STWR - Share The World's Resources

The spread of consumer culture over the last fifty years has led to a convergence of environmental and social problems around the world. Thankfully, the transformation to a more sustainable way of living is not only possible, but has already begun, says a report by the Worldwatch Institute.

In order to cope with peak oil and climate change, the Transition movement is nurturing community resilience and low-carbon living around the world. Can its adherents take it from a minority lifestyle choice to a much bigger force for democratic grassroots change? By Sarah Irving.

The failure of governments to co-operate multilaterally to deal with the multiple crises in 2009 was a disappointment for many. But the year also revealed hopeful signs of a new global movement in support of sharing and the commons, writes Jeremy Adam Smith.

Regulation of the global commons is not only essential in ensuring the long term sustainability of the planet’s resources, it could also be a powerful mechanism for eliminating poverty and reducing inequality, writes Jorge Buzaglo.

Instead of pursuing endless growth, the economy should be built on human values which foster a just and stable society. This will require a moral and cultural shift to the principles of family and community, suggests the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams. 

Our growth-driven economy is now using more ecological capacity than the planet can regenerate. Systemic reforms are required to ensure equitable access to the world’s resources and to avert a global ecological crisis, argue Peter G. Brown and Geoffrey Garver.

Instead of a monoculture of mega-banks deemed too big to fail, the financial system should form a highly diverse ‘ecology’ of institutions that are adapted to the complexity and long-term goals of the economy, says a report by the New Economics Foundation.