Quick Reads

Tech assessments building global momentum

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

Amidst crises and buzzwords, the idea that we should examine technologies' impacts is gaining ground

The following is an excerpt from ETC Group's May 2019 newsletter. To receive regular updates, sign up (see right sidebar)!

As converging global crises – biodiversity, climate, plastic – intensify, governments and corporations are scrambling to create new institutions and investors are lining up to finance a new round of buzzword-driven techno-fixes. Talk of “rapid technological change”, “exponential technologies”, “frontier technologies” and “the fourth industrial revolution” can be heard in hallways of a variety of governments, institutions and UN bodies.

Rise of the Petri-Proteins?

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

Some likely effects of lab-grown meat-like substances on farmers, food systems and the climate

The global meat industry is estimated to be worth over $1 trillion USD in 2019, and is projected to reach $1.5 trillion by 2022. The dairy industry is estimated at $442 billion. Industrially processed meat and dairy are notorious for the inhumane conditions of their livestock, and are a climate menace.

VIDEO: ¿Quién nos alimentará?

Submitted by Veronica Villa on

¿La red campesina alimentaria o la cadena agroindustrial?

Más que un conjunto de prácticas agrícolas, la agroecología es profundamente política e incluye muchos aspectos relacionados con la soberanía alimentaria y los derechos de los agricultores. Los agricultores en pequeña escala: campesinos, pastores y pescadores no industriales —que integran lo que el Grupo ETC llama la “red campesina alimentaria”— ya proveen 70% de la alimentación mundial, utilizando solamente 25% de los recursos agrícolas.

VIDEO: Who Will Feed Us? The Peasant Food Web vs the Industrial Food Chain

Submitted by Trudi Zundel on

Peasant-led Agroecology and Food Sovereignty Feeds the World

More than a set of agricultural practices, agroecology is profoundly political, intertwined with food sovereignty and peasants’ and farmers’ rights. Small-scale farmers, peasants, pastoralists and small-scale fishers – who make up what ETC calls “The Peasant Food Web” – already grow 70% of the world’s food using only 25% of agricultural resources.

Nommer le présent

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

douze façons de commencer à décoder 2019 et les années à suivre

Déchiffrer les tendances scientifiques et technologiques émergentes fait partie intégrante du travail du Groupe ETC. Nous voulons saisir les implications des nouvelles réalités qui se font jour autour de nous, qu’il s’agisse d’intelligence artificielle, d’ingénierie sociale, de formes extrêmes de modifications génétiques, de concentration d’entreprises, de surveillance, d’autoritarisme ou de géoingénierie.

Nombrando el ahora

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

doce maneras de comenzar a entender el 2019 y más allá

En el Grupo ETC nos es fundamental tratar de entender las tendencias emergentes en ciencia y tecnología. Queremos comprender las implicaciones de las nuevas realidades que están surgiendo a nuestro alrededor, ya sea que se relacionen con inteligencia artificial, ingeniería social, formas extremas de modificación genética, poder de las corporaciones, vigilancia, autoritarismo o caos climático.

2019: Naming the Now

Submitted by Dru Oja Jay on

A dozen ways to start making sense of 2019 and beyond

Making sense of emerging trends in science and technology is a core part of what ETC Group does. We’re impatient to grasp the implications of new realities that are emerging around us, whether they relate to artificial intelligence, social engineering, extreme forms of digital genetic modification, corporate concentration, surveillance, authoritarianism or geoengineering.

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