This letter was published in Renew Magazine Issue 90, January 2005, published by the Alternative Technology Association (Melbourne, Australia).
Download PDF (85KB)
Writings
This letter was published in Renew Magazine Issue 90, January 2005, published by the Alternative Technology Association (Melbourne, Australia).
Download PDF (85KB)
First published as an (edited) opinion piece in Water Volume 32, No. 8 in December 2005, ‘Garden Agriculture: A revolution in efficient water use’ by David Holmgren discusses food futures in a post-fossil-fuel society. Full text available for download.
Historians charting the trajectory of industrial civilisation will note the remarkable disconnect between the status accorded to “evidence based decision making” in our culture and the relentless pursuit of perpetual growth on a finite planet. While the contradiction has always been clear to the simplest of folks, the publication of the Limits to Growth report nearly half a century ago gave us the means to better understand the complex system dynamics that would characterise humanity’s overshoot of global limits.
Because these understandings coincided with the oil crises and resultant recessions, in affluent western countries there was some public discourse, and even early action, to consider the possibility of futures other than ones of continuous growth. On the fringes of society a flourishing counterculture gave birth to lifestyles and concepts (including permaculture) that have been the source of a continuous lineage of creative change. Some of these fringe ideas – such as the internet – have contributed to powerful creative action that has transformed society, whilst others – such as renewable energy and regenerative agriculture – provide pathways promising to manifest transformation now.
Fire is an intrinsic part of the Australian landscape. It has become more destructive since European colonisation, and over recent decades, we have experienced even greater destruction due to accelerating climate change and changes in land use. Australia could, and should, be leading the world in transitioning to a renewable energy base to reduce the root cause of the crisis.
When we use our human creativity and flexibility to work out how we can survive and thrive from what nature has already created in abundance, then we are in harmony with the great song of ecological evolution.
~ David Holmgren, Permaculture Co-originator
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