Biologist & anthropologist

Welcome! I created this blog to research and discuss issues that obstruct or improve humanity’s chances for creating a sustainable & just post-capitalist world, something we could and should have seriously committed to 50 years ago. While there is still no sign that governments will start to take the decisive action required to end the use of fossil fuels and limit the global temperature rise, climate breakdown is beginning to accelerate and we are facing an escalation of natural disasters and resulting suffering and death of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Entire ecosystems are on the brink of collapse and large areas will become uninhabitable because of floodings and desertification. There is an increasing urgency to hit the brakes, not just on our use of fossil fuels, but on our exploitative and destructive obsession with economic growth more generally. It is crucial that we keep envisioning pathways towards a better future, where humans can live in balance with nature and with each other, so that we can choose the best courses of action to get there.

I will use this blog to examine the various problems we are facing and to critically evaluate potential solutions and strategies for system change. Sadly, many people are still blissfully unaware of the immense devastation humans are causing to this planet, partly because ignorance is easy and partly because those responsible for this devastation keep it skillfully out of sight of the general public wherever possible. At the same time, people who are committed to change are often misguided by fake solutions that fail to address the roots of the problems. In a time that our attention spans are under attack by social media and our ability to judge legitimacy of information is becoming clouded by pervasive misinformation campaigns, I hope to bring in a little bit of balance and a bridge between science, news, and activism.

Topics that I want to cover include: the damage done by resource extraction, intensive agriculture, and polluting industries, the ongoing colonial exploitation of the Global South, escalating economic inequality and power of the wealthy, attacks on democracy and human rights, the externalization of social and environmental costs, the potentials and limitations of the green & circular economy, degrowth’s utopian promises, ways to pursue environmental & climate justice, opportunities for activism and building social movements, redistribution through caps and taxes, strategies for policy changes, approaches to job guarantee and universal basic income, the role of small entrepreneurship, the value of communal eco-living as models for the future, the design of financial systems and possibilites to pay for the transition, and even more! Plenty of interests and ideas, so little time…

My aim is to inform and mobilize, both myself and my readers. As I have become disillusioned with my own professional trajectory and efforts to make a difference, I have decided to recommit myself to research and writing to whatever extent I can afford to. The blog is an excuse to properly dive into these topics, to investigate thoroughly, so that I can make informed decisions on where I can realistically and effectively make a contribution to the eradication of capitalism. I hope readers will also feel inspired to try to engage in their own way. While change can be scary, many people don’t quite realize how terrifying not changing will be. We have a fast closing window where we can still have some influence towards positive change before we become overwhelmed by disasters and can only still reactively deal with the symptoms. Let’s make sure we keep our eyes on the ball!