Att vi lätt betraktar världen ur en förenklad geografisk synvinkel är något jag vill lyfta fram i detta blogginlägg. Låt mig koppla tillbaka till inlägget av Charles Gore, där han snuddar på detta problem då han pratar om metodologisk nationalism i samband med ekologiska illusioner. Gore lyfter fram hur statistik om statliga utsläpp tyder på att vissa rika länder har minskat sina växthusgaser, men att vi ser en helt annan historia om vi även beaktar export och import (till länder som Kinas och Indiens fördel). Att våra samhällen inte existerar i enskilda containrar är något de flesta vet men som lätt förbises. I detta blogginlägg lyfter jag fram problemet Gore tar upp, men mer än så vill jag visa varför det är viktigt att betrakta geografin från olika synvinklar i studier och diskussioner om hållbar utveckling och andra komplexa samhälleliga fenomen.
Continue reading “Den uppenbara, lätt åsidosatta, men viktiga geografin”Saying goodbye to meat and milk? – Towards sustainable utilization of animals in land management
There has been a lot of heated debate about the production and consumption of meat, milk and other animal-derived products. The arguments are conflicting: promoting vegetarianism to save the planet versus the crucial role of cattle in Finnish agriculture, taking beef off the menu in the UniCafe versus “cow-is-yes“-tags by producers, fate of forlorn calves on a grated floor versus “happy cows” saving traditional landscapes and endangered species. As response to the critique, the major retailers (such as Valio, Atria and Arla) have multiplied their efforts to reduce the environmental impacts their production creates.
Continue reading “Saying goodbye to meat and milk? – Towards sustainable utilization of animals in land management”Against Ecological Illusions
Standing around a cocktail table during lunch at the 2019 Sustainability Science Days in Espoo last May, I and my new-found colleagues marvelled at the cutlery. The spoons were plastic but they had been designed to look and feel like wood. Together we thought it would be good to find a name for these plastic “wooden” spoons. “Greenwash” did not seem right as it was associated with corporate behaviour and we dispersed to the next session – on sustainability transitions – without managing to find the right term.
Continue reading “Against Ecological Illusions”Towards a GREEN university
There is no doubt that the world needs to become more sustainable. A simple calculation demonstrates that we cannot consume more than we have, and currently, we are far from achieving that. The annual announcement of “Earth Overshoot Day” which marks the date when humans have used up all resources that earth can regenerate within that year, reveals quite clearly that we do have a problem. The earlier we are able to fix this obviously man-made problem, the better. Sustainability affects all levels of society, which means, we all can, and have to contribute to finding solutions.
Continue reading “Towards a GREEN university”Culture of the Future? A systems-eye view of cultured meat
Consider the cell. Consider the sell.
What considerations must we have of a future food system as cultured meat enters the field? As the hype, technology, and industry around cultured meat grows (pun intended), questions about how it may impact the future of the food system loom just as large.
Continue reading “Culture of the Future? A systems-eye view of cultured meat”