GrowthBusters

"Once a species becomes powerful enough to take over a planet, then is it also intelligent enough to understand the limits to its own power?" This is a question posed in the new book, Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival. Author Richard Heinberg is a Senior Fellow at Post Carbon Institute and author of 13 books, including Power Down, The Party's Over, and The End of Growth.

Richard shares what his research has revealed about humankind's cultivation of power, including how we abuse it and how that now threatens our very existence.

"The sheer power of the Superorganism is staggering. Each year, it cuts and uses up to seven billion trees; it excavates 24 million metric tons of copper and nine billion short tons of coal; and it produces (and brews and drinks) one billion tons of coffee. In order to mine resources and construct buildings and highways, it moves up to 80 billion tons of soil and rock — over twice the amount moved by all natural forces such as rivers, glaciers, ocean, and wind. The Superorganism is taking control of Earth, and the Anthropocene is its era of dominance."

We discuss the importance of trust in the possible scenario that doesn't drive us right off a cliff. The book is an effort to shift the conversation, to shift our culture – from one seeking and worshipping materialism, consumerism and more and more economic and population growth, to one that values beauty and self-limitation.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Power: Limits and Prospects for Human Survival - by Richard Heinberg https://www.postcarbon.org/publications/power-limits-and-prospects-for-human-survival/

Make the GrowthBusters Movie Free https://www.Fundrazr.com/growthbustersmovie

Museletter – monthly newsletter by Richard Heinberg https://richardheinberg.com/museletter

Richard Heinberg's website https://www.Richardheinberg.com

On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made."

Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/

Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth http:www.growthbustersmovie.org

Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube

Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

Are Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Elon Musk doing civilization a favor and advancing science? Are they preparing to colonize space like the Borg in Star Trek: The Next Generation? Or are they seeking status and boosting their egos – AND their carbon footprints – with expensive toys?

July was a big month for space travel, with two billionaires blasting into space. Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic sold seats and launched space tourists into near space and promised many repeat performances. Elon Musk's SpaceX plans manned Earth orbits before the year ends.

Most of us tend to believe in science and support government funding of scientific advancement. But if we're in a climate emergency, should we put non-essential, carbon-intensive research projects on hold in order to implement every possible CO2 emissions cut?

In this episode, environmentalist Stephanie Gardner joins host Dave Gardner to explore the questions these flights raise. They also examine the carbon footprints of lifestyles of the rich and famous.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

How to Have a Green Wedding – Episode 25 of the GrowthBusters podcast https://www.growthbusters.org/green-wedding-episode-25/

Sarah's Wildlife-Friendly Wedding – Episode 47 of the GrowthBusters podcast http://www.growthbusters.org/wildlife-friendly-wedding/

Population Decline is Part of the Solution (2008 YouTube video featuring Stephanie Gardner) https://youtu.be/XXyyCY5IM6Q

RELEVANT LINKS:

Billionaire Space Race – by Tim Jackson https://medium.com/ending-overshoot/billionaire-space-race-7e0738703554

As Bezos Completes Blue Origin Mission, Many Ask What's the Climate-Change Impact?https://www.marketwatch.com/story/as-bezos-completes-blue-origin-mission-many-ask-whats-the-climate-change-impact-11626795950

Space Flight for Fun: Billionaire Egotism Trumps Sustainability – by Steve Banker https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebanker/2021/07/12/space-flight-for-fun-billionaire-egotism-trumps-sustainability/

The Surprising Carbon Footprint of Space Travel – by John Armstrong https://energycentral.com/c/ec/surprising-carbon-footprint-space-travel

Where is Starman? Track Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster in Space!https://www.whereisroadster.com/

The Environmental Impact of Emissions from Space Launches: A Comprehensive Review (May, 2020 in Journal of Cleaner Production, by Australian Centre for Space Engineering Research) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652620302560

An Increase in Rocket Launches Could Have a Significant Environmental Impacthttps://startupsavant.com/news/increase-rocket-launches

