sustainable living http://www.aliak.com/taxonomy/term/253/atom/feed 2007-03-31T14:47:35+01:00 biofuels - George Monbiot's prediction + rice shortages articles http://www.aliak.com/content/biofuels-george-monbiots-prediction-rice-shortages-articles 2008-05-05T21:26:26+01:00 2008-05-10T16:18:58+01:00 kathy wow it sounds like George Monbiot got it right - unfortunately :(
from 2007 :
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329758811-121568,00.html
If we want to save the planet, we need a five-year freeze on biofuels
- Oil produced from plants sets up competition for food between cars and people. People - and the environment - will lose
George Monbiot
Tuesday March 27, 2007

It used to be a matter of good intentions gone awry. Now it is plain fraud. The governments using biofuel to tackle global warming know that it causes more harm than good. But they plough on regardless. In theory, fuels made from plants can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by cars and trucks. Plants absorb carbon as they grow - it is released again when the fuel is burned. By encouraging oil companies to switch from fossil plants to living ones, governments on both sides of the Atlantic claim to be "decarbonising" our transport networks.


In the budget last week, Gordon Brown announced that he would extend the tax rebate for biofuels until 2010. From next year all suppliers in the UK will have to ensure that 2.5% of the fuel they sell is made from plants - if not, they must pay a penalty of 15p a litre. The obligation rises to 5% in 2010. By 2050, the government hopes that 33% of our fuel will come from crops. Last month George Bush announced that he would quintuple the US target for biofuels: by 2017 they should be supplying 24% of the nation's transport fuel.


So what's wrong with these programmes? Only that they are a formula for environmental and humanitarian disaster. In 2004 I warned, on these pages, that biofuels would set up a competition for food between cars and people. The people would necessarily lose: those who can afford to drive are richer than those who are in danger of starvation. It would also lead to the destruction of rainforests and other important habitats. I received more abuse than I've had for any other column - except for when I attacked the 9/11 conspiracists. I was told my claims were ridiculous, laughable, impossible. Well in one respect I was wrong. I thought these effects wouldn't materialise for many years. They are happening already.

]]> wow it sounds like George Monbiot got it right - unfortunately :(

from 2007 :
http://environment.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,329758811-121568,00.html
If we want to save the planet, we need a five-year freeze on biofuels
- Oil produced from plants sets up competition for food between cars and people. People - and the environment - will lose
George Monbiot
Tuesday March 27, 2007


It used to be a matter of good intentions gone awry. Now it is plain fraud. The governments using biofuel to tackle global warming know that it causes more harm than good. But they plough on regardless. In theory, fuels made from plants can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by cars and trucks. Plants absorb carbon as they grow - it is released again when the fuel is burned. By encouraging oil companies to switch from fossil plants to living ones, governments on both sides of the Atlantic claim to be "decarbonising" our transport networks.


In the budget last week, Gordon Brown announced that he would extend the tax rebate for biofuels until 2010. From next year all suppliers in the UK will have to ensure that 2.5% of the fuel they sell is made from plants - if not, they must pay a penalty of 15p a litre. The obligation rises to 5% in 2010. By 2050, the government hopes that 33% of our fuel will come from crops. Last month George Bush announced that he would quintuple the US target for biofuels: by 2017 they should be supplying 24% of the nation's transport fuel.


So what's wrong with these programmes? Only that they are a formula for environmental and humanitarian disaster. In 2004 I warned, on these pages, that biofuels would set up a competition for food between cars and people. The people would necessarily lose: those who can afford to drive are richer than those who are in danger of starvation. It would also lead to the destruction of rainforests and other important habitats. I received more abuse than I've had for any other column - except for when I attacked the 9/11 conspiracists. I was told my claims were ridiculous, laughable, impossible. Well in one respect I was wrong. I thought these effects wouldn't materialise for many years. They are happening already.


Since the beginning of last year, the price of maize has doubled. The price of wheat has also reached a 10-year high, while global stockpiles of both grains have reached 25-year lows. Already there have been food riots in Mexico and reports that the poor are feeling the strain all over the world. The US department of agriculture warns that "if we have a drought or a very poor harvest, we could see the sort of volatility we saw in the 1970s, and if it does not happen this year, we are also forecasting lower stockpiles next year". According to the UN food and agriculture organisation, the main reason is the demand for ethanol: the alcohol used for motor fuel, which can be made from maize and wheat.


