Monday, January 26, 2009

older thoughts looking for extension into global mind space...


in the effect of: you can't just sit and think, if you're going to sit on what you think, here are some recent thoughts on Carbon sequestration methods:

Political realization of local desires is what leads to sustainability: due to an alleviation of tension between global market forces and on the ground land use changes. Fundamental to this goal is understanding the socio-economic and cultural characteristics of the target population (CCB, 2008), however, understanding a people’s need for self-legitimization as well as the socio-economic concerns currently operating on the region are a key aspect of sustainable development that is often overlooked. The central question here is what exactly is development? Who decides who needs to be developed? If we look at Quality of life, rather than just economic metrics to define development: I really think we need to address this question qualitatively if we are to not devise the same set of “development” standards to which American and European societies have conformed. A rise in purchasing power, per capita income and technological sophistication are not defacto measurements of social and environmental development. To get a true measure of in which way people wish to develop I think the solution is relatively simple: we need to ask them. Fortunately, we have a basic framework that is somewhat adapted to local conditions, the World Health Organization Quality of Life evaluation (WHOQOL), which is accepted by the United Nations, and should be involved in any so called social development projects accepted by the CDM.

A more radical but also more practical and locally sensitive solution is to determine the current structure of landholding, identify capital and service flows into and out of the area, and make sure that they reach a truly equitable level: i.e. there is an equitable amount of capital flow in to service flow out: and there is an equitable amount of capital remaining in the area: i.e just compensation.

Presently, many problems still stem from a fundamental iniquity in the distribution of capital around the planet: We tend to have high amounts of financial and institutional capital in areas that have had depleted natural capital (i.e. one has been transferred to the other) and hence a subsequent cycle of the depletion of natural capital in other regions of the globe in order to continue an unsustainable method of development: unsustainable being the inability to balance energetic and material budgets within the zone of influence.

Extension of information networks will contribute to project success:

However, the real goal of disseminating information is to spread the necessary skills, tools and knowledge for individuals interested in developing such projects for themselves. This may be the role of an NGO or developmental entity/entrepreneur, but the end goal would be to disseminate a) knowledge of the possibility of true clean development projects, b) the necessary steps to implement such a project, and c) a realized connection to the global community which allows for further dissemination of methodology as well as registry (input from global capital flows) , and representation in the globa l decision making body.

Two conflicting problems: 1 is the constant involvement of the CDM executive board; which can not hope to thoroughly evaluate all possible projects: the second is a lack of trust or real independent verification process; as both validator, verifier and project developer have a vested interest in the voluntary market (TNI). The second becomes an issue when you cannot trust ‘lower level’ validation or verification procedures: if there were smaller more efficient teams that adhered to CDM standards (which themselves are evolving) they could validate and verify projects with the implicit trust that they adhered to the overall executive procedure: if they did not, there should be an efficient system for registering complaints (from any stakeholder) all the way to the executive board. In this sense, the executive board would serve more in an oversight capacity than in an actual executive capacity, greatly alleviating the bureaucratic burden and time lag of project approval. However, a large caveat comes with such a proposed process; it will simply not work unless there is a complete disambiguation of financial interest between the validation and verification entities, and the project implementers. Again though, this necessary elimination of shared financial interest does not mean there is no vested interest in for the project implementer, verification/validation entity, national government and the CDM Exec. Board; quite the contrary: it is in all parties best interest to generate projects that meet social, environmental and economic goals. The only reason to disambiguate financial interest is to prevent corruption from significantly altering the project process. In order to achieve the financial separation of operational entity and project implementer; there should be a set rate for validation and verification process which is funded by either a national carbon tax that goes into a pool specific to energy efficieny/environmental and social development projects: or a set percentage of profits from the sale of all carbon credits within the specified registry; this model may actually be a better idea because it cuts out funneling money through unstable and potentially corrupt institutions, and it makes the registry an entity with integrity (though this may be a naïve hope)…

Friday, January 23, 2009

reasoning behind skiing cont...




Oddly enough, it seems like in a few days you can sample a wide variety of the twists and turns the ski world has to offer, a hike up an unnamed abandoned resort in affords all the early season powder you can stomach in southern Vt, take it as a precursor, or trial of the true backcountry. or as a way of attaining true peace and quiet...




To get almost the exact opposite effect, get up really early to drive even farther north to make it to the races by 7.30, so that night your friends can pour cheap canadian whiskey from the balcony of a house down your throat (while you wear ski goggles), or shotgun beers out of an old ski boot (pics edited out,,,) so the next morning, 8.00 am in Ascutney Ville you will find yourself:

Music roaring, the vacuum cleaner sucking up the detritus of early early morning fun, the peace and quiet must out there somewhere; gazes shell shocked from the night before sit in deliberation, coffee brewing, a strong stomach wrenching pot takes the place of breakfast; Not a race day for the URI ski team due to an insurance mix up provides Max and I with free tickets on 6 to 8 inches of freshies... It could be an opportunity for all to get back in the roots, but new jersey, new york and rhode island beckon on a long humming ride home... Spirits are high on one end of things, and very low on the other. We get ready to depart the nightmare of a Taoist sage ("in the time of ruin the lord's children shall drink and make merriment long into the night while the lands are ravaged, the granaries full and the people hungry...")

snow the night before, around 2 am:



The deep spruce woods on the peak of Ascutney mountain are far from ravaged, and the land flush with prime real estate, cold and lovely. Last night served up a particularily lovely dinner from the Seedhouse cafe (http://www.bennetts1815.com/), is still going strong in this boy's belly. The food was delicious to the point of absurdity, served by a man named Peter who sported full chef atire and a Harvard Class ring (reason's for going North included straight economics, as well as a need to get out of the partially megalomaniacal metropolis of Boston/Cambridge). Twould be hard to find a more well traveled and rounded restauranteur, or one willing to cater in such a fine manner to two very grungy looking ski bum types... He did however seem grateful for our company, on a cold and rather empty Saturday night, but then again, everything about the place spoke low key: I feel this is somehow integral to the driving vision; i.e. people willing to go to great lengths to obtain a particular quality of life, or a quality of experience...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

The Reasoning Behind (or in front of) Skiing

Just sitting down after a few weeks in serious flux, in between CT and VT, the computer a slightly foreign creature tugging at my attention like a tenous internet connection, it occurs to me that I would still rather be skiing.

As fascinating as the world's problems may be, and as attention consuming the solutions likewise are; it does not fail to amaze me the number of solutions and efforts appearing on the global and local scene like mushrooms after a rain. I only hope that the same ethic that drives me into the snow covered forest can find footing in a tumultous global situation that somehow manages to stave off global chaos with well thought out changes in human lifestyle and ambition. Rather than the ceaseless quest for more we shall engage in a fruitful quest for quality of life which acknowledges the value inherent in a) not creating larger amounts of suffering in the world to satisfy material needs and wants but also b) to engage with the world in a way that increases the positive, even evolutionary, impacts of our daily decisions.

Alas the sun is shining and the shiny box has held me answering emails for too long on such a day and I must away, though I shall return to finish an essay detailing the original subject of this post...