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Technology is everywhere. Its influence on our lives is enormous.

But how does it function?

How does it affect us?

Who does it serve?

Can it support radical social change towards free and equal societies living in harmony with nature?

Are humans fated to wind up as pets for hyper-intelligent robot hamsters?

These are -mainly- important questions. However, the dominant view is that technology is apolitical and inevitable, that it represents human progress, making our lives easier, more fulfilling, or just ‘better’. Let’s dig a little deeper.

We are at a unique moment in human history – an ecological precipice, perhaps a social tipping point. Whatever path we take, unravelling technology and the dilemmas it presents will give us a clearer view of the horizon ahead of us.

This book is a brief introduction to the politics and philosophy of technology – a simple guide to how interacts with society and the world around us. We hope you find it useful.

“Technology is not neutral. We’re inside of what we make, and it’s inside of us. We’re living in a world of connections — and it matters which ones get made and unmade.” Donna J. Haraway

The post TECH: A Guide to the Politics and Philosophy of Technology appeared first on Corporate Watch.

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Doom, despair, denial, depression, IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!

These are common reactions when people learn about the reality of climate change.

Similarly, sometimes when people think about capitalism it can seem as though nothing can be done to change it, that it’s too big, too strong, that maybe that’s just the way the world is.

But things change, worlds end. New ones begin…

Part of what prevents action on these big issues is the way people tend to talk, think and feel about them. Using words and pictures, this new comic aims to help people understand climate change and capitalism and encourage a different approach, one that builds power to fight them.

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The debate on climate change is surrounded by hype and vested interests. Technologies are being considered not for their effectiveness but for their profitability. Some proposed solutions would actually lead to an increase in emissions. Many would bring about great social injustice.

Beyond that, the promise of a future technofix is being used as a stalling tactic by those who want to keep on burning fossil fuels.

This report investigates the large scale technologies that corporations and governments are putting on the table, including hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, agrofuels, electricity from nuclear, solar and wind, as well as a range of ideas to reflect the sun’s energy or remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

It finds what works, what doesn’t, the present state of these industries and where they’re heading. It explains why, even though many of the technologies do work, the corporate-capitalist model cannot deploy them effectively, and it goes in search of more realistic and socially just solutions.

Published in 2008.

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The endless pursuit of economic growth, coupled with the decline in conventional energy sources, is driving ever more extreme forms of energy extraction around the world, with ecologically and socially disastrous consequences.

From the dangers of fracking to the devastating effects of tar sands extraction, this guide brings together everything you need to know about unconventional fossil fuels in one place for the first time. It gives an in-depth yet accessible analysis of their social and environmental effects, and includes information on where they are found, the companies trying to profit from them and the growing resistance movements against them. The report also contains a unique ‘carbon budget’ climate change assessment of unconventional fossil fuel production, and stand-alone factsheets on each of the types of unconventional fossil fuel.

The report includes:
• An overview of our global energy problems including the drivers of energy consumption.
• A short history of fossil fuels and their historical role.
• The motivations behind the development of unconventional fossil fuels.
• A brief explanation of the concept of Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROI) and its value in thinking about future energy needs.
• The role that unconventional fossil fuels will play in our changing climate: perhaps their most important consequence, as well as other impacts, particularly on water resources.
• Conclusions on where we might go from here.
• A table summarising information on the various types of unconventional fossil fuel
• Nine stand-alone factsheets on each of the types of unconventional fossil fuel, describing where they are found, how they are extracted, the significant environmental and social issues, stage of development, notable companies and resistance.
• A factsheet on carbon capture and storage technologies

Published in 2014.

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