Since there are no currently active contests, we have switched Climate CoLab to read-only mode.
Learn more at https://climatecolab.org/page/readonly.
Skip navigation
Share via:

Pitch

1. reduce emphasis and importance of money and economy. 2. integrate nature into economy and money calculus.


Description

Summary

To be normal most people in the developing world are expected to work 9 to 5 for a money making organization.  This stifles creativity, communication, meaning, freedom.  Let's make people more self sufficient away from money, by teaching skills in school like how to build shelters and grow food.  Maybe even make clothing.  Basic living skills. 

Emphasis should be taken away from economic growth, whatever that means, because for me it means to be a normal I have to work 9 to 5 in an office, when it would be more ecofriendly and fun for me to live by Walden pond.  I would also contribute more to society in that way, by thinking and philosophizing.

Secondly, the economy itself needs to be graded or optimized for its environmental impact.  Nature is necessary for the economy, though not sufficient.

Let's remodel economics to include happiness, health and nature and maybe overpopulation.  Maybe even values like justice, that that can be a difficult point for people.


Is this proposal for a practice or a project?

Practice


What actions do you propose?

1. decrease dependency on money:

educate people in school how to grow plants and build shelter to build individual self sufficiency.

make communities richer through more programs through the internet and farmers markets that use trading instead of money.

reexamine in academia and research why people think economy is so important.

Increase free food and housing govt programs and reduce stigma.

Maybe add ubi, universal basic income.

Change culture to change norms about what work looks like, expanding for thinking work, and decreasing the importance of work, and decrease money as it use as a metric, instead finding ways to measure social value also.

2. integrate nature and happiness into economic indices:

GDP is not a good indicator of social wealth or health. Rank and quantify countries and their wellbeing and social impact according to GHG emissions. 

Make nature and environment a source of social or cultural power.  Power is identified too often with military and money.

 


Who will take these actions?

Social programs and media, education programs, government.

Social programs and media to amplify need and desire for nature in daily life and bring back community and startups. Education to help kids and people how to live or survive off the land.  Government to implement larger scale organization of work life programs that don't depend on money as much and inject values back into society.


Where will these actions be taken?

Developed countries need to downscale. 


In addition, specify the country or countries where these actions will be taken.

United States


Country 2

United Kingdom


Country 3

Germany


Country 4

France


Country 5

China


Impact/Benefits


What impact will these actions have on greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapting to climate change?

Deconstruct single family housing and 


What are other key benefits?

Realign society with morals and intuition and the mind and nature, rather than levers of power like money (military being another example).

Reduce mental stress and pressure on people and companies so focused on the bottom line.


Costs/Challenges


What are the proposal’s projected costs?

Challenge is that people are constantly talking about social change and morals, but who knows how much happens.  

Maybe with the decline of the church we need to see new organizations rise that organize people around ideals.

Businesses also need to have more incentive to organize around ideals rather than money.


Timeline


About the author(s)


Related Proposals


References