Originally published on transition-lab.org Because it deals with socio-ecological systems, achieving urban sustainability is complex. Not only there are no one-size-fits-all, but the scope of social and institutional change required to actually address the challenge of making cities truly sustainable for all disqualifies top-down, command-and-control system. Research is increasingly showing that polycentric and adaptive governance […]
Set along the untamed river Drôme in Southern France, Crest is more known for its jazz festival than cycling. Indeed, you won’t see many bike riders in that town of 10 000 souls. But change is showing the tip of its nose. In April 2013, a co-operative bike shop has opened its doors. There, don’t […]
Cities are highly vulnerable to food price hikes and disruption in food supply. Food stocks in cities like London don’t exceed a 3-day supply. At the same time food supply chains have become increasingly complex and vulnerable. On the other hand 33% of global greenhouse gases are related to food through the intense use of […]
The public discussion on climate change has for long focused on countries’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and what national governments commit to; mostly not enough. The fact is that in industrialized countries 70 to 80% of carbon is actually released in cities. By concentrating population and wealth, urban areas gulp huge amounts of energy. While […]
Common-property and open-access resources have repeatedly been portrayed as the centerpiece of a Tragedy of the commons. Those resources – such as a forest or a fishery – would tend irremediably to be overused as homo œconomicus users aim to maximize their individual benefit and lead to the depletion of such resources. To answer this […]
“Equity is a multidimensional and dynamic concept”… Hmmm… think about it… so deep, isn’t it? That’s what Australia has to say when they are asked their views on the key issue of equity of climate collective action. I have not much to say about it but “bullshit, multidimensional and dynamic bullshit!” In Bonn, for the […]
The scale and urgency of the energy challenge requires being smart. While policy-makers are usually smart, most are stuck with a broken action paradigm that does not allow them to even think smart solutions. The new paradigm for action relies on resilience, openness, and mass collaboration. One of the only things everybody seems to agree […]
So here I go, I start a blog. I intend to blog both in English and French about all that matters to me. I will try to focus my eye as much as possible on the transition towards a sustainable and resilient world, and the way on open and collaborative web makes it possible. Do […]
The Ecologist and the Pirate 