How Much CO2 Did Bezos' Rocket Ride Release? Close to Zero (Politifacts factcheck by The Poynter Institute) https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jul/20/tweets/how-much-co2-did-bezos-rocket-ride-release-close-z/

Where the Space Industry is Grounded – by Andrew Beattie (published by the Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere) https://mahb.stanford.edu/library-item/where-the-space-industry-is-grounded/

Private Planes, Mansions and Superyachts: What Gives Billionaires Like Musk and Abramovich Such a Massive Carbon Footprinthttps://theconversation.com/private-planes-mansions-and-superyachts-what-gives-billionaires-like-musk-and-abramovich-such-a-massive-carbon-footprint-152514

Environmental Concerns Grow Among Scientists as Space Tourism Lifts Offhttps://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202107/1228942.shtml

Why Space Flights' Green Credentials Don't Fly (opinion column in Financial Times) https://www.afr.com/technology/why-space-flights-green-credentials-don-t-fly-20210711-p588oy

How Bad is Space Tourism for The Environment? And Other Space Travel Questions, Answeredhttps://www.vox.com/recode/22589197/space-travel-tourism-bezos-branson-rockets-blue-origin-virgin-galactic-spacex

Forbes Billionaires List https://www.forbes.com/billionaires/

Forbes Real-Time Billionaires List https://www.forbes.com/real-time-billionaires/#3384987c3d78

Jeff Bezos' $400 Million Flying Fox Yachthttps://youtu.be/MRYEcushHjc

Carbon Emissions of Richest 1 Percent More Than Double the Emissions of the Poorest Half of Humanity https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-richest-1-percent-more-double-emissions-poorest-half-humanity

On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program from our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made."

Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/

Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth http:www.growthbustersmovie.org

Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube

Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

Everything your friends, family, colleagues, journalists and elected representatives need to know about Earth Overshoot Day. Every other week, another scientific report is added to the stack of evidence human civilization has outgrown the planet. What are we doing about it? Earth Overshoot Day is the point in time during the year at which we've already burned through the renewable resources it takes the Earth a year to regenerate. Earth Overshoot Day in 2021 is July 29.

Global Footprint Network continuously analyzes UN data and satellite imagery to estimate the planet's capacity to meet our needs (biocapacity), and humankind's footprint - or demand (ecological footprint) - on that capacity. According to their analysis, we're demanding almost twice what the planet can sustainably provide. In the U.S. and a few other nations, we're engaged in 5-planet living (U.S. Overshoot Day was March 14).

Every year as Earth Overshoot Day approaches, we dedicate an episode of the GrowthBusters podcast to playing an audio documentary we produced in 2019. Welcome to Overshoot: Have a Nice Day explores overshoot's causes, effects, and possible solutions, as well as some of the barriers to solving the problem.

LINKS:

Earth Overshoot Day https://www.overshootday.org/

The Limits to Growth http://donellameadows.org/the-limits-to-growth-now-available-to-read-online/

Conversation Earth - Radio Series/Podcast http://www.conversationearth.org/episode-list

Reported by: Dave Gardner

Interviews:

William Catton, author of Overshoot: The Ecological Basis of Revolutionary Change

Brian Czech, author of Supply Shock: Economic Growth at the Crossroads and the Steady State Solution, and executive director of the Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy

Herman Daly, author of Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development

Paul Ehrlich, Stanford Biologist, author of The Population Bomb

Kerryn Higgs, author of Collision Course: Endless Growth on a Finite Planet

Ian Johnson, former World Bank vice president, former secretary general of Club of Rome

Bill McKibben, environmental journalist, author of Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?, co-founder of 350.org.

Dennis Meadows, lead scientist, The Limits to Growth

Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics: 7 Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist

William Rees, co-originator of ecological footprint analysis

Bill Ryerson, President of Population Media Center and Chair of Population Institute

Juliet Schor, Professor of Sociology at Boston University and author of Plenitude: The New Economics of True Wealth

John Seager, CEO of Population Connection

Gus Speth, former chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality

Mathis Wackernagel, founder of Global Footprint Network and co-author of Ecological Footprint: Managing Our Biocapacity Budget

Rex Weyler, environmental journalist

On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program for our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made."

Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/

Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth http:www.growthbustersmovie.org

Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube

Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

What do the Green New Deal, Santa Claus and the tooth fairy have in common? Find out as we talk with the founder of The REAL New Green Deal Project. Megan Seibert thinks we're being sold a fantasy – that we can run our current, materialistic, growth-obsessed economy forever on solar and wind (what she calls "faux renewables").

"It's not about what we want..., it's about what is possible. And what is possible is defined by ecological limits."

She advises we need to "engineer a planned, intelligent descent." It may be painful, but you don't want to miss this conversation.

LINKS:

The REAL Green New Deal Project https://www.realgnd.org/

U.S. House resolution calling for a New Green Deal https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/109/text

A 100 Trillion Dollar Storytelling Campaign – introduction and links to The Manufacturing of Greta Thunberg – for Consent https://www.wrongkindofgreen.org/2019/10/06/a-100-trillion-dollar-storytelling-campaign/

World Population Day July 11 Webinar : What is a sustainable population? Why, when and what should we do about it? RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-is-a-sustainable-population-how-when-and-why-to-get-there-tickets-161244718293

On the GrowthBusters podcast, we come to terms with the limits to growth, explore the joy of sustainable living, and provide a recovery program for our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with, and pursuit of, growth.

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made."

Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/

Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth http:www.growthbustersmovie.org

Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube

Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

"We need to end the game of Monopoly and start playing the game of sustainability – recognizing the limitations of the planet and building our systems to live within those." Those are the wise words of Mike Nickerson, author of Life, Money & Illusion: Living on Earth as If We Want to Stay. In this episode Mike explains why he is promoting the mantra, "more fun, less stuff."

We're in a "tailspin consumerist debacle," according to Mike, and he's quite sure we need to be "liberated from the materialist cult." Our discussion includes the American Dream, the voluntary simplicity movement and the role of advertising in our overconsumption.

LINKS:

8 Billion Angels screening and webinar - June 24, 2021

7th Generation Initiative / Sustainability Project

Life, Money & Illusion: Living on Earth as If We Want to Stay – by Mike Nickerson

• e-book
• print edition – contact Mike Nickerson

Eco-Village project

A Strategy for Long Term Well-Being – by Mike Nickerson

Work Less Party

What Really Counts: The Case for a Sustainable and Equitable Economy – by Ron Coleman

More Fun, Less Stuff Starter Kit – by Betsy Taylor

Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth – by R. Buckminster Fuller

Spaceship Earth Passenger Safety Briefing – short film by Dave Gardner

Small Is Beautiful – by E.F. Schumacher

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made."

Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/

Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth http:www.growthbustersmovie.org

Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/Growthbuster

Follow the podcast so you don't miss an episode:

How often do you think about the effect of your actions today on the wellbeing of future generations? What do we owe our children's children? Are we capable of responsibly delivering on that debt? Philosopher Roman Krznaric explored these questions in the book, The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking. Krznaric thinks we do, and we can: "...humankind has always had the innate ability to plan for posterity and take action that will resonate for decades, centuries, even millennia to come. If we want to be good ancestors and be remembered well by the generations who follow us, now is the time to recover and enrich this imaginative skill."

Long-term thinking and the rights of future generations (not to mention, compassion toward them) are a recurring theme in the GrowthBusters podcast, so we just had to read the book and schedule a conversation with its author. This fascination discussion touches on ecological economics, rights of children, short-termism, and much more.

LINKS:

How to Get Started with Family Cloth (Yup, Reusable Toilet Paper is a Real Thing)https://redandhoney.com/how-to-get-started-with-family-cloth-and-why-you-might-actually-love-it/

Why You Shouldn't Use 'Family Cloth' Reusable Toilet Paperhttps://www.thelist.com/196323/why-you-shouldnt-use-family-cloth-reusable-toilet-paper/

The Good Ancestor website https://www.romankrznaric.com/good-ancestor

A Resolution for 2021: Be a Better Ancestor (review of The Good Ancestor) https://grist.org/climate/a-resolution-for-2021-be-a-better-ancestor/

