Jeremy Rifkin

Last updated

Jeremy Rifkin
Jeremy Rifkin, Advisor to the European Union, President of the Foundation on Economic Trends (25678226933) (cropped).jpg
Rifkin in 2016
Born (1945-01-26) January 26, 1945 (age 79)
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Alma mater University of Pennsylvania
Tufts University
Era Contemporary philosophy
Region Western philosophy
School Liberalism [1]
Main interests
 Economics, social theory, political theory, futurology
Notable ideas
 The empathic civilization, the Third Industrial Revolution, the end of work

Jeremy Rifkin (born January 26, 1945) is an American economic and social theorist, writer, public speaker, political advisor, and activist. Rifkin is the author of 23 books about the influence of scientific and technological changes on the economy, the workforce, society, and the environment. His most recent books include The Age of Resilience (2022), The Green New Deal (2019), The Zero Marginal Cost Society (2014), The Third Industrial Revolution (2011), The Empathic Civilization (2010), and The European Dream (2004).

Contents

Rifkin is the principal architect of the "Third Industrial Revolution" long-term economic sustainability plan[ clarification needed ] to address the triple challenge of the global economic crisis, energy security, and climate change. [2] The Third Industrial Revolution (TIR) was formally endorsed by the European Parliament in 2007. [3]

The Huffington Post reported from Beijing in October 2015 that "Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has not only read Jeremy Rifkin's book, The Third Industrial Revolution, but taken it to heart", he and his colleagues having incorporated ideas from this book into the core of the country's thirteenth Five-Year Plan. [4] According to EurActiv, "Jeremy Rifkin is an American economist and author whose best-selling Third Industrial Revolution arguably provided the blueprint for Germany's transition to a low-carbon economy, and China's strategic acceptance of climate policy." [5]

Rifkin has taught at the Wharton School executive education program at the University of Pennsylvania since 1995, where he instructs CEOs and senior management on making a transition of their business operations into sustainable economies. Rifkin is ranked number 123 in the WorldPost / The Huffington Post 2015 global survey of "The World's Most Influential Voices". He also is listed among the top ten most influential economic thinkers in the survey. [6] Rifkin has lectured before many Fortune 500 companies, and hundreds of governments, civil society organizations, and universities over the past thirty five years. [7]

Biography

Youth and education

Rifkin was born in Denver, Colorado, to Vivette Ravel Rifkin and Milton Rifkin, a plastic-bag manufacturer. He grew up on the southwest side of Chicago. He was president of the graduating class of 1967 at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a bachelor of science degree in economics at the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce. Rifkin was also the recipient of the University of Pennsylvania's General Alumni Association's Award of Merit 1967. [8]

Rifkin was an active member of the peace movement. He attended the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (MA, International Affairs, 1968) where he continued anti-war activities. Later he joined Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA).

1970s

In 1970, Rifkin founded the People's Bicentennial Commission to provide "revolutionary alternatives for the Bicentennial years." [9]

In 1973, Rifkin organized a mass protest against oil companies at the commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of the Boston Tea Party at Boston Harbor. Thousands joined the protest, as activists dumped empty oil barrels into Boston Harbor. The protest came in the wake of the increase in gasoline prices in the fall of 1973, following the OPEC oil embargo. [10] Later, this was called a "Boston Oil Party" by the press. [11]

On April 17–18 the group camped out at Concord Bridge, Massachusetts to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Minute Men's 1775 fight with the British which marked the beginning of our independence and according to White House documents, attempted to disrupt an appearance by President Gerald R. Ford where he was to lay a wreath at the Minute Man Statue. https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0067/7580533.pdf

On July 4, 1976, the People's Bicentennial Commission staged a rally on the Capitol Mall as an alternative to the other Bicentennial celebrations. https://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/library/document/0067/1563322.pdf

In 1977, with Ted Howard, he founded the Foundation on Economic Trends (FOET), which is active in both national and international public policy issues related to the environment, the economy, and climate change. FOET examines new trends and their effects on the environment, the economy, culture, and society, and it engages in litigation, public education, coalition building, and grassroots organizing activities to advance their goals. Rifkin became one of the first major critics of the nascent biotechnology industry with the 1977 publication of his book, Who Should Play God? [12]

In 1978, Jeremy Rifkin and Randy Barber co-authored the book The North Will Rise Again: Pensions, Politics, and Power in the 1980s. The book and subsequent activist engagement by the authors with the American Labor Union movement, the financial community, and civil society organizations helped spawn the era of socially responsible investment of public and union pension funds in America. An article on socially responsible investment in the New York University Review of Law and Social Change noted that "the idea of socially responsible investing, long a concern of only special interest groups, achieved widespread attention in 1978 with the publication of Jeremy Rifkin and Randy Barber's The North Will Rise Again." [13] The book helped lay the early groundwork for what later would evolve into the principles of environment, society, and governance (ESG) standards in investments. [14] [15]

