{"id":7596,"date":"2014-01-22T11:51:45","date_gmt":"2014-01-22T11:51:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/?p=7596"},"modified":"2016-09-09T15:18:06","modified_gmt":"2016-09-09T14:18:06","slug":"wake-up-call-guest-blog-by-hannibal-rhodes-the-gaia-foundation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/2014\/01\/22\/wake-up-call-guest-blog-by-hannibal-rhodes-the-gaia-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"WAKE-UP CALL &#8211; Guest blog by Hannibal Rhoades, The Gaia Foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jid2A7ldc_8?rel=0\" height=\"360\" width=\"640\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>This month the Gaia Foundation launch Wake Up Call, an animation in collaboration with Steve Cutts. Taking a fast-paced look at the lifecycle of our gadgets, it reveals the true social and ecological costs of our technology, and the nightmare we\u2019ve found ourselves in. In this blog Hal Rhoades unpacks the issues explored in the animation and explains how we can all be the change we want to see.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"center\">On your way to work this morning you no doubt squeezed yourself onto public transport alongside a sea of people engrossed in their I-pads\/ Smartphones\/ Kindles [delete as appropriate]. Most likely, you were doing the very same thing, and the chances are that if you look around yourself at any time of day you\u2019ll see that the image of human-plus-gadget has become ubiquitous in our society.<\/p>\n<p>Whilst the evidence of our own eyes tells us that personal technology has become an indispensable social appendage for those in &#8216;The West&#8217;, the 5.9 billion mobile phone subscribers worldwide reveals that the relentless spread of these gizmos is global. In Africa for instance, half of the continents population is believed to own a mobile phone, and numbers are on the rise. So, going by the latest statistics, that&#8217;s over 500 million mobile owners in Africa alone.<\/p>\n<p>With stats like these it\u2019s easy to get the impression that today the whole world truly is &#8216;connected&#8217;. And in some ways this is true enough. We\u2019ve all experienced the enormous value of free online conversations with far-flung relatives, peppered across the globe. And, as well as being wonderfully convenient, these communications have been put to great use building revolutionary campaigns for environmental and social justice around the world.<\/p>\n<p>But there is <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaiafoundation.org\/short-circuit-the-lifecycle-of-our-gadgets-and-the-true-cost-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">another side to the story<\/span><\/a>. One that we ignore at our peril.<\/p>\n<p>The great irony of our digital age is that as we become more virtually \u2018connected\u2019, our understandings of the physical reality of what Earth can sustain have been severed. We have lost our connection with the source of all life.<\/p>\n<p>Making, transporting, consuming and disposing of our gadgets and technology is resource intensive, environmentally and socially destructive and has severe consequences for our global climate. In other words, the means by which our tech finds its way to (and leaves) our shelves is catastrophic for everyone. We urgently need to Wake Up to the true costs of our technology.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/wake-up-call-02.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-7618\" alt=\"Wake Up Call\" src=\"http:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/wake-up-call-02.jpg\" width=\"713\" height=\"397\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s take a look at the average life story of a Smartphone\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Firstly, in order to mine the raw materials necessary for manufacturing electronics, land grabs are being initiated on a huge scale by corporations the world over. Securing the resources to feed a hungry market, they are dispossessing local communities of their land and destroying livelihoods. The land is strafed for ores and minerals in mines that <a href=\"http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/en\/campaigns\/climate-change\/coal\/Mining-impacts\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">devastate local habitats<\/span><\/a>, pollute water sources and create waste deserts. The litany of elements extracted to produce electronics are then transported across vast tracts of ocean and land for manufacture in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/makeitfair.org\/en\/the-facts\/reports\/reports\/outsourcing-labour\/view\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">outsourcing<\/span><\/a><\/span> hotspots such as China. Here, workers are paid a pittance for dangerously long hours spent feverishly assembling circuit boards and the like.<\/p>\n<p>Thereafter, this story of origin is conveniently hidden from consumers behind the pristine packaging and super sleek design of our gadgets. Their cleanliness belies the environmentally noxious legacy they have left, and continue to leave, as the lifecycle moves on.<br \/>\nAfter a time, our gadgets begin to look a little less shiny, a little more scuffed and, given a helpful nudge by the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.economist.com\/node\/13354332\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">obsolescence<\/span><\/a><\/span> built into much of our tech, start to play up a bit. All the while, social pressures exerted through advertising are starting to mount telling us about \u2018newer, better, faster\u2019 stuff. This can signal only one thing \u2013 it\u2019s time for an upgrade.<br \/>\nToday we\u2019re upgrading faster than ever before, replacing our phones as regularly as every 12-18 months in some nations. But the procession of obsolete and unfashionable gadgetry leaving our possession at a rate of knots doesn\u2019t just disappear. Much of it will become the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.unep.org\/Documents.Multilingual\/Default.asp?DocumentID=485&amp;ArticleID=5431&amp;l=en\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">20-50 million<\/span><\/a><\/span> tonnes of \u2018E-waste\u2019 produced globally each year.<br \/>\nThis prodigious quantity of waste will more than likely find its way to an E-wasteland in a nation like Ghana or the Philippines. Shipped there under the pretext of being \u2018second-hand\u2019, a resource for \u2018bridging the digital divide\u2019, in reality this tech is merely junk. It will sink into the graying muck, or be collected barefoot, then burnt by communities who find themselves living in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/Global\/international\/planet-2\/report\/2008\/9\/poisoning-the-poor-electonic.