The Tyee, August 10, 2021. In this era of global issues, it can be reassuring to read the views of informed local voices. It can feel like we, ourselves, know what we need to do. BC’s own Bill Rees, now professor emeritus of human ecology and ecological economics at the University of British Columbia, is credited with the first academic publication on the concept of an ecological footprint. Equally noteworthy is one of his pet peeves how our current, received, economic models treat the very things on which our existence depends (like drinkable water and breathable air) as externalities to be excluded. Not to mention his complaint that the same models assume resources are not limited. So the headline of Rees’s recent article should come as no surprise. But the factors I also want to stress in his current column are his frequent references to the connections, interplay, and feedback between local and global systems and his acknowledgement that local action is crucial. Hence, his suggestion, “…one workable form of a new adaptive civilization might be a network of eco-regional communities and economies supporting many fewer people thriving more equitably within the regenerative capacity of local ecosystems.” But are we listening in Nanaimo? Because ultimately, if we are to survive, as Rees points out, “[l]ike all other species, human beings must become contributing members of the ecosystems that support them.” [ARTICLE LINK]