el buen vivir and the good life: a biological perspective on population and energy

Esmeralda Guevara, Larry M Frolich

“The Good Life” or El Buen Vivir: A North-South Binary on Population and Energy.

Larry M Frolich, Ph.D.Miami Dade CollegeWolfson Campus, Natural SciencesFulbright Scholar, Ecuador, 2011www.LarryFrolich.com

Esmeralda Guevara, Ph.D.PUCE-SI, Ibarra-Ecuador

www.esmeche.com

PRESENTATION VENUE:Sustainability Symposium, Wolfson Campus MDC

March 22, 2013

Sponsored by:


Lewis Thomas

1978


Part OneA Biological Principal: Energy and Birth Rates

• “The Good Life” and El Buen Vivir

• A social-cultural binary

Part Two

Tools for better QOL


Part OneA Biological Principal: Energy and Birth Rates



Energy and Reproduction

• Biological systems use energy to grow and reproduce

• Fundamental principle of life

Size is main determinant of

how


Data from Moses & Brown (2000)

Energy and Birth Rates: A biological principle



(Melanie Moses & James Brown, 2000)

Nat

ality

/Birt

h R

ate

(BR

)

Primates

Size of individual/Energy Use

monkey

humanmetabolic

human extra-metabolic

60 kg 130 WBR = 7

30,000 kg 10,000 WBR < 2

10 kg 20 WBR = 12

Mammals

mouse

elephant

0.05 kg 0.2 WBR = 100

5000 kg 1200 WBR = 4


The environmental movement:

But reality is not this simple…

monkey

humanmetabolic


Nat

ality

/Birt

h R

ate

(BR

)

Energy Use

has blamed population growth for the depletion of resources


The Population Bomb

So, population, in itself, is not the root of the problem

The world ecological crisis is caused by high fertility rates in the “third world” or developing countries. Too many people means too much resource use.

But we know that lowering birth rates leads to higher energy use, which represents a general increase in the use of resources.

If we want to use population control as a way to reduce the use of energy and resources, we

should start in the “developed world” suburbs with programs aimed at reducing the number of

“30,000 kg apes.”(for example: Palo Alto, California where Paul Ehrlich lives)

1968

Pikachu

Point out the Ehrlich is still powerful….place of honor on board of new ecological environmental journalPoint out that Ehrlicich doesn’t feel that he is wrong…he feels like he is right.


The more savvy environmental movement, based on an ecological perspective:

asks that we lower our use of energy…and at the same time,lower fertility rate.

But these two goals do not go together…

monkey

humanmetabolic


Nat

ality

/Birt

h R

ate

(BR

)

Energy Use


Birth rates go downonly when energy use goes up


Programs and policies that lower birth rates will lead to higher energy use

(example: China)

Programs and policies that increase energyuse will lead to lower birth rates.(example: urban Ecuador)

Can we escape from this fundamental biological principle?

Symbol for energy

babies being born


What does the century before us hold?

World population will reach its peak

The real challenge on the other side: The dependency ratio or the lack of human capital.

Fuente: UNEP

The Death of Birth: Our Dismal Fertility Rates

Good news is that high-energy-use populations self-limit as birth rates go down, even below 2



Can we use other capital to replace declining human capital? PROBLEM: Petroleum production

will also reach its peak

The real challenge on the other side: New sources of energy or the lack of stored energy capital.

Source: Exit Mundi


end Part OneA Biological Principal: Energy and Birth Rates



Part Two


¿¿questions??




Part Two



“Demographic Transition”(READ: demographic and energy use transition)

Already done in Global/Cultural “North”Happening quickly in Global/Cultural “South”

monkey

humanmetabolic


Nat

ality

/Birt

h R

ate

(BR

)

Energy Use

Demographic/ Energy

Transition

60 kg 130 WBR = 7 30,000 kg

10,000 WBR < 2


Can we find enough energy to get 7B people to 30,000 kg(and 10,000 W of energy use)?

Or can we culturally alter the biological principal that guides the transition?

monkey

humanmetabolic


Nat

ality

/Birt

h R

ate

(BR

)

Energy Use

Demographic/ Energy

Transition

60 kg 130 WBR = 7 30,000 kg

10,000 WBR < 2



Can we use other capital to replace declining human capital? PROBLEM: Petroleum production

will also reach its peak

The real challenge on the other side: New sources of energy or the lack of stored energy capital.

Source: Exit Mundi


Source: Arctic Climate Impact Assessment

The “Swoosh” of CO2 and of temperature(“hockey stick curves”)


World-wide energy sources

• Petroleum, coal and natural gas dominate, liberating carbon sequestered since the Carbiniferous Period.

