The Economics of Happiness - localisation in a time of crisis by Imelda Havers
We recently held an online screening of the film The Economics of Happiness by our friends at Local Futures. For those of you who haven’t come across them, Local Futures is a global network of thinkers and activists placing local communities and economies at the heart of radical change. We were fortunate to be joined by Anja Lyngbaek from Local Futures, as we followed the screening with a lively and wide-ranging discussion about how we can tackle climate change and inequality through more localised action. Unsurprisingly, for a global event, it was well attended by visitors from South Africa, Mexico, the USA and across the UK.
The film is really one of two halves: The first pretty apocalyptic, and unflinchingly shows the harm to the planet and societies and our mental and physical health from corporate-led globalisation. Hard though it is to watch, it does a great job of setting out the need for urgent change in the way we live and and create wealth, not just in the West, but in all parts of the world.
The second half is more optimistic, showing how we have the potential power, if we strip back to a local level, to drive radical change. The central message is that, through developing local economies, reconnecting with our local communities, and understanding our place in the global scheme of things, we can create a better, more sustainable world for future generations. The film is freely available to watch via the event link here https://youtu.be/FRj4x_Nx9S0. At just over an hour long, it’s time well spent!
The post-screening discussion shared some good insights and asked some searching questions, and Anja did a great job of fielding them all. We talked about what localisation really means in practical terms; how LGBTQ+ communities are (or maybe aren’t?) accepted in smaller, rural settlements; how we globalise a local approach; how we can created the step change we need.
Fun fact: Creating a critical mass for change apparently takes 10-15% of local people to talk about it, and 5% to act. I’m not sure how scientific this is, but it sounds like a great goal for YoCo to aim for!
This event was a great warm-up for World Localization Day 2021 in June - a major global event highlighting the work of a diverse range of communities. YoCo is running an event on 14th June, so head over to our Events page to find out more and book your place.
In the meantime, here are some great links that were shared during the discussion which you mayn want to explore further:
Discussion guide to Economics of Happiness https://www.localfutures.org/wp-content/uploads/the_economics_of_happiness_discussion_guide.pdf
Vandana Shiva talking localisation and economics. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4q17B9GpK78
A great read on the current food market: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/apr/25/our-unequal-earth-mark-bittman-cheap-food-american-diet
The most recent Report on The Gross Happiness Index [GHI] http://www.grossnationalhappiness.com
Bhutan - https://blog.ted.com/balloons-of-bhutan-bringing-gross-national-happiness-from-the-himalayas/
Great book on global inequality: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/111/1113531/the-divide/9781786090034.html
In this illuminating talk, Bhutan's Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay shares his country's mission to put happiness before economic growth and set a world standard for environmental preservation. https://www.ted.com/talks/tshering_tobgay_this_country_isn_t_just_carbon_neutral_it_s_carbon_negative/details
Happy reading!