Ecology

Anarchism - Where is Kropotkin When We Need Him?

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anarchismby David Morris

On February 8, 1921 twenty thousand people, braving temperatures so low that musical instruments froze, marched in a funeral procession in the town of Dimitrov, a suburb of Moscow. They came to pay their respects to Petr Kropotkin, and his philosophy, anarchism.

Some 90 years later few know of Kropotkin. And the word anarchism has been so stripped of substance that it has come to be equated with chaos and nihilism. This is regrettable, for both the man and the philosophy that he did so much to develop have much to teach us in 2012.

The Path to Change; Spreading Ecological Ideas

by Tejas Ewing

The creation and spread of ecological ideas may be one of the most important ways that we can work to stem the destruction of our environment. If we change the deep-seated opinions in people, then the desire to make positive change should come from within us. If that occurs, change will be easy, because it will not be forced. I experienced the joys and failures of pursuing this goal.

Logging Devastates Ancient Rainforest in BC

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Over the past four decades, three-quarters of the Incomappleux River valley in the southeastern interior of BC has been logged. The valley’s last 1000 hectares of commercially loggable intact old-growth forest is all that remains.

by Art Joyce 

When Green Isn't - The Shades of Environmental Movements

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by Norm Reynolds

Bright Green, Viridian Green, Lite Green, Leaf Green, Dark Green? The immense social and technological im­plications of global warming have highlighted much more than just shades of meaning within the environmental movement.

Indeed, Bruce Sterling, sci-fi author, cyber guru, and founder/spokesperson for the Bright Green environmental movement, suggests that recognition of the significance and urgency of global warming may be

The Ecology is the Economy; Hyperinflation as Natural Resources Deminish

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Ecologists ignore that everything we use rests on the earth's natural resources. We now see that our galloping economies rely on handouts, massive debt, war, abuse, waste, and a diminished earth. Rivers die, species go extinct, forests disappear, deserts grow, and people suffer. 

by Rex Weyler

In the 1980s, fishermen caught the last wild Beluga sturgeon from the Sea of Azov, source of prized caviar. Wild sturgeon in the Caspian Sea failed to reproduce. The sturgeon catch plunged by 95%, and the cost of caviar soared. Such extraordinary price growth is known as “hyperinflation,” or as economist Eric Sprott says, “the caviar syndrome.” 

Marine Conservation of Deepwater Corals in BC

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by Mike Morrell

In June this year, the Living Oceans Society’s “Finding Coral” ex­pedition set out from Vancouver on a two week cruise to the North Coast to document BC’s deepwater corals. The chartered research vessel Cape Flattery carried Living Oceans Soci­ety’s (LOS) staff from their base in Sointula along with invited marine

Ecological Restoration of BC Forest

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Galiano Island has seen more than its share of clearcut logging over the decades, but now the Galiano Conservancy is leading the way on restoration of one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada – Coastal Douglas Fir.

Over the past two decades the Galiano Conservancy As­sociation has focused on addressing issues of biodiversity loss and environmental sustainability on Galiano Island, the second largest of BC’s Southern Gulf Islands. These efforts include a unique restoration project with a goal of helping to transform one of the

Bringing Economics Down to Earth - Guest Editorial by Rex Weyler

Sometimes, when I wander in the natural world, away from human concerns, I sense some sacred balance that will restore itself, a resilience and patience in living systems that will endure the hungers, fears, and gullibility of my civilization.

On the other hand, a part of me weeps almost daily at the reckless dismantling of this miracle into which I - and the entire human experiment - was born.

Howard T Odum's Energy Economics

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Howard T. Odum redifined economics using the fundatmentals of energy transformation. Odum's daughter, Mary Odum Logan, Ph.D., adjunct professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, helped Watershed Sentinel excerpt her father's key concepts, such as why consumption has limits and why "success" in Nature can be a liability.

In the 1960s," recalls Mary Odum Logan, "I heard dinner table lectures regarding the energy and ecology problems we witness today. My father appeared more optimistic in the classroom and saved his gloomier fears for intimate conversation."

Odum consulted on the Limits to Growth project and respected Herman Daly (Steady State Economics, 1977) as a rare economist, who saw reality in its complex whole.

Rights for Nature

by Norberto Rodriguez dela Vega

Something very special happened on September 29, 2008 when the people of Ecuador approved by referendum Rights for Nature in their Constitution. This is the first country in the world to grant inalienable rights to nature.

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"This is it. It's done!" was the message in Alaska in 2008, 19 years after the Exxon Valdes oil spill.  Dave Janka, who runs Auklet Charters in Prince William Sound, ran his boat over to Smith Island to snap this photo.  Dave says, "It's far from done!"

W.L.M. (Bill) Wilson writes: 'Attached is my rewrite of Anne Feeney’s “Have You Been To Jail for Justice”. Anne granted permission to do non-profit performances of this Enbridge version.' Video by Ester Strijbos.