Farmers will respond to better prices by planting more, but it is not clear that they can overtake the booming demand for biofuel. Even if they do, they will catch up only by ploughing virgin habitat.

http://www.monbiot.com

http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk

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other related articles :

Biofuels and the Rise of Nationalistic Environmentalism

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what the headlines around the world say .. a sample of online newspapers

The Australian - search for "rice shortage"

Food riots not our fault - farmers
US shops ration food for first time
Drought a factor in food aid shortage: UN
Farmers fail to deliver on rice
Food inflation, riots stir concern
US stores forced to ration rice
Bill Shorten: National effort can solve water shortage
High prices everywhere but no water, no crop
Thai rice hits new record

Jerusalem Post articles - search for "rice shortage"

Scientists, activists debate if genetically modified foods are panacea or plague
The price of rice
Food crisis hits local supermarkets. Stores put limit on rice sales
Israeli scientists fight food crisis with gene research
As bread prices rise, Saudis flounder in flour crisis

Times of India - search for "rice shortage"

British MP hits out at EU over basmati rice shortage
No quick fix to soothe Asian rice shortage fears
Thailand won't cut rice exports: PM
'Rice bowl' faces paddy seed shortage
Grain pain: Rationing in US as rice gets pricey
China blames global warming for growing water shortage

US eats 5 times more than India per capita
Central bankers sound alarm over food prices
Scientists dispute virtues of 'black gold'
ADB announces fund to fight climate change
Now, Bush blames India for rising food prices
Bush proposes $770 million for world food crisis
Asia tourism, airlines 'complacent' on climate
'Biofuels frenzy fuels global food crisis'
Few top corp suppliers have emissions targets
UN sees world climate change deal in 2009

Tehelka (India Independent paper) - search for "rice shortage"
The Last Stand Of Niyam Raja
Hammered By The Sickle

so whilst there's a shortage of rice in Thailand, some is going to waste in India for different reasons. some of the farmers want to use machines to harvest their crops. but the unions say no - workers must use the sickle. this gives the people jobs - they can work at their own times. farmers pay a nokkukooli - payment for watching work being done. as the harvesting can take longer, sometimes the harvests are lost in the flooding rains prior to being harvested.

NEW KERALA LINE:COKE BAD, PEPSI GOOD

]]> The Boom Book - capturing the essence of the Boom Festival http://www.aliak.com/content/the-boom-book-capturing-essence-boom-festival 2008-02-12T21:15:56+00:00 2008-03-16T16:15:50+00:00 AliaK The "Boom Book" was a project carried out during 2007 as a commemoration of Portugal's Boom Festival's 10th anniversary. The goal was is to independently release a book about Boom but also to highlight its main contribution to today's world - as leader in incorporating novel approaches to entertainment and providing experiences lived through a festival which can pioneer new perceptions and visions, enhancing all of us and our relationship with the world we live in.
This book is a collaborative project put together by anthropologists, journalists, designers, illustrators, poets, musicologists, and photographers to capture the essence of the Boom Festival. The Boom Book includes essays, interviews, visionary art by Alex Grey, Robert Venosa or Android, and innovative texts about psy-trance. It is a cultural record of striking importance, capturing the beauty of Boom and also the role of subcultures in a modern world.
visit http://www.boomfestival.org/boombook/ for information about the Boom Book, or http://www.boomfestival.org/ for details about the festival.
the 2008 Boom Festival will be held from 11-18th August. you can virtually visit the Boom Festival location in google earth.

]]> The "Boom Book" was a project carried out during 2007 as a commemoration of Portugal's Boom Festival's 10th anniversary. The goal was is to independently release a book about Boom but also to highlight its main contribution to today's world - as leader in incorporating novel approaches to entertainment and providing experiences lived through a festival which can pioneer new perceptions and visions, enhancing all of us and our relationship with the world we live in.

This book is a collaborative project put together by anthropologists, journalists, designers, illustrators, poets, musicologists, and photographers to capture the essence of the Boom Festival. The Boom Book includes essays, interviews, visionary art by Alex Grey, Robert Venosa or Android, and innovative texts about psy-trance. It is a cultural record of striking importance, capturing the beauty of Boom and also the role of subcultures in a modern world.

visit http://www.boomfestival.org/boombook/ for information about the Boom Book, or http://www.boomfestival.org/ for details about the festival.
the 2008 Boom Festival will be held from 11-18th August. you can virtually visit the Boom Festival location in google earth.

]]> Salon Mazal http://www.aliak.com/node/14279 2008-01-26T21:25:17+00:00 2008-01-26T21:29:22+00:00 AliaK Salon Mazal was established in 2001, in Tel Aviv, Israel, by a group of social-environmental activists. Salon Mazal is a non-for-profit registered charity that serves as an information distribution center for social, environmental and political change The place functions as a store (including books, magazines and fair-trade products), a lending library, an artist gallery, a vegetarian bar and a community center where movie screenings, lectures, workshops and meetings take place.

The place is run in line with anarchist ideology and values, which encourage an egalitarian, non-hierarchical community. Salon Mazal is run by a group of volunteers. Consensus decision-making is used to promote the expression of individual voices within the group in daily meetings.

]]> Salon Mazal was established in 2001, in Tel Aviv, Israel, by a group of social-environmental activists. Salon Mazal is a non-for-profit registered charity that serves as an information distribution center for social, environmental and political change The place functions as a store (including books, magazines and fair-trade products), a lending library, an artist gallery, a vegetarian bar and a community center where movie screenings, lectures, workshops and meetings take place.

