carbon and food

8/4/2019 Carbon and Food

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Carbon and FoodHow to cope with the climatic changes the Permaculture way

Permaculture as a strategy for connecting and combing the four basic natural elements kept together and developed by a sustainable organisation forthe growing and structuring of plant systems and thereby the regeneration of natural resources.


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THE NECESSITIES

The UN system for combating climate change is breaking down,

which is shown in the ongoing series of failed UNFCCC conferences

(COPs). Therefore we in the civil society have to act united as gras-

sroots, as we did in Copenhagen at KLIMAFORUM 09.

Demonstrations and civil disobedience actions alone doesnt do the

job, the world authoritarian order is able to shut down such forms of

activities. We have to do concrete and actual projects, that can be

executed by groups of local people without any influence from state

levels.

HOW TO BALANCE THE CARBON CIRCULATION

In Copenhagen 2009 at KLIMAFORUM09, we presented a strategy

of how to cope with global ecological disasters. Since then the situa-

tion have developed into the worst case scenario we anticipated at the

time the outlet of trace gasses are virtually out of control, especially

if looking at the ocean currents lack of capacity to absorb carbon and

the thawing of the permafrost and boreal forests. We are past the

limit of 2 degrees C and 350 ppm CO2. We are reaching 4 degree and

420 ppm within this century.

To cope with this, we have to establish ecological processes, which can

be compared with the situation in the Perm-Triassic period, where theglobe reached CO2 values in the atmosphere that is comparable to theactual situation. At that time 80 % of all life on the globe was extermi-nated. Afterwards the humidity and warm climate made plant growthexplode, which created the balance that gave us the

oxygenised air, the fertile soil, the fossilised energy, through the bindingof carbon in the flora and the circulation of the fluid elements water andair by creation of ice and the local binding and releasing.

The strategy for creating such a situation in our time is based on reducingthe human emission of carbon and creating plant systems in massivescale.

We present the strategy under the title Less than 1 ton CO2 per personper year / more than 10.000 trees per person per lifetime. This title is ametaphor for NO BURNING OF CARBON and FORESTS ALLOVER.

The statement less than 1 ton and more than 10.000 trees is meant to

give a tactical and practical level of local action.The term less is meant to indicate some degree of flexibility in relationto the local climatically circumstances from the extreme north to thepoorest south.The claim more than 10.000 is meant to secure that the planting oftrees dont stop and that a constant urge for the planting and developmentof carbon fixing continues.

At the same time a part of the strategy is to implement a tax system onCO2 in order to:

- finance the tree planting initiatives according to permacultureprinciples

- establish heavy motivation to reduce the consumption of fossil fu-els

- compensate for the global debt of the industrialised worlds over-consumption

- support the food security and development of exploited regions


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HOW TO BALANCE AND SECURE FOOD FOR ALL

By developing local centres for Permaculture education and projects, wewill be able to combine the planting of trees and other perennials togetherwith food production for the local people, in a way that does not offendedpeoples right to the land, whether the land is owned, leased or squatted.

DESTRUCTION OF THE ECOLOGICAL BALANCETHIS PAMPHLET IS AN ATTEMPT TO SUGGESTCOMPENSATION FOR THE EXTREEM UNBALANCES WE HAVEINFLECTED ON THE GLOBES NATURAL PROCESSES WITHINTHE LAST COUPPLE OF HUNDERED YEARS. SUCHCOMPENSATION MUST BE BASED ON PROCESSES INHARMONY WITH THE ECOLOGICAL PATTERNS THAT HAVEREIGNED THE GLOBE UP UNTILL THE HUMAN DESTRUCTIONHAS TAKEN OVER.

The destruction is based on simple technological, static understandings of

the world without any ecological dynamic outreach, originating from thenarrow minded view on the world that has developed since the renais-sance and constituted throughout the industrialised society and whichhave let us into the disastrous situation we now experience (ref: NordicPamphlet DENGLUSAUism).

The driving forces of this development are a combination of technical,segmented and political narrow sighted views on our existence. The re-sult has been the extreme exploitation of natural resources, which wehave developed throughout the last couple of hundred years. It is orches-trated by a still increasing degree of techniques on well defined

and limited functions - but with a total lack of understanding of ecologi-cal dynamics the recycling / redistribution of the natural resources dynamics that keeps systems and environment alive and secure the abilityto regenerate.