• Sources that don’t liberate carbon provide 20% of the total

(CMO = Cubic Mile of Oil)

1 CMO ≈ 1.6 × 1020 joules

= 160 exajoules

≈ 4.454 × 1013 kilowatt-hours

= 44.54 petawatt-hours


Every hour and a half, the surface of the planet absorbs enough solar energy to provide the 3 CMO’s that the total human population uses in one year

The challenge before us is to

capture, concentrate and store this energy


The “Swoosh” of solar and wind energy production

Since 2008, more than half of all new capacity

for energy production has been in renewable (non-carbon-liberating)

sources.


Can we find enough energy to get 7B people to 30,000 kg(and 10,000 W of energy use)?

Or can we culturally alter the biological principal that guides the transition?

monkey

humanmetabolic


Nat

ality

/Birt

h R

ate

(BR

)

Energy Use

Demographic/ Energy

Transition

60 kg 130 WBR = 7 30,000 kg

10,000 WBR < 2

Dem

ographic/ Energy

Transition


The Economics of Fulfillment shows that:

• Increased consumption does not continue to lead to increased fulfillment

• Bit a culture based on the pursuit of “The Good Life” may not be able to incorporate this concept.

• We need a different cultural frame and Miami is perfectly situated to provide it: El Buen Vivir


El Buen Vivir “The Good Life”

0 1binaries

How do we convince people (ourselves?) that fulfillment, plenitude, prosperity is not just about making it to 30,000 kg?


What sustains us?

• El Buen Vivir• Eduardo Gudynas, Alberto Acosta:

Sumak Kawsay--A relation with Pachamama

• Max-Neef—nine basic human needs

How do we sustain the earth?• not with “The Good Life”• Reduce,Reuse,Recycle• Herman Daly—the Earth

is a limiting factor

El Buen Vivir “The Good Life”

QUALITY OF LIFE

subsistenceprotection

affectionunderstanding

participationleisure

creationidentity

freedom

material valuesspiritual values


Criar = nourish Raise or bring up = levantarEl Buen Vivir “The Good Life”

CHILD-RAISINGWhat is more fundamental to sustainability (and the future) than how we raise our children?The binary calls for balance:

• High-Technology• High Energy Use• Low Fertility means

population in decline• Child-raising is “growing

up” to be independent

• Low-Technology• Low Energy Use• High Fertility means

population increase• Child-raising is criar,

nourish, dependence on family

FUTURE QUALITY OF LIFEis a balance in this binary(which means balance in power use)


Reverse transfer of

technology and values


Reverse Transfer of

Technology and

Values


"You know that the duty of the conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother cardinals went almost to the end of the world to get him. But here we are.”

Francis of Assisi


El Buen Vivir “The Good Life”WHAT IS NEEDED? Reverse transference

IDEAS• People are Sacred• BioCultural Life-Scape

VALUES• Family• Children• Conversation• Togetherness

TECHNOLOGIES• Home-grown• Artesanal

IDEAS• Sacredness of Nature• Wilderness Areas

VALUES• Stability• Independence• Self-Motivated• Consume Media Individually

TECHNOLOGIES• Digital• Bio-Engineering

integrate

integrate

integrate

historically dominates


We are few with access to the power of education

1% of the world’s population goes to college


So, what should we do?Promote wind and solar. We all will want energy and non-carbon-based energy can solve some, but not all of our loss of human capital as population peaks.

• Rage against “The Good Life.”

• Adopt El Buen Vivir. • Seek true Quality of Life

—it’s a win-win for all!


Thank You’sand propaganda

www.SustEd.org

www.LarryFrolich.comwww.esmeche.com

Class in Management of Information Resources,PUCE-SI, Campus Virtual, Septiembre 2011

Los múltiples fuentes de alimentación


Energy: “Big History”

The composition of the atmosphere depends on a balance between the process of photosynthesis and the

process of metabolic respiration carried out by living beings.

Meganeura:• 75 cm wing-span Dragonfly• From Carboniferous Period, 300 MYA• How could it fly?

What is more fundamental to sustainability (and the future) than our sources of energy?

Pikachu



Historia del Planeta Tierra

Energy: “Big History”

300 MYA: Meganeura; Great Coal Forests, 30% O2

100 MYA: Ability to decompose lignin; 21% O2

4.5-4.0 BYA: Earth Forms; First Life—prokaryotic cells

2.0 BYA: Origin of Photosynthesis by Cyanobacteria--O2

into atmosphere1760: Joseph Priestley discovers O2, ,CO2

1800-present: Industrial Revolution: Humans liberate fossilized carbon deposits (“fossil fuel”) CO2

rises

Pikachu


el buen vivir and the good life: a biological perspective on population and energy

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