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Articles by Jim Thomas

Jim Thomas is a research program manager and writer at the ETC Group. His background is in communications, writing on emerging technologies, and international campaigning. For the seven years previous to joining ETC Group, Jim was a researcher and campaigner on genetic engineering and food issues for Greenpeace International -- working in Europe, North America, Australia/New Zealand, and South East Asia. He has extensive experience on issues around transgenic crops and nanotechnologies has written articles, chapters, and technical reports in the media and online. Trained as a historian to look back at the history of technology, Jim is now busy communicating the future of technology. He's a big fan of storytelling, slam poetry, and sushi.

Featured Article

RIO+20: Toward a new green economy — or a green-washed old economy?

Jim Thomas Science
If we’re going to save this rock, we might have to save the Earth Summit in Rio next year first.

 

Fotopedia.comIf we’re going to save this rock, we might have to save the Earth Summit in Rio next year first.

I’ve got good news and bad news about the future of the planet.

Good news first. Next year, a honking big global Earth Summit is coming our way — one with a proud heritage. Formally titled the U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, the meeting is known as RIO+20 because it will come 20 years after the first Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. That original Earth Summit (itself 20 years after the equally important Stockholm Convention on the Environment and Human Development) gave us an embarrassment of policy riches: the Climate Convention, the Convention on Biological Diversity, Sustainable Development Commission, the Precautionary Principle, a long and ambitious list of promises called Agenda 21, The Forest Principles, and much more. Over a hundred heads of state turned up to Rio Di Janeiro last time amidst intense global attention. This time, the reunion party is going back to Rio again on June 4-6 2012. Chances are it will all be a big deal again.

At a recent preparatory mee... Read more

Jim Thomas Science