1980s

Rifkin's 1980 book, Entropy: A New World View , discusses how the physical concept of entropy applies to nuclear and solar energy, urban decay, military activity, education, agriculture, health, economics, and politics. It was called "A comprehensive worldview" and "an appropriate successor to... Silent Spring , The Closing Circle , The Limits to Growth , and Small Is Beautiful " by the Minneapolis Tribune. [16] Rifkin's work was heavily influenced by the ideas expressed by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen in his 1971 book The Entropy Law and the Economic Process. In Rifkin's 1989 revised edition of Entropy:..., entitled Entropy: Into the Greenhouse World, its "afterword" was written by Georgescu-Roegen. [17]

In 1980, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of granting a patent on the first genetically engineered life form with 5 justices favoring the patent and 4 justices opposed. Jeremy Rifkin's office - The People's Business Commission - provided an amicus curiae brief in support of the US Patent and Trademark Office, arguing that extending patents to genetically-engineered organisms was not covered by US patent law. Speaking on behalf of the majority opinion, Chief Justice Warren Burger referred to the petitioners' briefs as "the gruesome parade of horribles" and argued that "the relevant distinction was not between living and inanimate things, but between products of nature, whether living or not, and human-made inventions". Speaking for the minority opinion, Justice William Brennan argued that "it is the role of Congress, not this court, to broaden or narrow the reach of patent laws" and further suggested that "the composition [the genetically engineered micro-organism] sought to be patented uniquely implicates matters of public concern". [18] [19]

On May 16, 1984, Federal District Judge John J. Sirica issued a ruling halting an experiment that would have involved the "first deliberate release into the environment of organisms altered by gene splicing". The court suit was brought by Jeremy Rifkin, the President of the Washington DC-based Foundation on Economic Trends. The plaintiff argued that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had violated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by failing to undergo an assessment of the potential risks and consequences of releasing the genetically engineered organism into the environment before "giving the testing a green light". The journal Science recorded that the ruling "stunned most observers". In his ruling, Judge Sirica said that Rifkin and his legal counsel "had made a satisfactory showing that they are likely to succeed" in their lawsuit. In the meantime, Science reported that Judge Sirica told NIH "not to approve any more experiments by academic researchers involving release of modified organisms". The court ruling was credited with beginning the process of regulating the release of genetically engineered organisms into the environment in the United States and around the world. [20]

In 1989, Rifkin brought together climate scientists and environmental activists from 35 nations in Washington, D.C., for the first meeting of the Global Greenhouse Network. [21] In the same year, Rifkin did a series of Hollywood lectures on global warming and related environmental issues for a diverse assortment of film, television, and music industry leaders,[ clarification needed ] with the goal of organizing the Hollywood community for a campaign. Shortly thereafter, two Hollywood environmental organizations, Earth Communications Office (ECO) and the Environmental Media Association, were formed. [22]

Also in 1989 Rifkin, with a group of environmentalists, attempted to prevent the launch of a NASA rocket that was expected to lift the Galileo space probe, claiming it carried a "very high risk" of explosion and "spraying deadly plutonium" over the territory of the USA. The lawsuit was eventually rejected, and the Galileo mission succeeded. [23]

1990s

In 1992, Rifkin published the book Beyond Beef. In its review, the Washington Post praised the book for its "fresh thinking and well-reasoned arguments...[and for] combining reliable research with logical conclusions", noting that "[Rifkin] offers enough economic, medical, environmental, and ethical arguments to persuade any open minded person to pass by the meat (en)counter.” [24]

That same year, Rifkin and the Foundation on Economic Trends launched the Pure Food Campaign to demand government labeling of all genetically engineered foods. The campaign was spearheaded by more than 1,500 of the nation’s leading chefs. [25]

In 1993, Rifkin launched the Beyond Beef Campaign, a coalition of six environmental groups including Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, and Public Citizen, with the goal of encouraging a 50% reduction in the consumption of beef, arguing that methane emissions from cattle has a warming effect 23 times greater than carbon dioxide. [26] [27] [28]

His 1995 book, The End of Work , is credited by some with helping shape the current global debate on automation, technology displacement, corporate downsizing, and the future of jobs. Reporting on the growing controversy over automation and technology displacement in 2011, The Economist pointed out that Rifkin drew attention to the trend back in 1996 with the publication of his book, The End of Work. Then The Economist asked "what happens... when machines are smart enough to become workers? In other words, when capital becomes labor." The Economist noted that "this is what Jeremy Rifkin, a social critic, was driving at in his book, "The End of Work," published in 1996... Mr. Rifkin argued prophetically that society was entering a new phase, one in which fewer and fewer workers would be needed to produce all the goods and services consumed. 'In the years ahead,' he wrote, 'more sophisticated software technologies are going to bring civilization ever closer to a near-workerless world. The process has already begun." [29]

