STWR - Share The World's Resources

Humanity is taking from future generations to feed its consumption now, while a tiny minority — the political and economic elite — is steering planet Earth towards a catastrophe far greater than the credit crunch. Can a new movement of ecological activists unfold to the extent that one is needed? By Brian Davey. 

It’s past time to abandon the problematic concept of sustainable development, and instead rally around a new, shocking but this time realistic slogan: sustainable shrinkage. This requires devising a new economics sophisticated and flexible enough to equip us to think about a stable-state world, writes Ernest Callenbach.

We need to stop assuming that development is either necessary or what everyone naturally wants – including people in poor communities. A contraction is coming whether we like it or not, but by preparing we can shape what is to come rather than being passive victims. By Brian Davey. 

In city centers across the world, a serious movement for change is emerging based on autonomous and democratic camps that make a better future seem not only possible, but plausible. It's time to get your friends together and grab your sleeping bags, writes Willie Osterweil.

Our growth-dependent economy is failing to meet the basic needs of many and threatens to destroy the natural resource base upon which it depends. By helping to cultivate prosperity through sharing, the commons offers an alternative to unsustainable economic growth, says Silke Helfrich.

The long-held assumption that humans are genetically predisposed to selfish rationalism is crumbling. Evidence from social and behavioural science suggests we need to build new economic models and systems to reflect our inherent tendency to cooperate, writes Yochai Bankler.

‘Consumed – Inside the Belly of the Beast’ is a new documentary that explores the evolutionary psychology behind the human urge to consume, even if it is unsustainable and no longer makes us happy. Can a deeper understanding of consumerism help us to overcome it, ask Mark Notaras and Brendan Barrett.