The place is run in line with anarchist ideology and values, which encourage an egalitarian, non-hierarchical community. Salon Mazal is run by a group of volunteers. Consensus decision-making is used to promote the expression of individual voices within the group in daily meetings.

]]> The Journeybook - Free 40 page sampler now available to download http://www.aliak.com/content/the-journeybook-free-40-page-sampler-now-available-download 2007-11-16T11:08:56+00:00 2007-11-17T20:16:31+00:00 AliaK Journeybook is a collection of tales of altered states, essays, history and manifesto for psychedelic culture in the 21st century. It covers the modern usage of sacramental plants and offers insights into traditional and contemporary shamanism, as well as analysis of the current state of global psychedelic culture and its place in a sustainable future.
It features interviews with Terence McKenna (previously unpublished), Dennis McKenna, Daniel Pinchbeck, as well as articles by Rak Razam, Erik Davis, Graham St John, Tim Parish, Tim Boucher and a fresh selection of bold new writers from around Australia. At 250 pages, it is fully illustrated with dozens of paintings, photography and digital graphics from the Undergrowth art collective, including new
works by Gerhard Hillmann, Oliver Dunlop, Iswoz, Ahimsa:Love, Tim Parish and others.
Read more or visit http://undergrowth.org/journeybook_sampler_free_to_download to find out more and download the 40 page sampler, and to place an order for the book.

]]>

The Journeybook

Free 40 page sampler now available to download*

http://undergrowth.org/journeybook_sampler_free_to_download

Journeybook is an essential map of hyperspace for the contemporary
psychonaut and the uninitiated alike. Travel through time and space
and partake of mushrooms at Harvard, hemp in Nimbin, DMT in the
Amazon and anti-depressents in the suburbs of the West, to name but a
few of the experiences which await you. Dance at Dionysian festivals,
meet alchemists in the laboratories of Switzerland, trippers in the
corporate highrises of Brisvegas, and journey to the edge of the
universe within our anthology's pages...

Journeybook is a collection of tales of altered states, essays,
history and manifesto for psychedelic culture in the 21st century. It
covers the modern usage of sacramental plants and offers insights
into traditional and contemporary shamanism, as well as analysis of
the current state of global psychedelic culture and its place in a
sustainable future.

It features interviews with Terence McKenna (previously unpublished),
Dennis McKenna, Daniel Pinchbeck, as well as articles by Rak Razam,
Erik Davis, Graham St John, Tim Parish, Tim Boucher and a fresh
selection of bold new writers from around Australia. At 250 pages, it
is fully illustrated with dozens of paintings, photography and
digital graphics from the Undergrowth art collective, including new
works by Gerhard Hillmann, Oliver Dunlop, Iswoz, Ahimsa:Love, Tim
Parish and others.

Journeybook is an essential handbook for those interested in the
subject of consciousness, spirituality and understanding the rich
pharmacopia of thought that exists beyond the confines of mainstream
cosmology.

Read on. Tune in. Discover.

http://undergrowth.org/journeybook_sampler_free_to_download

*SPECIAL OFFER*
We are offering online readers and community the opportunity to
support Journeybook by purchasing a pre-launch copy and save $10 on the
cover
price. Payment can be made through Paypal on the website. Please
forward this email to your networks.

.Undergrowth #8: JOURNEYBOOK will be launched at the Entheo Genesis
Australia 2007 on November 30th.
http://www.entheo.net/2007sounds.htm

{why do green things reach for the sun?}

{why do green things reach for the sun?}

]]> World Changing Book http://www.aliak.com/content/world-changing-book 2006-11-19T16:55:08+00:00 2007-03-31T14:47:35+01:00 AliaK I've just bought this book so I can read it when I get back to Aus for holidays. the World Changing site has heaps of useful articles so I'm hoping the book will too!
http://www.worldchanging.com/book/

the blurb from the site:
[quote]
"Worldchanging: A Users Guide for the 21st Century is a groundbreaking compendium of the most innovative solutions, ideas and inventions emerging today for building a sustainable, livable, prosperous future."
"From consumer consciousness to a new vision for industry; non-toxic homes to refugee shelters; microfinance to effective philanthropy; socially responsible investing to starting a green business; citizen media to human rights; ecological economics to climate change, this is the most comprehensive, cutting-edge overview to date of what's possible in the near future -- if we decide to make it so."
[/quote]

]]> I've just bought this book so I can read it when I get back to Aus for holidays. the World Changing site has heaps of useful articles so I'm hoping the book will too!

http://www.worldchanging.com/book/

the blurb from the site:

[quote]
"Worldchanging: A Users Guide for the 21st Century is a groundbreaking compendium of the most innovative solutions, ideas and inventions emerging today for building a sustainable, livable, prosperous future."

"From consumer consciousness to a new vision for industry; non-toxic homes to refugee shelters; microfinance to effective philanthropy; socially responsible investing to starting a green business; citizen media to human rights; ecological economics to climate change, this is the most comprehensive, cutting-edge overview to date of what's possible in the near future -- if we decide to make it so."
[/quote]

]]>