Doughnut Economics https://www.kateraworth.com/

Flipping Economics on Its Head: Kate Raworth – episode 219 of Conversation Earthhttp://www.conversationearth.org/flipping-economics-head-kate-raworth-219/

Thriving Economy: Not Rocket Science – episode 220 of Conversation Earthhttp://www.conversationearth.org/thriving-economy-not-rocket-science-kate-raworth-220/

Shrinking Your Travel Footprint – episode 52 of the GrowthBusters podcast http://www.growthbusters.org/shrinking-your-travel-footprint/

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Erika Arias is researching the childfree/environment connection and is about to enter grad school.

Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/

Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth http:www.growthbustersmovie.org

Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/Growthbuster

Follow or Subscribe (free) so you don't miss an episode:

Can we achieve some unity without giving up our integrity and core values? That's a very current conundrum, so this seems the perfect time for us to publish this conversation. We confess we recorded this conversation last May! Apologies to our guests for the long delay. We could not make up a believable excuse that would keep our integrity intact.

When it seems like we can't agree on even the simplest choices, one has to wonder if humanity will ever find common ground and a way out of the climate crisis. Kevin Wilhelm and Natalie Hoffman of Sustainable Business Consulting help answer these questions in their book, How to Talk to the Other Side: Finding Common Ground in the Time of Coronavirus, Recession and Climate Change.

CEO and professor, Kevin Wilhelm is a thought leader on how to bring people from different viewpoints and ideologies together to solve big challenges. He is also an instructor at the University of Washington and the author of four books – including the acclaimed "Return on Sustainability – How Business Can Increase Profitability & Address Climate Change in an Uncertain Economy."

Natalie Hoffman specializes in research and communication between differing cultures and points of view. Hoffman has taught cross-cultural translation to a range of people from university students to environmental activists.

Kevin and Natalie share pro tips for shifting the climate conversation away from the facts and the science and instead towards personal experiences and values. Erika questions them about this method, and what is proposed to be the first step in overcoming our anxieties about the other side in order to find common ground. Plus, more about win-win solutions and focusing on the "financial bottom line."

LINKS:

Finding Common Ground and Win-Win Sustainability Solutions in a Crisis https://www.greenbiz.com/article/finding-common-ground-and-win-win-sustainability-solutions-crisis

Talking to the Other Side: Keys for Setting Up Difficult Conversations https://sustainablebrands.com/read/marketing-and-comms/talking-to-the-other-side-keys-for-setting-up-difficult-conversations

Finding Political Common Ground in These Uncertain Times https://www.acc.eco/blog/2020/5/6/finding-political-common-ground-in-these-uncertain-times

How to Talk to the Other Side: Finding Common Ground in the Time of Coronavirus, Recession, and Climate Change https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53415793-how-to-talk-to-the-other-side

Sustainable Business Consulting https://sustainablebizconsulting.com/

On the GrowthBusters podcast, Erika and Dave explore the joy of sustainable living and provide a recovery program for our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with and pursuit of growth.

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Erika Arias is researching the childfree/environment connection and is about to enter grad school.

Join the conversation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GrowthBustersPodcast/ Make a donation to support this non-profit project. https://www.growthbusters.org/donate/

Archive of GrowthBusters podcast episodes http://www.growthbusters.org/podcast/

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates https://lp.constantcontact.com/su/umptf6w/signup

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth http:www.growthbustersmovie.org

Explore the issues at http://www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/Growthbuster

Subscribe (free) so you don't miss an episode:

Is flying always the worst travel choice for climate stability? Is traveling by rail always the best? You might be surprised. In this episode of GrowthBusters, Dave shares his research on this subject with co-host Erika Arias and frequent guest Joshua Spodek. We also share a great cheat-sheet, Getting There Greener – The guide to Your Lower Carbon Vacation, from the Union of Concerned Scientists. We'd like to remind listeners that while it may seem like the system is stacked against us, we really do have choices about how to transport ourselves. With a little bit of creativity, personal agency, and help from the experts, our choices can change the system!

