Cognition

Global warming is already affecting Africa. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that, “the effects of climate change are expected to be greatest in developing countries in terms of loss of life and relative effects on investment and economy.”

A landmark study released today reveals that approximately 60 percent of the ecosystem services that support life on Earth – such as fresh water, capture fisheries, air and water regulation, and the regulation of regional climate, natural hazards and pests – are being degraded or used unsustainably. Scientists warn that the harmful consequences of this degradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years.

The building of my clay cottage at the Lynedoch EcoVillage is well underway. Foundations have set, the first few rows of conventional bricks are in place and the clay brickwork has begun....

On the 13 January, the foundations were dug for the first home at the Lynedoch Ecovillage (and it just so happens that it is my home). It will be the first of 42 dwellings in what will become a mixed income residential development designed and built along ecological lines to reduce capital cost, monthly household cost and overall ecological footprint...

"If a path to the better there be, it begins with a full look at the worst."
Thomas Hardy, 1887

As we enter the new millennium, serious questions are being raised about the sustainability of the suburban model. The End of Suburbia is a documentary that explores suburbia and its rather bleak prospects as fossil fuel demand begins to outstrip supply. Some scientists and policy makers argue that the inevitable decline in availability of fossil fuels is upon us presently...