Dynamics that are driven by the 3 different conditions of water and theliving dynamics of the plants: The freezing of the poles, which drives theocean currents, the glaciers, which provide fresh water streams and themoisture in the air which provide rain. The plant systems, especially theforests, which contain the most important combination of water, carbonand nutrients, evaporate into clouds and rain. Without this distributingdynamics the life on earth will disappear.

Those dynamics have been threaded several times in the time span of theglobe, most severely in the Perm-Triassic period where 80 % of the lifeon earth was extinct. The main reason for that are the rise of temperature,

that are threatening to met all ice on the globe and thereby stopped themain ocean currents, and killed most of the forests and thereby destroyedthe main carbon collectors.

In relation to this Geo-engineering is another static concept just to storecarbon, not distribute it, which creates methane and firestorms in soil(like Russia in 2010) and in the oceans (like in the Perm-Triassic period).

The only solution is therefore to kick-start the ecological circuits again,by using the hot and humid situation to plant trees, for recycling the re-sources and storing carbon in natural deposits.

FirmaMenthaPermakultur analyser, planlgning, design, byggeri, anlgc/o Tony Andersen - Sjllandsgade 59 C, lejl 503 2200 Kbenhavn N

Tlf: +45 3325 7079 - Email: [email protected] - SE: 2972 1637 - Merkur bank 8401 konto 101 6726


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SYSTEM CHANGE NOT CLIMATE

CHANGEClimate justice and food security

The 10.000 trees project besides demanding tree planting as a way tocope with the climate disasters is based on a system to raise capital forestablishing implementable and just (environmentally and socially) pro-jects in the Global South while pressuring the Global North to reduce theconsumption of fossil fuels.

To make just and fair projects that consider the ecological and climatedebt we have to construct a system that gives small consumers of fossilfuel with low industrial production systems (mainly in the Global South)the basic advantage. And at the same time gives the large consumers withhigh industrial production systems (mainly in the Global North) the obli-

gation to compensate and paying back the debt they owe to the globe andthe people they have exploited for centuries.

It is essential that there is created a grassroots-strategy that can be ap-

plied by all with basic practical and appropriate means like Permacul-

ture.

First of all this can be done through establishing reforestation projects inorder to extract the trace-gasses from the atmosphere, and in order to re-generate natural ecological resources such as topsoil, purified water andair. The choice of trees must fulfil at least three conditions: Local species,food-procuring species and a diversity of species. Trees that produce foodand strengthen food sovereignty, while at the same time producing mate-rials for building, fuel, fibre and human pleasure.

The 10.000 trees project in line with the Permaculture principles for

food security and natural preservation.

Secondly, effective mechanisms to stop human-made global warmingmainly caused by CO2 emissions from fossil fuels, industrial agricultureand deforestation must be introduced. The problem of controlling thecauses of CO2 emissions seems to be immense, and does not seem to

have any chance of success in the light of existing political decision-making structures.A less complex, less expensive, and less time-consuming system wouldbe a tax system, a tax system that taxes every output of CO2, calculatedby the number of citizens/inhabitants worldwide. The tax could be set upas the price of any ton of CO2 above one ton per person per year and beregulated nationally in the way the political decision-making system de-cides. For companies and international transportation it would apply toeach ton of CO2 emissions.

It is considered that every person on the globe has the right to emit 1 ton

of CO2per year which gives the structure of fair and just solutions. Re-garding the exploitation of resources, the final consumer would have topay the prices or taxes of the exploitation and not the country or regionthat possess the resource.

Besides the consumption on the personal uses and including our personaluse of working places, public institutions like schools, hospitals andtransportation and inclusive our food do we have to add the military,the international transportation systems as airplanes and ships. Structureswhich are polluting more CO2 than the civilian consumption and whichought to be an issue at the UNFCCC negotiations (the COP meetings)

while we, the grassroots, will be able to reduce our own consumption inour communities down below 1 ton CO2 per person per year by our-selves.