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">sooty shanties<\/span><\/a><\/span>, by black rivers, subsisting off the money they can make from selling scrap on the margins.<br \/>\nFrom the first to the last phase of their lives, the problems our gadgets pose at present are nightmarishly toxic to our own future, the planet\u2019s and those of future generations\u2026 So what can we do about it?<\/p>\n<p>First of all we must exert pressure on those steering the industry and those with authority over them. We need corporations to take <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.electronicstakeback.com\/promote-good-laws\/about-producer-responsibility\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u2018extended producer responsibility\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/span> seriously. If they want to continue to churn out new phones, laptops and so on, then they must be made responsible for their proper reinvestment, moving us towards a <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org\/circular-economy\/circular-economy\/the-circular-model-an-overview\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">circular economy<\/span><\/a><\/span> that breaks the linear cycle of \u2018take, make, dispose\u2019, and helps build a <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.grrn.org\/page\/what-zero-waste\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u2018zero-waste\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/span> future.<\/p>\n<p>Other responsibilities lie closer to home. The old economic truism of \u2018supply and demand\u2019 reminds us that we can make a difference by simply choosing not to buy a new phone or upgrading \u2018just because\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>By building up our immunity to the relentless marketing of high tech gadgetry we\u2019re acknowledging the real key to this problem: that we simply consume far too much. The rate and scale of our insatiable desire for this stuff, expertly encouraged by companies whose first focus is on profit (let\u2019s not fool ourselves), is helping drive the land grabs, the mining, the human rights violations, pollution and contributing to climate change.<\/p>\n<p>Consciously consuming less is one part, albeit a quieter part, of the revolution for responsible technology. So, if you can help it, try not to buy new. Re-use old phones and laptops, swap them, get them fixed by people <a href=\"http:\/\/therestartproject.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">pioneering<\/a> a tech-y fight back against overconsumption and learn to repair them yourself. Love your stuff and try to be part of a <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.neweconomics.org\/blog\/entry\/the-new-materialism-better-not-more\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">new kind of materialism<\/span><\/a><\/span> that values better, not more.<\/p>\n<p>But, if you really, really must have that new gizmo, at least be cognizant of the issues: Research which companies <a href=\"http:\/\/www.electronicstakeback.com\/hold-manufacturers-accountable\/recycling-report-card\/\" target=\"_blank\">recycle best<\/a>, research who is <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/en\/campaigns\/climate-change\/cool-it\/Campaign-analysis\/Guide-to-Greener-Electronics\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">\u2018greener\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/span> (relatively speaking), or, for goodness sake, shell out for a <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fairphone.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Fairphone<\/span><\/a><\/span> and support a company that is really recognising the issues. The tools are there for you to be a more responsible consumer and steward of the planet. Your actions \u2013 your cash \u2013 speaks the language that drives the whole system. Use it wisely and be the change you want to see.<\/p>\n<p>And remember, whilst there are plenty of people that will tell you that you can\u2019t make a difference &#8211; that it\u2019s hopeless and clich\u00e9 &#8211; the difference between doing nothing and doing something is, quite literally, infinite.<br \/>\nTo find out more about this specific issue, check out the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.gaiafoundation.org\/short-circuit-the-lifecycle-of-our-gadgets-and-the-true-cost-to-earth\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Short Circuit Report<\/span><\/a><\/span> from The Gaia Foundation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">________________________<\/p>\n<p><em>The Gaia Foundation is committed to regenerating cultural and biological diversity, and restoring a respectful relationship with the Earth. They work with local communities in Africa, South America, Asia and Europe to secure land, seed, food and water sovereignty.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>With the release of \u2018Wake Up Call \u2013 Why the Tech Dream is becoming a Nightmare\u2019, the Gaia Foundation has extended its reach to include the encroachment of technology into all aspects of our lives. \u2018Wake Up Call\u2019 is a warning that no technological fixes will help us face the moral and ethical crises we face today. Climate Revolution agrees with Gaia that creating a viable future is really about justice \u2013 for humans, the earth and future generations of all species.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Liz Hosken, Director of The Gaia Foundation says, &#8220;There are now more mobile phones on the planet than there are humans, and when we look around at our addiction and behaviour, we cannot deny the absurdity of it all.\u00a0\u2018Wake up Call\u2019\u00a0uses humour to make us look at ourselves, but also to highlight the real devastation caused at every stage of the production and use of these gadgets. Key drivers of this growth are the surge in consumerism and an increasingly throwaway culture, fuelled by marketing and delusions of necessity; and encouraged by the built-in obsolescence of our electronic gadgets.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This month the Gaia Foundation launch Wake Up Call, an &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/2014\/01\/22\/wake-up-call-guest-blog-by-hannibal-rhodes-the-gaia-foundation\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" title=\"Continue reading: WAKE-UP CALL &#8211; Guest blog by Hannibal Rhoades, The Gaia Foundation\" >Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7598,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[119],"tags":[124],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7596"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7596"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7619,"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7596\/revisions\/7619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climaterevolution.co.uk\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}