Between the sacred and the profane.
The Manifesto for an Ecosocial Energy Transition from the Peoples of the South, is an important new call from the Global South for a real, clean, and equitable transformation away from fossil fuels, the trashing of nature, and the disproportionate consumption patterns of the wealthiest countries. The manifesto can be read and individuals and organizations can add their signature here.
My dear friend and mentor Luis Lopezllera passed from this life the end of October. Luis was the kindest, gentlest, most positive person I believe I have ever met. We met in Mexico City in 1986 in the aftermath of the Mexico City earthquake through the Partners of the Americas when San Francisco was ‘partnered’ with Mexico City. On that first trip to Mexico, Luis introduced me to the urban slums where masses of poor people were living in makeshift housing on dirt floors. We then worked together on and off over the next few years focusing on my bringing microcomputers and internet access to the NGO community in Mexico and throughout the region.
Luis was a great man, a true realist, a stellar human being. There are very few people you meet in life who are truly humble, largely behind the scenes, doing transformative work. Luis was one of them. Luis had a vision of a better world and he worked tirelessly to achieve it. Through his organization, Promocion del Desarrollo Popular, he had great effect upon many people and movements. If you search on his name, you will get an idea of the scope and reach of his life and work. Example.
Luis you are already now and for a long time to come will be sorely missed. You are present in our hearts and minds.
An article I penned last month has gotten quite a bit of circulation. Here is one such reprint.
Localization: Bringing about Buen Vivir to address climate fluctuations and globalization
Once again the masters of neoliberalism, capital accumulation, and globalization meet to maintain business as usual. This year they’ll focus on 1) co-opting climate chaos; and, 2) quelling resistance from the baking/drowning/burning/starving peasantry.
The largest trade agreement ever – the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – starts today. Globalization continues apace disrupting local, national and regional economies, expanding the precariat, neutering local community control, wiping out self-reliance & self-sufficiency knowledge and skill sets, and creating unsustainable dependencies for essential goods and services. The real tragedy of this economistic zombie death march however is what climate chaos impacts will do over time. As supply chains fail, states and their populations will reel in crisis. What is needed is localization, the opposite of globalization.