The revenues that come from these taxes could, for the person-relatedpart, be divided into two parts: A national one that should be earmarkedrenovation, sustainable energy systems, the development of environmen-


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tally sound traffic systems, etc. The other part should be earmarked aninternational fund controlled by the UN to invest in sustainable develop-ment in areas most effected by climate change, like tree-planting andfood security.

At an estimated 1000 per ton, with 50 Gt CO2 output globally, this

would give a total of 50.000 billion to invest per year, where the 25.000every year have to be invested in the Global South.

For a fair and just regeneration of natural resources and environ-

mental and social conditions, a global Tax must be set on every con-

sumption of CO2 above 1 Ton per person.

According to estimates by the European Union, an amount of 100 billion per year would give some fair compensation to the developing world.In Denmark e.g. the nation would have to pay 10,000 per person for 5million inhabitants, and a consumption of 11 ton CO2 per person per

year. Altogether 50 billion of which the half (25 billion), should be paidinto a national fund for sustainable development in the richer countries,and the other half (25 billion) should be paid to the international invest-ment fund for tree-planting and food security. This is 10 times theamount in that Denmark is today paying in $ to the developing world.

If this becomes status quo for the world, it would give a transfer from therich to the poorer countries, which is considered to be 1/3 of the worldpopulation, on 24 billion, an amount of in average 10 euro per year ifwe suggest that about 10 % of the population can be mobilised for thePermaculture tree planting projects, it will provide some of the poorestfarmers with 100 pr year as the salary for education and work on nurs-eries and planting projects. To this comes another 100 from the interna-tional transportation sector all together an amount of 200 pr yearwhich could supply a developing country family until they have estab-lished a running and sustainable Permaculture project.

In the USA Albert Bates from the Farm have started a school project,where every class forms 4 groups of children. One group for localisingsites for planting, one group for finding species and establishing nurser-ies, another for doing the exact planting scheme, and a last group formaintaining the trees and all of them helping each other

As examples for cutting consumption in the industrialised world, seethe two projects from Denmark, Copenhagen in the following.

- A pilot project for an urban situation the Estlandgade block in theVesterbro area.

- In connection to that the urban-land link in the project GuleReer

20 kilometres from Vesterbro www.permahaven.dk


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Estlandsgade block asan example of decentralisedenergy supply

New: Residential wind

turbines

A new legislative approval oresidential wind turbines gives

even urther opportunities or

decentralised energy-supply.

Solar panels.It is possible to produce

enough hot water to cover

the need o Vesterbro.

Stirling-engine.The engine is ed with wood-

chips and can produce hot

water or heating and eg.

consumer water. It can be di-

mensioned to work all year

or to be turned o in summer.

Passive sun.5% o the acades tted with

passive solar heating will

reduce the CO2 emission by

807 ton pr. year.

Facade ftted solar cells.Solar cells on o the roo

area and on 1/10 o the

acades will reduce the

CO2-emission by 26% o the

emission rom the electricity

production.


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Example of initiatives towards 2015

Re-insulation o roos 2.3 per cent reduction

Re-insulation o foors and oundations 3.9 per cent reduction

Replacement o windows 2.5 per cent reduction

Replacement o pumps 2.8 per cent reduction

Switching to energy ecient lighting 3.7 per cent reduction

Adjustment o existing ventilation 0.7 per cent reduction

Decreasing inlet temperature 2.1 per cent reduction

Introduction o congestion charges 2 per cent reduction

TOTAL CO2 REDUCTION 20 per cent reduction

Example of initiatives towards 2025

Switching to ossil uel ree energy supply

(Whether centralised or decentralised) 85 per cent reduction

Introduction o congestion charges 2 per cent reduction

Closure o Vesterbrogade

+ 25 per cent electric cars 0.7 per cent reduction

Switching to electric busses

(renewable energy) 0.14 per cent reduction

TOTAL CO2 REDUCTION 87.84 per cent reduction

The above examples are ONLY

examples and not an attempt to

place the various initiatives in any

order o priority. We have, however,

taken some practical considerations

into account. In the example o the

20 per cent reduction in 2015 we

have selected the most easible

proposals.

How can we make it happen?Action must be taken both on a

national, municipal and local level.

