Forum Post: Anchoring Wealth to Sustain Cities and Population Growth

Anchoring Wealth to Sustain Cities and Population Growth

Sunday, 29 July 2012 10:01 By Gar Alperovitz, Steve Dubb and Thad Williamson, Solutions | News Analysis

http://truth-out.org/news/item/10583-anchoring-wealth-to-sustain-cities-and-population-growth

Americans face a unique challenge in solving the climate crisis. Unlike other Western countries and Japan, where population is projected to be relatively constant, the U.S. population is set to grow by at least 100 million—and likely 150 million—people by 2050. Where and under what conditions these people live present serious challenges to sustainability planning. American cities today are so spatially and economically unstable that anything beyond superficial sustainability planning is impossible.

Alternatively, we can radically change existing community and regional planning strategies to more sustainably house and serve the growing population. Fortunately, emerging approaches are capable of helping with this shift. One involves building local economies that anchor capital in place through community, worker, or public forms of ownership—so-called green community wealth strategies. By linking such stabilizing forms of economic organization to democratic forms of local, regional, and national planning, cities can regain the capacity to target jobs and investment to specific locations.

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Climate Change and the Next US Revolution

Sunday, 29 July 2012 11:28 By Shamus Cooke, Counter Currents | News Analysis

http://truth-out.org/news/item/10585-climate-change-and-the-next-us-revolution

The U.S. heat wave is slowly shaking the foundations of American politics. It may take years for the deep rumble to evolve into an above ground, institution-shattering earthquake, but U.S. society has changed for good.

The heat wave has helped convince tens of millions of Americans that climate change is real, overpowering the fake science and right-wing media - funded by corporate cash - to convince Americans otherwise.

Republicans and Democrats alike also erect roadblocks to understanding climate change. By the politicians' complete lack of action towards addressing the issue, the "climate change is fake" movement was strengthened, since Americans presumed that any sane government would be actively trying to address an issue that had the potential to destroy civilization.