Grow or die. It's the governing principle of companies, investment portfolios, national economies, and even philanthropic foundations. Oh, and cancer. Asher, Jason, and Rob lay bare the stats on everything from human population, energy consumption, global GDP, greenhouse gas emissions, and the size of cars and cruise ships, before concluding that the global economy should be named after the Wendigo from Algonquian folklore. They turn to the natural world for examples of self-regulation, along with promising new economic frameworks and on-the-ground models, for how to end Wendigo economics before it ends us.

Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.

Sources/Links/Notes:

• Timeline of Sarah Winchester's story
• Timeline of the largest passenger boats
• Parks and Rec clip on soda sizes
• Kaitlin Smith, "More Than Monsters: The Deeper Significance of Wendigo Stories"
• Winona LaDuke discusses Wendigo economics in a Yes! Magazine online conversation.
• Hannah and Kevin Salwen, The Power of Half: One Family's Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back
• CBS news story about a family giving away half their income
• SparkToro, an unusual tech company that doesn't believe bigger is better
• Report: Resilient Biocultural Heritage Landscapes for Sustainable Mountain Development, which contains information about Peru's Potato Park
• Krystyna Swiderska, "Here's why Indigenous economics is the key to saving nature"
• Al Bartlett lecturing on exponential growth

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From the top of a skyscraper in Dubai, Jason, Rob, and Asher chug margaritas made from the purest Greenland glacier ice as they cover the "merits" of globalism. International trade brings so many things, like murder hornets, piles of plastic tchotchkes, and deadly supply chain disruptions. The opposite of globalism is localism -- learn how to build a secure local economy that can keep Asher alive, hopefully at least through the end of the season.

Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.

Sources/Links/Notes:

• Guardian article about shipping Greenland glacier ice to Dubai
• Wired article that tells the story of the Ever Given and all the supply chain problems that ensued
• The Observatory of Economic Complexity compiles statistics on global economic activity with interesting graphics, including this profile of China's trade.
• Michael Carolan's book Cheaponomics: The High Cost of Low Prices, and his follow-up book The Real Cost of Cheap Food
• Vasilis Kostakis's article on cosmolocalism
• Vicki Robin's book Blessing the Hands that Feed Us
• Website for Fibershed
• Molly Scott Cato's book The Bioregional Economy: Land, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

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Modern humans have a Stockholm Syndrome relationship to technology, which has kidnapped us while convincing us it has our best interests in mind. But when one looks back at the history of plastics or the current frenzy around AI, it isn't hard to see the insanity of doubling down on new technology to save us from previous technology. Find out what a person or society can actually do to develop a healthy, non-abusive relationship with technology, aside from joining an Amish community or going "full Kaczynski."

Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.

Sources/Links/Notes:

• Moriah McDonald reports on the big underestimates of Greenland ice loss in Inside Climate News.
• Typical article about how AI can solve climate change
• Another such article about the "magic" of AI
• And another -- sheesh (no wonder Jason was so upset)!
• Report on the future of petrochemicals from the International Energy Agency
• Kelly Oakes of the BBC asks, "What would happen if we stopped using plastic?"
• Website of The Ocean Cleanup
• Low Tech Magazine
• Low Technology Institute's 10-Mile Building Challenge
• Sulan Chen writes for UNDP, "A global treaty to end plastic pollution is in sight."
• BBC reporting on the EU's efforts to regulate AI

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