Some recommendations require

demand law reorms and govern-

ment support, while local authori-

ties and the community may initi-

ate and provide administrative and

fnancial support or various publiccampaigns aimed at the decision-

makers.

We believe that it is, among

other things, necessary that:

Vesterbro is appointed a low energy

area, meaning that all new buildings

must, as a minimum, meet the re-

quirements o low energy class 1.

state and local authorities require

homeowners and contractors toconduct climate-riend ly renova-

tions.

unds or preliminary planning (en-

vironmentally sound planning) are

provided or housing associations

so that they can estimate their

specifc needs and fnancial circum-

stances.

uture housing renovation unds

are reserved or climate-riendly

renovation projects and that these

unds will also be open or applica-tions rom housing co-operatives.

Copenhagen municipality estab-

lishes a municipal loan scheme or

residents wishing to renovate their

multi-storey buildings in a climate-

riendly manner.

Copenhagen municipality lives up

to its obligations to ensure climate-

riendly renovation o municipal

buildings as well as its policies on

environmentally sound planning, asdescribed in the pamphlet Milj i

Byggeri og Anlg.

a network o climate-certifed build-

ers is established in order to en-

sure easy access to contractors

with knowledge o environmentally

sound renovation.

an eective campaign is launched

with a view to inorming housing as-

sociations in Vesterbro o the legal

requirements or energy labelling

o buildings.

an inormation campaign is

launched with a view to inorm-

ing the districts businesses o the

benefts o renovating electrical

installations. This could be done

in collaboration with VEKO (a local

retailers association).

a study is undertaken to determine

what instruments should be used

to achieve a signicant reduction

o other electricity consumptionin the households.

an open discussion is held on the

pros and cons o a decentralised

energy supply as opposed to a cen-

tralised energy supply with decen-

Closure o Vesterbrogade and re-

placement o 25 per cent o private

cars with electric cars running on

conventionally produced electric-

ity will reduce CO2 emissions by

0.7 per cent (1,546 tons/year).

Introduction o congestion charges

in the metropolitan area will re-

duce CO2 emissions in Vesterbro

by 2 per cent (4,286 tons/year).

Electric busses on all Vesterbro

bus lines will reduce CO2 emis-

sions in Vesterbro by 0.07 per cent

(149.66 tons/year) i powered by

conventionally produced electric-

ity. With ossil ree uel the reduc-

tion will amount to 0.14 per cent

(299.32 tons/year). 2% (4.286 ton

CO2/r).


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tralised supplement, respectively.

Also, it is important to strive or a

ossil uel ree energy supply regard-

less o which solution is chosen.

More recommendations regarding

the various energy supply types

can be ound in the background

report.

renewable energy sources are sub-

sidised and exempted rom taxes.

electricity companies selling real

green power are selected and

recommended.

supplementary decentralised en-

ergy production, e.g. by means o

windmill co-operatives, is provided

with fnancial and practical sup-

port.

the waste disposal system is opti-

mised with regards to recycling andractionation in preparation or a

ossil uel ree energy supply.

congestion charges are introduced

in the metropolitan area.

charging stations or electric cars

are established.

more roads and streets are closed

or transit and more speed bumps

and one-way streets are estab-

lished.

the number o parking spaces is

reduced.

more trials o bus lanes, which speed

up bus trac, are undertaken.

trials o light railway as a supple-

ment to S-trains and the Metro are

conducted. Light railway consumes

is less energy-consuming and has a

smaller environmental impact dur-

ing the construction phase.

Park & Ride acilities with ree park-

ing at peripherally placed S-train and

Metro stations are established.

uture urban planning ensures that

the residents o Vesterbro have

easy access to shopping, recre-

ational activities and fexible solu-

tions or sports and social interac-

tion, thereby reducing the need

or transport.

the city bike project is extended,

and new city bikes with capacity

or carrying groceries home are

introduced.

cyclists have right o way at all

trac lights.

bicycles should be allowed onto S-

trains and the Metro ree o charge

all day.

Furthermore, we recommend

that:

the residents o Vesterbro are

encouraged to contribute ideas

or climate-riendly initiatives and

receive unding or these rom the

Local Committee o Vesterbro.

local organisations are encouraged

to rethink their traditions rom an

environmental perspective.

local ood supply projects are ex-

panded and receive administrative

and nancial support.