His 1998 book, The Biotech Century, addresses issues accompanying the new era of genetic commerce. In its review of the book, the journal Nature observed that "Rifkin does his best work in drawing attention to the growing inventory of real and potential dangers and the ethical conundrums raised by genetic technologies... At a time when scientific institutions are struggling with the public understanding of science, there is much they can learn from Rifkin's success as a public communicator of scientific and technological trends." [30]

In The Biotech Century, Rifkin argues that 'Genetic engineering represents the ultimate tool.' 'With genetic technology we assume control over the hereditary blueprints of life itself. Can any reasonable person believe for a moment that such unprecedented power is without substantial risk?' [31] Some of the changes he highlights are: replication partially replacing reproduction; and 'Genetically customized and mass-produced animal clones could be used as chemical factories to secrete—in their blood and milk—large volumes of inexpensive chemicals and drugs for human use.' [32]

Rifkin's work in the biological sciences includes advocacy of animal rights and animal protection around the world. [33] [34]

2000s

Rifkin's book, The Age of Access, published in 2000, was the first to introduce the concept that society is beginning to move from ownership of property in markets, to access to services in networks, giving rise to the sharing economy. According to the Journal of Consumer Research, "the phenomenon of access was first documented in the popular business press by Rifkin (2000), who primarily examines the business-to-business sector and argues that we are living in an age of access in which property regimes have changed to access regimes characterized by short-term limited use of assets controlled by networks of suppliers." [35] [36]

Rifkin published the book The Hydrogen Economy: The Creation of the Worldwide Energy Web and the Redistribution of Power on Earth in 2002. That same year, Mr. Rifkin, who at the time served as an advisor to Romano Prodi, then President of the European Commission, developed a strategic white paper committing the European Union to a multi-billion Euro research and development plan that would transform the EU into a green hydrogen economic paradigm. Mr. Rifkin joined Prodi at a European Union conference in October 2002 to announce "a coordinated long-term plan for Europe to make the transition from fossil-fuel dependency to become the first "hydrogen economy" superpower of the 21st century". [37] President Prodi remarked that the EU hydrogen R&D initiative would be as significant for the future of Europe as the space program was for the U.S. in the 1960s and 1970s. [37]

After the publication of The Hydrogen Economy (2002), Rifkin worked both in the U.S. and Europe to advance the political cause of renewably generated hydrogen. In the U.S., Rifkin was instrumental in founding the Green Hydrogen Coalition, consisting of 13 environmental and political organizations (including Greenpeace and MoveOn.org) committed to building a renewable hydrogen-based economy. [38]

His 2004 book, The European Dream , was an international bestseller and winner of the 2005 Corine International Book Prize in Germany for the best economics book of the year. [39] [40] In its review of the book, BusinessWeek noted that "Rifkin makes a compelling case for [the European] vision, which he says is usurping the American Dream as a global ideal … a fascinating study of the differences between the American and European psyches." [41]

In 2009 Rifkin published The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis. [42] In a review of the book in the Huffington Post, Ariana Huffington writes: “Rifkin is that rare breed, one whose disappearance is often and rightly bemoaned: a public intellectual. Rifkin… takes a look at the new scientific discoveries that lead to the conclusion that rather than being naturally aggressive, acquisitive, and self-involved, humans are ‘a fundamentally empathic species’ -- what Rifkin calls Homo empathicus… The Empathic Civilization is a fascinating book that boldly challenges the conventional view of human nature and seeks to replace that view with a counter-narrative that allows humanity to see itself as an extended family living in a shared and interconnected world.” [43]

2011–2012

In 2011, Rifkin published The Third Industrial Revolution; How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World . The book was a New York Times best-seller, [44] and has been translated into 19 languages. By 2014, approximately 500,000 copies were in print in China alone.

Rifkin delivered a keynote address at the Global Green Summit 2012 on May 10, 2012. The conference was hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in association with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea also gave a speech at the conference and embraced the Third Industrial Revolution to advance a green economy. [45]

In December 2012, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that the newly-elected premier of China, Li Keqiang is a fan of Rifkin and had "told his state scholars to pay close attention" to Rifkin's book, The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World. [46]

Rifkin received the America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation in 2012. [47] He currently works out of an office in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C.

2013–2014

In April 2014, Rifkin published The Zero Marginal Cost Society: The Internet of Things, the Collaborative Commons, and the Eclipse of Capitalism. [48] [49] Fortune called the book, "admirable in its scope... a heartening narrative of what our economic future may hold for the generations to come." [50] The book was translated into fifteen languages.

2015

Rifkin was awarded an honorary doctorate from Hasselt University in Belgium in the spring of 2015. [51] Rifkin also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Liege in Belgium in the Fall of 2015. [52]

In November 2015, the Huffington Post reported from Beijing that "Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has not only read Jeremy Rifkin's book, The Third Industrial Revolution, and taken it to heart. He and his colleagues have also made it the core of the country's thirteenth Five-Year Plan announced in Beijing on October 29th." [4] The Huffington Post went on to say that "this blueprint for China's future signals the most momentous shift in direction since the death of Mao and the advent of Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up in 1978." [4]

2016

In 2016, TIR Consulting Group, LLC and Rifkin, its president, were commissioned by both the Metropolitan Region of Rotterdam - The Hague (MRDH) and the grand Duchy of Luxembourg to oversee the development of regional master plans to transform each governing jurisdiction into a zero emission Third Industrial Revolution infrastructure and economy. Citizens assemblies were established in each region to work alongside TIR Consulting Group's team to conceptualize and enact far-reaching initiatives to address climate change and "green" their respective economies and societies. [53]

2017

On January 31, 2017, the European Central Bank hosted a conference on the theme “Into the Future: Europe’s Digital Integrated Market”. Rifkin delivered a keynote address on transforming the European Union into a smart third industrial revolution paradigm. [54] On February 7, 2017, the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions hosted a conference in Brussels on the theme “Investing in Europe: building a coalition of smart cities and regions toward a Third Industrial Revolution”. Jeremy Rifkin joined Maros Sefcovic, vice president of the European Commission, and Markku Markkula, president of the European Committee of the Regions, in a presentation of the smart city and smart region agenda across the European Union. [55]

Jeremy Rifkin is the executive co-producer and star of a feature-length documentary film produced by VICE Media entitled The Third Industrial Revolution: A Radical New Sharing Economy. The film, subtitled in nineteen languages, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2017, and has been live on YouTube since 2018. As of May 2023, the film had been viewed 8 million times. [56] [57]

2019

In September 2019, Rifkin published The Green New Deal: Why the Fossil Fuel Civilization will Collapse by 2028, and the Bold Economic Plan to Save Life on Earth. In its review of the book, Forbes noted that "[Jeremy Rifkin] is a principal architect of the European Union’s long-term economic vision, Smart Europe, and a key advisor to China's Third Industrial Revolution vision... His new book, The Green New Deal, is essentially an attempt to rouse the United States from its slumber within a collapsing 20th century fossil fuel era." [58]

That same year, the European Commission and its president, Ursula von der Leyen, announced the European Green Deal, a plan to make Europe "the first climate neutral continent in the world" by 2050. The European Commission presented a spectrum of proposals, projects, and initiatives under the rubric of "Leading The Third Industrial Revolution", signaling a fundamental transformation of the European economy and society. [59]

2020

Rifkin was a recipient of the 13th annual German Sustainability Award in December 2020 for his work on addressing climate change. The award was presented to Mr. Rifkin in a laudatory address by Sigmar Gabriel, the former Foreign Minister, Vice-Chancellor, Economic Minister, and Environmental Minister of Germany. [60] [61]

2021

Jeremy Rifkin and TIR Consulting Group, LLC and partners published a $16 trillion, twenty-year America 3.0 Resilient Infrastructure plan, prepared for Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and first released by Bloomberg on July 29 in an article entitled "Energy Guru is Beyond Disappointed with Dwindling US Infrastructure Plan". [62]

The America 3.0 infrastructure transformation 2022-2042 details a massive investment to scale, deploy, and manage a smart digital zero-emission Third Industrial Revolution infrastructure for a 21st century economy. The plan will create an average of 15 to 22 million net new jobs over the period 2022 to 2042. For every dollar invested, it is projected to return $2.90 in GDP between 2022 and 2042. [63] [ non-primary source needed ]

The Bloomberg article noted that "For almost two decades the U.S. author and climate activist Jeremy Rifkin has advised governments in Europe and China on how to retool their economies for what he calls a third industrial revolution." [62]

Rifkin also provided the economic and environmental commentary in the fifth and final episode of the BBC documentary series A Perfect Planet, starring Sir David Attenborough. [64]

2022

In November 2022, Rifkin published The Age of Resilience: Reimagining Existence on a Rewilding Earth. In its review of the book, the Financial Times noted that "...The influential US thinker...[argues that] humanity is shifting to an age of resilience that could transform our relationship with the natural world and each other...Rifkin sees a future of sweeping economic and social shifts where productivity gives way to regenerativity and gross domestic product to quality of life indicators. Consumerism, corporate conglomerates and globalisation all wither while “eco-stewardship”, high-tech co-operatives and “glocalisation” flourish. The book will undoubtedly prove beguiling for many readers, even as it infuriates others. It is rarely different for a writer who has spent decades warning of the need to address environmental problems that the human species caused and is still struggling to fix.” [65]

Reception

According to The European Energy Review, "Perhaps no other author or thinker has had more influence on the EU's ambitious climate and energy policy than Jeremy Rifkin. [66] In the United States, he has testified before numerous congressional committees and has had success in litigation to ensure responsible government policies on a variety of environmental, scientific and technology related issues. [67] The Union of Concerned Scientists has cited some of Rifkin's publications as useful references for consumers [68] and The New York Times once stated that "others in the scholarly, religious, and political fields praise Jeremy Rifkin for a willingness to think big, raise controversial questions, and serve as a social and ethical prophet" [69]

Criticism

Rifkin's work is controversial due to a purported lack of scientific rigor in his claims as well as some of the tactics he has used to promote his views. These include claims that the theory of evolution is a product of "19th century industrial capitalism" and frequent use of the strawman fallacy. [70] Referring to Rifkin's 1984 book, Algeny: A New Word--A New World, Stephen Jay Gould stated:

I regard Algeny as a cleverly constructed tract of anti-intellectual propaganda masquerading as scholarship. Among books promoted as serious intellectual statements by important thinkers, I don't think I have ever read a shoddier work. Damned shame, too, because the deep issue is troubling and I do not disagree with Rifkin's basic pleas for respecting the integrity of evolutionary lineages. But devious means compromise good ends, and we shall have to save Rifkin's humane conclusion from his own lamentable tactics.

—  Stephen Jay Gould, "Integrity and Mr. Rifkin", Discover Magazine, January 1985; reprinted in Gould's essay collection An Urchin in the Storm, 1987, Penguin Books, p. 230

In a profile article in 1989, TIME Magazine called Jeremy Rifkin the "most hated man in science" and the "nation's foremost opponent of environmental neglect... Rifkin is surely justified in seeking precise regulations for genetic research, to protect the health of the individual and the environment. [...] But there is good reason to question the fairness of Rifkin's angriest assaults on scientists as mad magicians and unethical disciples of Dr. Strangelove. When Rifkin is most successful, he may slow basic research, delay a medical advance, perhaps even damage the economy." [71]

Books

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pessimism</span> Negative mental attitude

Pessimism is a mental attitude in which an undesirable outcome is anticipated from a given situation. Pessimists tend to focus on the negatives of life in general. A common question asked to test for pessimism is "Is the glass half empty or half full?"; in this situation, a pessimist is said to see the glass as half empty, or in extreme cases completely empty, while an optimist is said to see the glass as half full. Throughout history, the pessimistic disposition has had effects on all major areas of thinking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecological economics</span> Interdependence of human economies and natural ecosystems

Ecological economics, bioeconomics, ecolonomy, eco-economics, or ecol-econ is both a transdisciplinary and an interdisciplinary field of academic research addressing the interdependence and coevolution of human economies and natural ecosystems, both intertemporally and spatially. By treating the economy as a subsystem of Earth's larger ecosystem, and by emphasizing the preservation of natural capital, the field of ecological economics is differentiated from environmental economics, which is the mainstream economic analysis of the environment. One survey of German economists found that ecological and environmental economics are different schools of economic thought, with ecological economists emphasizing strong sustainability and rejecting the proposition that physical (human-made) capital can substitute for natural capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydrogen economy</span> Using hydrogen to decarbonize more sectors

The hydrogen economy is an umbrella term for the roles hydrogen can play alongside low-carbon electricity to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The aim is to reduce emissions where cheaper and more energy-efficient clean solutions are not available. In this context, hydrogen economy encompasses the production of hydrogen and the use of hydrogen in ways that contribute to phasing-out fossil fuels and limiting climate change.

A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politically applied focus. The 2011 UNEP Green Economy Report argues "that to be green, an economy must not only be efficient, but also fair. Fairness implies recognizing global and country level equity dimensions, particularly in assuring a Just Transition to an economy that is low-carbon, resource efficient, and socially inclusive."

<i>The European Dream</i> 2004 book by Jeremy Rifkin

The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream is a book, by Jeremy Rifkin published on 19 August 2004, by Jeremy P. Tarcher Inc. Rifkin describes the emergence and evolution of the European Union over the past five decades, as well as key differences between European and North American values. He argues that the European Union, which he describes as the first truly postmodern governing body, is already an economic superpower rivaling the US, and has the potential to become a full world superpower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steady-state economy</span> Constant capital and population size

A steady-state economy is an economy made up of a constant stock of physical wealth (capital) and a constant population size. In effect, such an economy does not grow in the course of time. The term usually refers to the national economy of a particular country, but it is also applicable to the economic system of a city, a region, or the entire world. Early in the history of economic thought, classical economist Adam Smith of the 18th century developed the concept of a stationary state of an economy: Smith believed that any national economy in the world would sooner or later settle in a final state of stationarity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lester R. Brown</span> American environmental analyst

Lester Russel Brown is an American environmental analyst, founder of the Worldwatch Institute, and founder and former president of the Earth Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C. BBC Radio commentator Peter Day referred to him as "one of the great pioneer environmentalists."

Entropy: A New World View is a non-fiction book by Jeremy Rifkin and Ted Howard, with an Afterword by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen. It was first published by Viking Press, New York in 1980 (ISBN 0-670-29717-8).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-carbon economy</span> Climate-friendly economy

A low-carbon economy (LCE) is an economy which absorbs as much greenhouse gas as it emits. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to human activity are the dominant cause of observed climate change since the mid-20th century. There are many proven approaches for moving to a low-carbon economy, such as encouraging renewable energy transition, energy conservation, electrification of transportation, and carbon capture and storage. An example are zero-carbon cities.

<i>The End of Work</i> Book by Jeremy Rifkin

The End of Work: The Decline of the Global Labor Force and the Dawn of the Post-Market Era is a non-fiction book by American economist Jeremy Rifkin, published in 1995 by Putnam Publishing Group.

This page is an index of sustainability articles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technological revolution</span> Period of rapid technological change

A technological revolution is a period in which one or more technologies is replaced by another novel technology in a short amount of time. It is a time of accelerated technological progress characterized by innovations whose rapid application and diffusion typically cause an abrupt change in society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of environmental pollution</span>

The history of environmental pollution traces human-dominated ecological systems from the earliest civilizations to the present day. This history is characterized by the increased regional success of a particular society, followed by crises that were either resolved, producing sustainability, or not, leading to decline. In early human history, the use of fire and desire for specific foods may have altered the natural composition of plant and animal communities. Between 8,000 and 12,000 years ago, agrarian communities emerged which depended largely on their environment and the creation of a "structure of permanence."

<i>The Empathic Civilization</i> Book by Jeremy Rifkin

The Empathic Civilization: The Race to Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis is a 2010 non-fiction book written by Jeremy Rifkin. It connects the evolution of communication and energy development in civilizations with psychological and economic development in humans. Rifkin considers the latest phase of communication and energy regimes—that of electronic telecommunications and fossil fuel extraction—as bringing people together on the nation-state level based on democratic capitalism, but at the same time creating global problems, like climate change, pandemics, and nuclear proliferation. Rifkin extrapolates the observed trend into the future, predicting that Internet and mobile technology along with small-scale renewable energy commercialization will create an era of distributed capitalism necessary to manage the new energy regime and a heightened global empathy that can help solve global problems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy transition</span> Significant structural change in an energy system

An energy transition is a major structural change to energy supply and consumption in an energy system. Currently, a transition to sustainable energy is underway to limit climate change. Most of the sustainable energy is renewable energy. Therefore, another term for energy transition is renewable energy transition. The current transition aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy quickly and sustainably, mostly by phasing-down fossil fuels and changing as many processes as possible to operate on low carbon electricity. A previous energy transition perhaps took place during the Industrial Revolution from 1760 onwards, from wood and other biomass to coal, followed by oil and later natural gas.

<i>The Third Industrial Revolution</i> Book by Jeremy Rifkin

The Third Industrial Revolution; How Lateral Power is Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World is a book by Jeremy Rifkin published in 2011. The premise of the book is that fundamental economic change occurs when new communication technologies converge with new energy regimes, mainly, renewable electricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecomodernism</span> Environmental philosophy

Ecomodernism is an environmental philosophy which argues that technological development can protect nature and improve human wellbeing through eco-economic decoupling, i.e., by separating economic growth from environmental impacts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Green Deal</span> Plan to transform the EU into a climate-neutral economy by 2050

The European Green Deal, approved in 2020, is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission with the overarching aim of making the European Union (EU) climate neutral in 2050. The plan is to review each existing law on its climate merits, and also introduce new legislation on the circular economy (CE), building renovation, biodiversity, farming and innovation.

Green hydrogen (GH2 or GH2) is hydrogen produced by the electrolysis of water, using renewable electricity. Production of green hydrogen causes significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions than production of grey hydrogen, which is derived from fossil fuels without carbon capture.

Green recovery packages are proposed environmental, regulatory, and fiscal reforms to rebuild prosperity in the wake of an economic crisis, such as the COVID-19 recession or the 2007–2008 financial crisis. They pertain to fiscal measures that intend to recover economic growth while also positively benefitting the environment, including measures for renewable energy, efficient energy use, nature-based solutions, sustainable transport, green innovation and green jobs, amongst others.

References

  1. ↑ Bruce Elliott Johansen, The Encyclopedia of Global Warming Science and Technology, Greenwood, 2009, p. 358.
  2. ↑ Belin, Hughes (July–August 2008). "The Rifkin vision" (PDF). European Energy Review: 3–9. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  3. ↑ Gurmai, Zita; et al. (May 14, 2007). "Written declaration on establishing a green hydrogen economy and a third industrial revolution in Europe through a partnership with committed regions and cities, SMEs and civil society organisations". European Parliament. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 Gardels, Nathan (November 5, 2015). "China's New Five-Year Plan Embraces the Third Industrial Revolution". HuffPost .
  5. ↑ Simon, Frédéric (November 25, 2015). "Jeremy Rifkin: 'What's missing from UN climate talks is a new economic vision'". Euractiv.
  6. ↑ "Rangliste Global 2015 — Thought Leaders". Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Highlights 2012". Foet.org. Archived from the original on September 19, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ "The University of Pennsylvania Student Award of Merit". Foet.org. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  9. ↑ Daly, Christopher (April 28, 1975). "The Peoples Bicentennial Commission: Slouching Towards the Economic Revolution". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  10. ↑ Trillin, Calvin (January 21, 1974). "U.S. Journal: Boston Parallels". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  11. ↑ "U.S. JOURNAL: BOSTON PARALLELS". The New Yorker. January 13, 1974.
  12. ↑ Rifkin, Jeremy (1977). Who Should Play God? The Artificial Creation of Life and What it Means for the Future of the Human Race (with Ted Howard). New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN   978-0-440-19504-7.
  13. ↑ "Socially Responsible Investment of Public Pension Funds: The South Africa Issue and State Law". N.Y.U. Review of Law & Social Change. December 4, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  14. ↑ Adler, John; Youngdahl, Jay (2010). "The Odd Couple". New Labor Forum. 19: 81–89. doi:10.4179/NLF.191.0000012. S2CID   153523182.
  15. ↑ Marens, Richard (2004). "Waiting for the North to Rise: Revisiting Barber and Rifkin after a Generation of Union Financial Activism in the U.S." Journal of Business Ethics. 52 (1): 109–123. doi:10.1023/B:BUSI.0000033111.06997.dc. JSTOR   25075236. S2CID   153568995.
  16. ↑ "Jeremy Rifkin | The Foundation on Economic Trends | Books". Foet.org. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  17. ↑ Rifkin, Jeremy; Howard, Ted (1989). Entropy: Into the Greenhouse World . Bantam Books. ISBN   978-0553347173 . Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  18. ↑ "FindLaw's United States Supreme Court case and opinions". Findlaw.
  19. ↑ "Diamond v. Chakrabarty, 447 U.S. 303 (1980)".
  20. ↑ Norman, Colin (1984). "Judge Halts Gene-Splicing Experiment". Science. 224 (4652): 962–963. Bibcode:1984Sci...224..962N. doi:10.1126/science.6719128. PMID   6719128.
  21. ↑ "The Global Greenhouse Network – C-SPAN Video Library". C-spanvideo.org. October 10, 1988. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  22. ↑ Brownstein, Ronald (January–February 1991). "Hollywood Hardball". Mother Jones. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
  23. ↑ Leary, Warren E.; Times, Special To the New York (October 11, 1989). "JUDGE REJECTS BAN ON NASA LAUNCHING (Published 1989)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  24. ↑ "THE HIGH PRICE OF HAMBURGER - The Washington Post". The Washington Post .
  25. ↑ Burros, Marian (September 30, 1992). "Environmental Politics Is Making the Kitchen Hotter". The New York Times.
  26. ↑ Takahashi, Young, Takahashi, Bruce, A. (2002). Greenhouse Gases and Animal Agriculture. Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 372. ISBN   978-0-444-51012-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ↑ Burros, Marian (August 12, 1993). "Agriculture Dept. Unveils Cooking Labels for Meat". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  28. ↑ United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis: Summary for Policy Makers: Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. p. 3
  29. ↑ V, N (November 4, 2011). "Difference Engine: Luddite legacy". The Economist. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  30. ↑ Krimsky, Sheldon (May 7, 1998). "All Aboard The Biotech Express". Nature. 393 (6680): 31–32. Bibcode:1998Natur.393...31K. doi: 10.1038/29911 . S2CID   2483198.
  31. ↑ Rifkin, Jeremy, The Biotech Century: the coming age of Genetic Commerce (London, 1998), p. 36.
  32. ↑ Rifkin, Jeremy, The Biotech Century: the coming age of Genetic Commerce (London, 1998), p. 2
  33. ↑ Rifkin, Jeremy, “Man and Other Animals: Our Fellow Creatures Have Feelings – So We Should Give Them Rights Too,” in The Guardian (16 August 2003).
  34. ↑ Rifkin, Jeremy, Video for the Stop Vivisection campaign (10 July 2013). Transcription: “Opinion Piece on Stop Vivisection - Moving Beyond Animal Experimentation Across the European Union,” in Equivita.it.
  35. ↑ https://www.bayes.city.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/203789/Access-Based-Consumption.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  36. ↑ www.uu.nl https://web.archive.org/web/20160813043631/http://www.uu.nl/en/file/21381/download?token=yV2nHJUn. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  37. 1 2 "The European Union becomes the first superpower to announce a plan to become a 'hydrogen economy'". October 25, 2002.
  38. ↑ "Public Citizen Climate and Energy". Citizen.org. December 3, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  39. ↑ "Books: European Dream". Foet.org. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  40. ↑ "The Winners". Corine Internationaler Buchpreis. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  41. ↑ "Nice Dream if You Can Live It". Bloomberg.com. September 13, 2004.
  42. ↑ "Only Empathy Can Save Us: Why Jeremy Rifkin's the Empathic Civilization is This Month's HuffPost Book Club Pick". April 5, 2010.
  43. ↑ "Only Empathy Can Save Us: Why Jeremy Rifkin's the Empathic Civilization is This Month's HuffPost Book Club Pick". April 5, 2010.
  44. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer. "Best Sellers – October 23, 2011". The New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  45. ↑ Hyun-kyung, Kang (May 10, 2012). "Lee Pledges Green Growth Cluster". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  46. ↑ Bloomberg News (December 24, 2012). "China's New Leaders Burnish Image by Revealing Personal Details". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  47. ↑ "America Prize – 2012 Edition". Fondazione Italia USA. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  48. ↑ "Zero Marginal Thinking: Jeremy Rifkin gets it all wrong – Armed and Dangerous". April 3, 2014.
  49. ↑ "No Value (SSIR)". ssir.org.
  50. ↑ "Is capitalism driving itself out of business?". Fortune.
  51. ↑ "Honorary Doctorates". www.uhasselt.be. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  52. ↑ "Docteurs Honoris Causa". Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  53. ↑ "TIR Consulting Group".
  54. ↑ "ECB and European Commission joint conference "Into the future: Europe's digital integrated market"". European Central Bank. March 29, 2019.
  55. ↑ Matthews, Janie (February 7, 2017). "Banks give €1 billion to build "Smart Europe"".
  56. ↑ "The Third Industrial Revolution: A Radical New Sharing Economy". February 13, 2018 – via www.youtube.com.
  57. ↑ "The Third Industrial Revolution | 2017 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca.
  58. ↑ Araya, Daniel (October 8, 2019). "The Green New Deal: Jeremy Rifkin And The Coming Collapse". Forbes. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  59. ↑ "Delivering the European Green Deal | European Commission". July 14, 2021.
  60. ↑ "Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis: Award Ceremony". Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis.
  61. ↑ "Das sind die Sieger des Deutschen Nachhaltigkeitspreises 2021". ECOreporter.de.
  62. 1 2 "Energy Guru is 'Beyond' Disappointed with Dwindling U.S. Infrastructure Plan". Bloomberg.com. July 29, 2021.
  63. ↑ https://www.foet.org/FOET-data/uploads/2021/07/Jeremy-Rifkin-America-3.0-The-Resilient-Society-20210728.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  64. ↑ "Sir David Attenborough to present A Perfect Planet on BBC One".
  65. ↑ "Best new books on the environment". Financial Times. November 28, 2022.
  66. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  67. ↑ Naik, Paul (Spring 2000). "Biotechnology Through the Eyes of an Opponent". Virginia Journal of Law and Technology Association. Archived from the original on March 12, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  68. ↑ "The Consumer's Guide to Effective Environmental Choices" (PDF). Union of Concerned Scientists. 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 11, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  69. ↑ "AN ACTIVIST TAKES ON GENETIC ENGINEERING". The New York Times. April 11, 1984.
  70. ↑ Thompson, Dick (December 4, 1989). "The Most Hated Man in Science: To some 'The Abominable No Man,' Gadfly Jeremy Rifkin Warns of the Dangers of Uncontrolled Experiments with New Technologies". Time.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  71. ↑ "The Most Hated Man In Science - TIME". December 20, 2007. Archived from the original on December 20, 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.