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LOCALIZATION PAPERS Some psychological aspects of responding to emerging biophysical limits Raymond De Young |
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It is neither wealth nor splendor, but tranquility and occupation which give happiness (Thomas Jefferson 1788) The University of Michigan's 10th president, in his inaugural address, said that universities have a responsibility for training and research that serve current economic and cultural needs. That was predictable and uninspiring. What he said next was fascinating. A public university also, "has a fundamental responsibility to be critical of society's current arrangements and to entertain, construct and test alternative visions." Now that is a radical and exhilarating thought. These localization papers outline an alternative vision to society's current arrangement. They anticipate a dramatic drop in natural resources and net energy availability likely before mid-century. One implication of this historic change is that everyday life would differ substantially from conventional expectations. There would be reduced material consumption, limited specialization, curtailed mobility and a decentralized settlement pattern. Life would be much less affluent, more agrarian, yet as a result psychological well-being would likely, if unexpectedly, improve. We can accept that this downshift is inevitable and yet be uncertain as to its timing. We might start by debating the timing, but this is a time-wasting and dangerous distraction since, afterwards, we'd still need to formulate our response. It is more sensible to accept the inevitability of the downshift, explore the many implications of resource descent and then construct plausible responses. It is prudent to start this transition while we still have surpluses of material, energy and social capital. These papers have several goals: Helping us get to a downshift moment where we accept the coming resource descent. Helping form affirmative responses that plan for, motivate and maintain a wholesome and durable existence under a descent. Pre-familiarizing ourselves with living well within local ecological limits. In short, exploring the need for, and nature of, an urgent transition.
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