Copenhagen municipality desig-

nates certain areas, in which in-

novative environmental businesses

get priority access to oce rent-

als.

environmental committees in hous-

ing blocks and housing associations

and a network between these are

established, possibly in collabora-

tion with the Climate Movement o

Denmark, which is currently work-ing on a project on communication

aimed at housing co-operatives.

a homepage or pamphlet on locally

based holidays is prepared.


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THE STRATEGY OF 10.000 TREESA Practical Response to Climate Change

In relation to the ecological and climatic crisis we are already experienc-ing changes. In the light of this and the disastrous forecasts about what

will come in the future, we have to develop strategies not only for reduc-ing emissions of trace gases, but for extracting the gases form the atmos-phere into permanent deposits. The way the globe has balanced thesetrace gases are through the plant systems in the oceans and on land mainly through bacteria, algae and forests.

Therefore we suggest cowering the globe with forests, as trees is a mediawe as humans have the longest tradition and understanding of operatingwith. It should be forests and trees planted according to Permacultureprinciples, so that they provide local communities and indigenous peo-ples with food, fuel and timber for protective shelter while regulating theclimate and mitigating the radical changes.

We must cope with the unbalances in the carbon circulation. Within thelast 200 hundred years we have moved from about 300 ppm up to nowwith 390 ppm. It is stated that the 350 level should be the one that couldkeep us under the 2 centigrade Celsius that would balance our ecologicalsystem with the ice on the poles and in the glaciers. Is that the case, wedo not only have to recreate the forest systems, but to reduce our CO2emissions to the estimate of 1 ton per person per year so we produceabout 7.000.000.000 ton CO2per year globally instead of the actual

30.000.000.000.

We have reached 3 tipping points in recent years: melting ice masses,stop of ocean currents and dying forest in the boreal areas and in the

tropics.

THE FORESTS

Forests are together with the oceans the global mediators of the climatethey collect carbon, they collect water and evaporate it, they cool of thesoil in hot periods, they warm up the soil in cold periods, they fertilisesthe soil with nutrition and minerals and they provide habitat for immense

numbers of flora and fauna.

Forests are the key factors of some basic stability on the globe, regulatingrain, storms, temperatures and they might even moderate earthquakes andlimit volcano eruptions through their ability to balance and modify ten-sions and restrains in the soil and in the earth crust.To that comes the regeneration of basic ecological elements that origi-nally were created of the plants: the pure water and air, the fertile soil andthe energy through collection of carbon. Forests are in combination withwater the natural element that shows the greatest potentiality for biodi-versity and ecological dynamics.

THEREFORE we suggest that the whole globe constantly should estab-lish shrubs, trees, and forests what it anyway if we would let it be.For that have we chosen a number of 10.000 trees per person per lifetime a number chosen for its appeal as a campaign figure it must be lookedat as a continuous endeavour, with first actual new planting, later replant-ing and even further finding new options in older and former forest areas i.e. as in the dying coniferous forests in the Boreal areas.

The forests is thought as biodiverse and natural forests with canopy, 2 or

3 lower levels with fruit and nut trees and bushes. Such a forest with ahigh degree of biodiversity could contain as much as 10.000 plants per1 hectare. To that comes the capacity in glades with bushes, herbs andvegetables. As such the 10.000 trees will more correctly be 10.000 per-ennial plants.

During the forests lifetime the number of trees will diminish according to


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the ecological and climatic situation in the temperate belt i.e. around700 trees will diminish for a full grown forest after 100 years. In themean time cutting and thinning will give material for fuel (within theamount of 1 ton/person), buildings etc.

Dying forestsWe have to consider a situation where a lot of the natural, local forestsare dying under the pressure from climate change.Though there are things we can be sure about, like higher temperatures,moister climate, and extreme weather such as droughts, rainstorms andfloods etc. Therefore a lot of the 10.000 trees would be substituting al-ready existing but dying plants in a steady increasing speed i.e. the bo-real forests in Canada and Siberia, which for the time being are holding25 % of all organic carbon in the world, and just now are releasing it in astill increasing speed due to the dying of the forest and thawing of thepermafrost.

