YOUR RESOURCE FOR OVERCOMING THE ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL CRISES OF THE 21ST CENTURY THROUGH THE GREEN TRANSITION, COMMUNITY BUILDING, AND UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIETY THROUGH SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY AND PRACTICE
Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, is on a mission to plant a million trees over the next two years, increasing vegetation in her city by fifty percent while shoring up eroding riverbanks and increasing biodiversity. "This isn't just about planting trees; it's about growing trees, and it's about ensuring that each one of us is part of the process," she says. "A million trees is our city's small contribution to increasing the much-needed global carbon sink."
This talk was presented at an official TED conference, and was featured by our editors on the home page.
by Matt Trombley, Ted Talks: https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_trombley_the_beauty_and_complexity_of_finding_common_ground How can we disagree with one another, respectfully and productively? In this thoughtful talk, team builder Matt Trombley reflects on "agonism" -- the tendency to take a rigid stance on issues -- and shares why finding aspects of agreement can be the first step in resolving conflict. "When you can find even the smallest bit of common ground with somebody, it allows you to understand the beautiful wonder and complexity and majesty of the other person," he says. This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with Wells Fargo. TED editors featured it among our selections on the home page. Read more about the TED Institute.
In this short video, Dr Christian Parenti argues that neoliberalism is closely linked with the climate crisis. According to Parenti, what we need is a guided capitalism and an expansion of the public sector.
Christian Parenti has a PhD in sociology (co-supervised in geography) from the London School of Economics and is a professor in the Global Liberal Studies Program at New York University. His latest book, Tropic of Chaos: Climate Change and the New Geography of Violence (2011), explores how climate change is already causing violence as it interacts with the legacies of economic neoliberalism and cold-war militarism. The book involved several years of travel and research in conflict zones of the Global South.
Christian’s current research focuses on the environmental history of state involvement in American economic development, from the earliest days of the republic onward. As a journalist, he has reported extensively from Afghanistan, Iraq, and various parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. His articles have appeared in Fortune, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Middle East Report, London Review of Books, Mother Jones, and The Nation (where he is a contributing editor). He has also helped make several documentaries and has won numerous journalistic awards, including the 2009 Lange-Tailor Prize and “Best Magazine Writing 2008” from the Society for Professional Journalists. He also received a 2009 Emmy nomination for the documentary Fixer: The Taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi.
