Core ecological issues
Agriculture represents the single most profound ecological change in the entire 3.5 billion-year history of life.... Indeed, to develop agriculture is essentially to declare war on ecosystems. -- Niles Eldredge
To pretend that civilization can exist without destroying its own landbase and the landbases and cultures of others is to be entirely ignorant of history, biology, thermodynamics, morality, and self-preservation. And it is to have paid absolutely no attention to the past six thousand years. -- Derrick Jensen
The hunting and gathering lifestyle represents the most successful and enduring adaptation ever achieved by humankind. -- John Zerzan
Rarely do we hear in the media about the origins and processes underlying our environmental plight. Yet these are the areas we need to understand for the sake of the human future and that of other species. They are the root causes of biodiversity loss, the destruction of our global life support system. This is the important stuff. Note, as well, that these links counter the speciesism and human supremacism underlying mainstream environmental thought.
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The problem of agriculture
Civilization is built on agriculture. Agriculture (as distinguished from the small scale horticulture or gardening often practiced by hunter-gatherers) destroys the web of life and is fundamentally unsustainable. The implications cannot be overstated.-
My own article, this is an effort at a concise yet complete overview of the issue. It is my best effort to date toward a "grand unified theory" of our global ecological crisis.
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By John Zerzan. In-depth, insightful look at the catastrophe that is agriculture. Highly recommended.
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Thoughtful insights from Jason Godesky into the key distinctions between agriculture and horticulture. Helps to clear away such muddled notions as Quinn's "totalitarian" agriculture.
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By soils scientist Peter Salonius, this article looks at the unsustainable nature of the "soil mining" which is agriculture. The topic is rarely addressed.
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"Fertile soil is being lost faster than it can be replenished and will eventually lead to the “topsoil bank” becoming empty."
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I've only seen a trailer so far, but it makes this one of the very few films to make clear the origins of our plight in the advent of agriculture.
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Author of The Vegetarian Myth, helping to raise awareness of the destructive nature of agriculture and the civilization it has created. Illuminating ecological analysis, including rare discussion of our depletion of "fossil soil."
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Permaculture and horticulture expert Toby Hemenway details social and other problems arising from agriculture, contrasts agriculture with hunting-gathering, and offers horticulture as a potentially sustainable path.
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The mistake? Agriculture. Jared Diamond provides some of the reasons.
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The problem of civilization
The evidence suggests civilization itself is inherently unsustainable. These links explore that and related topics including the "rewilding" vision. Links change from time to time as emphases shift.-
Urban Scout, living out an entire, multifaceted life project around rewilding and the problem of civilization. Artist, writer, and promoter of rewilding extraordinaire.
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Now an archive, this site explores rewilding, often from an anthropological perspective, tackling key components of our ecological challenge. Well referenced, careful analyses of good use to those exploring these topics.
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Living close to the land, working on rewilding on Vancouver Island.
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Toward bioregionalism, limited technology and an end to civilization.
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Key author exploring the destructive nature of civilization and examining the rational responses available to us. On the cutting edge of meaningful environmentalism.
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"This blog hopes to pull together many diverging strands of information, to illustrate that the problem lies not with any one simple factor, but with the whole culture that we call civilisation."
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Important new film from Franklin López. Based in part on Derrick Jensen's Endgame, this film asks, "If your homeland was invaded by aliens who cut down the forests, poisoned the water and air... would you resist?"
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Foraging, bushcraft, permaculture, and rewilding
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Urban foraging with Becky “Wild Girl” Lerner. Lots of good plant info, wilderness adventures, primitive skills, etc.
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Major essay by John Zerzan. Drawing on a wide selection of anthropoligical literature, this traces the human shift to domestication and hence civilization. Highlights the contrast between undomesticated cultures and today's society.
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National Geographic account of time spent with the Hadza. A quick read giving a flavor of life in a contemproray hunter-gatherer society.
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Essential writer exploring in depth the the faillures of civilization versus the success of the ways of living characteristic of over 99% of human history. Essential examination of our place in nature.
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For both English and French speaking readers, here's the blog of Misko Stephane Collette, a rewilder, anti-civ friend whose views often match my own.
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By Michael Gurven and Hillard Kaplan, this is a comprehensive analysis of longevity in contemporary hunter-gatherer societies. Debunks the usual myth.
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Kiva Rose is an herbalist "focused on a vitalist approach to local plants, sustainability, [and] whole person/whole plant understandings."
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Blog of Guy McPherson, U. of Ariz. professor emeritus of natural resources and ecology & evolutionary biology. Civilization, empire, collapse, preparation, etc.
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First of a pair of essays by Jason Godesky marshaling anthropological and archeological evidence to debunk an article in The Economist which embraced the old "nasty, brutish, and short" myth concerning hunter-gatherer cultures.
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Major source of peak oil news and analysis. (Peak oil may be the most prominent potential collapse trigger, though they are all interrelated.)
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Anarcho-primitivist blog. "Anarcho-primitivism is a trajectory, and perhaps our last best chance for survival as a species."
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Marshall Sahlins' landmark work which transformed the way we understand non-agricultural societies. Good starting point for shaking off the stubborn vision fed to us by today's culture. See Gowdy's text (recommended books) for a longer version.
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"essays on modern bushcraft, primitive skills, nature awareness, and [the author's] own personal philosophy of primitivism"
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Good online source of articles relevant to the primitivist critique of civilization.
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A center of rewilding discussion on the web. An important hub if you're into rewilding.
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An engaging and informative rewilding blog from Emily Porter. Great info on plants, herbalism and other topics.
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Thoughtful blog, now an archive, on lots of relevant topics. Tonyisn't but Tony gets it.
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This film covers many of the key issues. Sad in tone, it is nevertheless clear and engaging.
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Carrying capacity
Some activists refuse to acknowldege that this basic concept of ecological science applies to humans. But we are one of millions of species, a part of the natural world, as much subject to its dictates as any other.-
My own essay, this sets out a logical proof that we have overshot carrying capacity. It was chosen by Dr. John Wilkins of the Evolving Thoughts blog at scienceblogs.com, for the "carrying capacity" section of his links to "Basic Concepts in Science."
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Important analysis estimates that humans usurp as much as 40% of all products of terrestrial photosynthesis.
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By Gigi Richard, this is one of the best brief overviews of the topic. (The site is down. I have a copy of the article and will try posting it as a pdf when I get the chance.)
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An quick sketch, this essay lays out the logic to demonstrate that we have never increased human carrying capacity. We have only overshot it. Includes consideration of the unsustainability of agriculture.
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