As a further post-script to the Kübler-Ross piece earlier today, we ask you to think back one year to December 2010 and imagine that you are living in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, or Syria. If someone had told you that within 12 months Mubarak and Gaddafi would be gone, Osama bin Laden would be dead, that …
Author archives: Permabusiness
CO2 emissions accelerating
During the last 20 years, global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels have increased by almost 50 per cent in the last 20 years. The rate is accelerating — in 2010 they increase by just under six per cent. This is dramatic news for the ability of Earth to support life. In the light …
Kübler-Ross model
Over the weekend we reflected on some of the stories posted last week: increasing levels of methane from melting permafrost; the rising costs of climate change events; the fact that investments in renewable energy last year passed those in fossil fuel energy; and the fact that companies can now make plastic cups out of plants. …
Hope in a plastic cup
This plastic cup may not look like much but to me it is a symbol of hope. Because rather than being made from oil it is made from plant fibres. It is renewable and compostable. And what that means is that even though the world is changing, we will be able to find new ways …
How climate change is impacting businesses in the Balkans
Bosnia, Serbia and other parts of the Balkans are facing their worst drought for decades. The river Danube, usually one of eastern Europe’s busiest transport routes has eighty or more cargo ships at a standstill. Traffic on the river is “practically non-existent”. In Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria crop production for 2012 is in jeopardy . Bosnia …
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Impacts of climate change on business
Anybody still unsure why climate change is an issue for business can read this story where the recent floods in Thailand were cited by Sony as one of the three reasons for turning their $0.6bn profit forecast turned into a $0.8bn loss. The entire country of Thailand’s growth forecast was slashed from 4.1% to 2.6%. …
Methane from melting permafrost set to accelerate climate change by 20%-30%
At Permabusiness we like to maintain a positive attitude, so we hesitate to share this story. But we also know that it is important to face reality as it is, not as it once was, or how we would like it to be. Accelerating amounts of permafrost methane and CO2 are beginning to be emitted …
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Renewable power trumps fossil fuels for first time
From the Los Angeles Times: “Electricity from the wind, sun, waves and biomass drew $187 billion last year compared with $157 billion for natural gas, oil and coal. “The findings indicate the world is shifting toward consuming more renewable energy even without a global agreement on limiting greenhouse gases. Delegates from more than 190 nations …
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It doesn’t matter whether climate change is real
It doesn’t matter whether climate change is man-made or even if it is 100% proven. My house didn’t burn down last year. It didn’t burn down the year before. It probably won’t burn down next year either, but it is still worth taking out insurance against the possibility that it might. We can’t take out …
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Biomimicry in architecture
It is the thesis of permabusiness that by working with nature’s patterns we will not only create a system is less bad than the one we have today, but actually create one that is better. Biomimicry (copying nature) is clearly part of that and this book review predicts that biomimicry in architecture “will produce not …