<
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/these-alternative-economies-are-inspirations-for-a-sustainable-world/>
"In Europe, many “solidarity economy” initiatives, which promote a culture of
caring and sharing, swung into action when COVID-related lockdowns rendered
massive numbers of people jobless. In Lisbon, Portugal, the social centers
Disgraa and RDA69, which strive to re-create community life in an otherwise
highly fragmented urban situation, reached out with free or cheap food to
whoever needed it. They provided not only meals but also spaces where refugees,
the homeless, unemployed young people and others who might otherwise have
fallen through the cracks could interact with and develop relationships with
better-off families, creating a social-security network of sorts. The
organizers trusted those with adequate means to donate food or funds to the
effort, strengthening the feeling of community in surrounding neighborhoods.
The pandemic has exposed the brittleness of a globalized economy that is
advertised as benefiting everyone but in fact creates deep inequalities and
insecurities. In India alone, 75 million people fell below the poverty line in
2020; globally, hundreds of millions who depend for their survival and
livelihoods on the long-distance trade and exchange of goods and services were
badly hit. Similar, albeit less extreme, dislocations also appeared during the
2008 financial crisis, when commodity speculation, along with the diversion of
food grains to biofuel production, precipitated a steep rise in global grain
prices, leading to hunger and food riots in many countries that depended on
imported food. Threats to survival also emerge when war or other dislocations
stop the movement of goods. In such crises, communities fare better if they
have local markets and services and can provide their own food, energy and
water while taking care of the less fortunate."
Via Manuela Casasoli and 7B'JaJaDa.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