PLANTS / PERENNIAL PLANTSFood forests

In forests can you find food like fruits, nuts, berries, roots, vegetables etc.But it depends on the variation of the basic forests, in the diversity oftrees, in the different kind of access of light, in varieties of water andmoist all circumstances that are characteristics of forests and to the ex-

traordinary diversity they contain.

STRATEGIES in the different parts of the world, have to find balancesbetween different plant systems, animals, traditional techniques, and de-veloped new strategies related to the Permaculture strategies developedthrough the certified 72 hour Permaculture courses.

IMPLEMENTATION

For doing this implementation in so different circumstances we musthave a look at the whole possibilities in all parts of the globe.

The total land mass on earth is about 150 million km2 = 150 billion hec-tares. If we suggest that 25 % goes to cities, infrastructure etc,25% to glaciers, high mountains, lakes, deserts etc. We take the last 50 %as arable and forestry land. This adds up to potentiality 75 billion hec-tares of land for agriculture, forests, wetlands etc.

If we are calculating with an average uptake of 10 t CO2 per hectare peryear and we calculate with an outlet of 23.000.000.000 t(30.000.000.000 minus 1 t/person 6.800.000.000) per year, it would onlydemand 2.300.000.000 hectares out of the total arable land capacity of75.000.000.000. That leaves a lot of potential for mixing in different eco-

logical niches in different combination with different types of biomes.

Among some of the first initiatives should be the replanting of the borealareas and all levels until 7 meters above existing sea level as mangrovesand swamps, where we can expect ascent of water levels all around thecoasts and along waterways inland while the glaciers are melting. Assuch we calculate all existing, former and future wetlands with 5.000 to20.000 plants per hectare.

The planting in such numbers are small done by small not yet fully de-veloped to protect the roots. Some even directly seeded in the ground or

from nurseries on the spot, and will during their growing be coppiced,thinned and cut down to what is characteristic for mature forests in thedifferent regions and that in combination with the Permaculture foodproducing strategies for the local farmers.


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ORGANISATION

To get strategies like the 10.000 trees implemented there have to be asuccessive level of organizations responsible for the local program. Itmust be local farmers, who know the ecological circumstances in the

landscapes and through their family relation have the closest possiblerelation to the local social and cultural structures and habits.The geographical areas were the plans have to be developed have to beestablished as catchment areas of natural water for the circulation andrecirculation of the resources, but also as the fundamental basis for deci-sion-making and implementation of the strategies for planting, farmingand to settle.The structure that we operate with within Permaculture is meant tostrengthen local autonomy your house, your community, your village orneighbourhood, your city and/or parish (or similar) and your bioregion,where you are able to provide yourself and your family with all dailyneeds throughout the year.

Within those frameworks we have to establish forums for structural con-trol together with your local co-citizens on the available natural resourceswithin our regions.

The decision making processes for these communities cannot follow thenormal so-called parliamentarian democracy process through its ma-jority dictatorship, its closed and secret committees and the fixed electionperiods it creates a lot of instability, manipulation and exploitation

through specific self-interest from group inside and outside (seeDENGLUSAUism).

Therefore there have to be established a so-called basic democratic deci-sion making system consisting of:

- consensus decisions- open working groups- acute send persons

A basic democratic system established on all the mentioned organisa-

tional levels and with connections between them (se pamphlet Permacul-ture organisation).

Regarding the land it probably demands some ownership model, and ifthats not the case, developing traditions like the Danish cooperativestructures is useful if needed in combination with the Iberian, and Bra-zilian, squatting system. Where it is possible to squat land that is not inuse and get the right to negotiate for the use of it and even the ownershipof the land in question, with the landowner and/or the authorities.

If the UNFCCC COP-process would do something useful and create

a fundamental attempt to establish circumstances for a sustainabledevelopment for the globe and the communities around it, the phe-

nomena described in this paper and the solutions mentioned here

would have to be discussed.

In the meantime we - the grassroots networks around the world -

have to develop and implement the solutions as real examples of what

can be done, when the increasing disasters are haunting us.

carbon and food

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