USEFUL LINKS:

The Four Lifestyle Choices that Most Reduce Your Carbon Footprint (Lund University Study ranking carbon reduction actions)

Vacation Traveler Carbon Guide – Quick Reference Chart and the stuy behind it (Union of Concerned Scientists)

Getting There Greener – full report behind the above vacation guide

Skyscanner greener flight booking site

UCS web tool for EV efficiency in your area

Carbon Offset Info and Programs

American Idling: The Ecological Cost of Keeping the Engine Running

Climate Perks

The future of conference: Will events remain virtual after lockdowns?

On the GrowthBusters podcast, Erika and Dave explore the joy of sustainable living and provide a recovery program for our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with and pursuit of growth.

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Erika Arias is researching the childfree/environment connection and is about to enter grad school.

OTHER LINKS:

Join the conversation on Facebook

Make a donation to support this non-profit project.

Archive of all episodes of the GrowthBusters podcast

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth

Explore the issues at www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube

Subscribe (free) so you don't miss an episode:

We set out to make this the second of a series of episodes about shrinking our travel footprint, but the conversation ended up being a broader exploration of philosophical issues related to all kinds of footprint-shrinking actions. Erika and Dave are joined by recurring guest, Joshua Spodek, host of the This Sustainable Life podcast. The conversation includes:

The joy of not flying Generating a lot less waste Is the new iPhone really green? And plastic, plastic, plastic.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

Donate to Support this Podcast (yes, it's a 501(c)3 non-profit project)

Apple's New iPhone Is Far from Green

Apple is aiming for 'zero climate impact.' The iPhone 12 won't help.

The Story of Plastic

The Story of Plastic screenings (search for The Story of Plastic)

Joshua Spodek's The Story of Plastic panel discussion

Joshua Spodek's This Sustainable Life podcast

On the GrowthBusters podcast, Erika and Dave explore the joy of sustainable living and provide a recovery program for our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with and pursuit of growth.

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Erika Arias is researching the childfree/environment connection and is about to enter grad school.

OTHER LINKS:

Join the conversation on Facebook

Make a donation to support this non-profit project.

Archive of all episodes of the GrowthBusters podcast

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth

Explore the issues at www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube

Subscribe (free) so you don't miss an episode:

How far will you go in your quest to shrink your carbon footprint? What's eco-tourism, and is it really ecologically responsible? International tourism accounts for 8% of all carbon emissions in the world, and transportation of all types accounts for an even greater proportion of of our carbon emissions. In the first of several episodes about shrinking our travel footprint, Dave and Erika chat with Dr. Michael Hall, Professor in the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship at University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

According to Hall, "tourism leads to the short and long term decline of natural capital at local and global scales." Find out what Hall has to say about carbon offsetting, public transportation, local food, and building a market to service communities of people. Hall says that it isn't about avoiding travel altogether, but about how to travel smart!

On the GrowthBusters podcast, Erika and Dave explore the joy of sustainable living and provide a recovery program for our society's growth addiction (economic/consumption and population). This podcast is part of the GrowthBusters project to raise awareness of overshoot and end our culture's obsession with and pursuit of growth.

Dave Gardner directed the documentary GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth, which Stanford Biologist Paul Ehrlich declared "could be the most important film ever made." Erika Arias is researching the childfree/environment connection and is about to enter grad school.

LINKS

The Routledge Handbook of Tourism and Sustainability

Economic Greenwash: On the Absurdity of Tourism and Green Growth

A Radical Way to Cut Emissions – Ration Everyone's Flights

Pandemics, Transformations and Tourism: Be Careful What You Wish For

Pandemics, Tourism and Global Change: A Rapid Assessment of COVID-19

Carbon Trading: How Does it Work?

OTHER LINKS:

Join the conversation on Facebook

Make a donation to support this non-profit project.

Archive of all episodes of the GrowthBusters podcast

Subscribe to GrowthBusters email updates

See the film – GrowthBusters: Hooked on Growth

Explore the issues at www.growthbusters.org

View the GrowthBusters channel on YouTube

Subscribe (free) so you don't miss an episode: