Folke Günther Environmental ethics …an introduction

Folke Günther Part 1: What is ’Nature’ Part 2: Rules for subsystems Part 3: What is ’good’ for the ecosystem? Part 4: Permaculture Part 5: Ruralisation as permaculture

Folke Günther Part 1 What is ’Nature’

Folke Günther Nature Culture Waste Nature Resources The double Nature Resource cupboard (Unlimited) waste heap Nature

Folke Günther Nature Culture Waste Resources The double Nature Combined cupboard and waste heap Border to Nature C

Folke Günther Nature Culture Where is the border to Nature? Border to Nature Is it on the outside of the house?

Folke Günther Nature Culture Where is the border to Nature? Border to Nature Will Nature disappear if we put asphalt on it?

Folke Günther Where is the border to Nature? Planet comparison VenusEarth without life MarsEarth with life Carbon dioxide Nitrogen gas Oxygen gas Surface temperature Surface pressure (bar) 96.5 %98 %95 %0.03 % 3.5 %1.9 %2.7 %79 % traces0.0 %0.13 %21 % 459 ° 240 °- 340 ° - 53 °16 °

Folke Günther Nature sneaks in Environmental services Earth without life Earth with life Carbon dioxide Nitrogen gas Oxygen gas Surface temperature Surface pressure (bar) 98 %0.03 % 1.9 %79 % 0.0 %21 % 240 °- 340 ° 16 ° The life on the living Earth is absolutely crucial for our existence!

Folke Günther Nature Culture Therefore, this view of Nature is fundamentally wrong! Border to Nature

Folke Günther Culture Instead, this description makes sense Nature The culture is a subsystem to Nature We are always within Nature

Folke Günther Part 2 Culture Nature We are always within Nature Rules for subsystems

Folke Günther OK, we are a subsystem to Nature Culture Nature We are always within Nature - So what? - Subsystems have to follow certain rules in order to survive

Folke Günther Cell Assume you are a cell (subsystem) in a body (supersystem) Body

Folke Günther Cell The cell receives a lot of free and beneficial services from the body Body A nice temperature: 37° Good pH: 7,4 Sugar for nutrition Oxygen Waste removal sevices

Folke Günther To keep all these services, the cell ( the subsystem ) can only behave in three fundamentally different ways towards the body ( the supersystem )

Folke Günther Cell Body + Positive influence – Negative influence ±0 No influence 1 2 3

Folke Günther The cell has a negative influence on its supersystem. It will, for example, develop a cancer Survival strategy 1

Folke Günther Cell Body By that, the body will be less able to deliver its free services - - As a survival strategy for the cell, it sucks Either, the macrophages will find the cancer cell and destroy it Or, the body will die Survival strategy 1

Folke Günther The cell is perfectly neutral towards its supersystem It doesn’t cause any harm, neither it does anything that is useful to the body Survival strategy 2

Folke Günther Cell Body The capacity of the body to deliver its free services is not affected by the actions of the cell As a survival strategy for the cell, it is, at least, risky! The cell is invisible to the body What will happen if there is a tidying-up drive ? Survival strategy 2 ±0 The cell might be eliminated, but this will not affect the body

Folke Günther The cell does something (little) that makes it useful to the body Survival strategy 3 This makes it easier for the body to deliver services to the cell

Folke Günther Cell Body By that, the body will have an increased ability to deliver its free services + This is the only reliable survival strategy for the cell The cell fulfils some function that makes the body more able It is somewhat better for the body that the cell is there, than not Survival strategy 3 + +

Folke Günther This goes for any subsystem Survival strategy 3

Folke Günther Organism Ecosystem By that, the supersystem, it will get increased ability to deliver its free services + This is the only reliable survival strategy for any subsystem The subsystem fulfils some function that makes the supersystem more able It is somewhat better for the supersystem that the subsystem is there, than not Survival strategy 3 + +

Folke Günther This is the principle of the ultimate egoism: Survival strategy 3 By supporting your supersystem, you promote your own existence

Folke Günther Part 3 What is ’good’ for the ecosystem?

Folke Günther OK, to be sustainable, it is not enough to eliminate harm. To justify your existence, you also need to be supportive to Nature - But how could human beings ’support’ Nature?

Folke Günther - If you can make ecosystems work better with humans than without them – then you are a in a fair way into sustainability. But then you need to understand how ecosystems work

Folke Günther Ecosystem Exergy consuming processes, ’life’ Ecosystems, like all self-organising processes, thrive on energy with high exergy content Sunlight with high exergy content Low temperature radiation with low exergy content The ’life’ processes consume exergy The energy with consumed exergy content must be expelled, otherwise the system will ’choke’

Folke Günther The Second Law tells us that all processes consume exergy A corollary of the Second Law is that processes that consume exergy better will be preferred

Folke Günther Therefore, ecosystems could be expected to change in a way that increase their exergy consuming capacity Observations of ecosystem maturation confirms that

Folke Günther Ecosystem maturation A v a i l a b l e s o l a r e x e r g y Immature system Low diversity Annual plants Competition Parasitism Nutrient leakage Export Fast change Water export by drainage Mature system High diversity Perennial plants Co-operation Mutualism Nutrient circulation On-site consumption Slow change Water export by evaporation All these changes increase the exergy consumption capacity of the ecosystem

Folke Günther During maturation, ecosystems change in a way that increase their exergy consuming capacity The maturation process might need 100 to years

Folke Günther What if human beings could aid in this process?

Folke Günther Part 4 Permaculture

Folke Günther A multitude of descriptions exits of permaculture …but few definitions

Folke Günther Descriptions of permaculture The goal is to mimic nature. Emphasis is placed on perennial crops. Permaculture retains biological diversity Natural plant progression. The conscious design and maintenance of cultivated ecosystems which have the diversity, stability & resilience of natural ecosystems. The harmonious integration of landscape, people & appropriate technologies. Permaculture is a philosophy and an approach to land use which works with natural rhythms & patterns. Geoffrey Ian Miller: Ecosystem maturation High diversity Perennial plants Mutualism Slow change Bill Mollison & Scott Pittman:

Folke Günther Descriptions of permaculture A permaculture is a diverse, complex ecosystem where the elements interact in mutually beneficial ways Anon 84 PD Permaculture is an integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant & animal species useful to man Ecosystem maturation High diversity Perennial plants Co-operation Mutualism Nutrient circulation On-site consumption Slow change Permaculture is the harmonious integration of people into the landscape Permaculture is the conscious design of 'cultivated' ecosystems that have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is a harmonious integration of people into the landscape in such a way that the land grows in richness, productivity and aesthetic beauty. Patricia DuBose Michael Washburn TN PDC

Folke Günther Descriptions of permaculture Permaculture is the use of ecology as the basis for designing integrated systems of food production Self-sustaining productive landscapes which, once established, will need the minimum of human intervention. A permaculture design incorporates a diversity of species & interrelations between species, & allows for the continuous evolution that occurs in Nature. There is a succession of species each preparing the environment for the next & all moving towards a climax state. Ecosystem maturation High diversity Perennial plants Co-operation Mutualism Nutrient circulation On-site consumption Slow change Simon Henderson, Cortez IS, BC Anon, 84 PD

Folke Günther Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature. A permaculture is a diverse, complex ecosystem where the elements interact in mutually beneficial ways to produce a whole which is greater than the sum of its parts. Creating abundant and sustainable human habitats by following nature’s patterns Ecosystem maturation High diversity Perennial plants Co-operation Mutualism Nutrient circulation On-site consumption Slow change Descriptions of permaculture Anon 84 PD: Graham Burnett: Bill Mollison:

Folke Günther Ecosystem maturation High diversity Perennial plants Co-operation Mutualism Nutrient circulation On-site consumption Slow change Water export by evaporation It seem as the descriptions of permaculure all point at the same direction

Folke Günther By that, we could try to make a definition of permaculture, not only a description: Permaculture is the forthbringing of maturing ecosystems with humans as promotive parts

Folke Günther With permaculture, the maturation process might be reduced to 10 – 1000 years The maturation process might normally need 100 to years

Folke Günther Thus, the human beings has found a method to make themselves useful !

Folke Günther By that, permaculture has changed from a nicety to a sustainability necessity Permaculture is the forthbringing of maturing ecosystems with humans as promotive parts

Folke Günther Part 5 Permaculture in the grand scale Ruralisation

Folke Günther The eco-unit, a small population maintained by a permacultural agriculture Balanced agriculture Providing most of the human food and all of the animal fodder Functional size, population about 200 Area: 50 ha for 200 inhabitants High diversity Perennial plants Co-operation Nutrient circulation On-site consumption Nutrient reclaim Landscape diversity Predator habitat Lee – planting Biomass production Open ditches Nutrients from the settlement is recycled to agricultural land

Folke Günther The eco-unit Biological greywater treatment plant (wetpark) Clean water is returned to the households High diversity Perennial plants Co-operation Mutualism Nutrient circulation On-site consumption Water export by evaporation

Folke Günther # The rules are: You can imagine the most ridiculous things But you have to render a statement of the effects # A scenario is an imagination made by a scientist The ruralisation scenario

Folke Günther The ruralisation scenario – start point In this scenario, the following is assumed: 4. They decide that, instead of building new houses on the same place where the old ones were torn down, they will build eco-units in the periphery of the town. At start point, the centre of the municipality has a population of The periphery: The city is inhabited by decision-makers who have the capacity to make far-sighted and strategic decisions 3. Furthermore, they understand that the city is not static, but dynamic. Old houses are torn down and new are built. (The average life-time for a house is supposed to be 60 years, which gives the city a rate of change of 1,6%) 2. They have the same knowledge of limiting resources, ecology and the rules for long-term survival as you.

Folke Günther Ruralisation – after 12 years The municipality center: The periphery : Groups of four Eco-units Each group is inhabited by 800 people Local parks replacing the old houses

Folke Günther Ruralisation – after 25 years The municipality : The periphery : persons Reversed ditching: Underground streams are brought to the surface

Folke Günther Ruralisation – after 50 years In the end of the ruralisation process: The municipality : The periphery : Area with 5,600 inhabitants in eco-units Population density closing to 500/km 2 … and the decision-makers are still there.. High diversity Perennial plants Co-operation Mutualism Nutrient circulation On-site consumption Slow change Water export by evaporation By changing into a more resilient and less fuel dependent state, the ecological maturity of the area has increased considerably May be, the human impact on this area has changed from a parasitic to a supportive type