the sense not dissolved from values.

Cultural wars & post democracy and low trust is the mental environment that this must be carried out I within.

Reform the process of negotiation!

Varieties of denials: or: the anatomy of denial:

1. Lack of scientific certainty
2. Higher demand on scientific consensus
3. Convenience to be in denial
4. Religious reasons natural world is not sacred salvation is an trancendental thing
5. Authoritarian leadership to which I put my trust
6. Infantilism: authorities/God would never allow it to happen
7. Fluctuations are just normal
8. The world is perfect as it is ment to be, everything is in order by definition/evolution
9. Shere lack of relevant information
10. Fear of apocalypse – It musn’t be true!
11. Laziness
12. Feeling small – too difficult
13. No point in action until we are sure
14. Nature is superflous
15. Others have to change- not me!
16. Masculine mindset
17. Distrust from poor to rich – They are the one who caused it
18. South north
19. Conspiracy
20. Re-election argument
21. Anti scientific evolutionary view
22. Need of dualism
23. Market need oil providers
24. Any one else’s responsibility
25. Time scale “See: cooler this year!” In my childhood I remember…
26. Not in my back yard
27. Not now
28. Keep it abstract
29. Information overload
30. Descentitisation
31. Inverted precautionary principle
32. Virtuality
33. Fear of pears
34. Transpersonal self hatred
35. Total issue that
36. We need CO2 and we need the green house to protect earth
37. Optimism of the human potential
38. Humans cannot possibly have that power on the earthly systems
39. It is already too late
40. rebellious
41. CO2 is invisible
42. status quo bias
43. t b c ....

Identify the driving forces – are they negative or positively formulated?
Not make people feel guilty!
We can all contribute. Peer dependency.
People change in group!

Do not try to win arguments- show new ways instead
Immersion via schools and policy makers new ways of living together.

Idag väntar det bl a utflyktspromenad mitt på dagen. Jag skall själv en annan dag försöka ordna så jag kommer in till grannstaden Totnes, som är en riktig "transition town".