America has plunged into the unknown. Why? Robert Parry has nailed it about as well as anyone.  I leave it to him, and a thousand other pundits, to perform the post-mortem on yesterday’s surprising election results. What’s important now is to size up the situation and decide how to move on.

On the good side: Under a Trump presidency, there is likely to be no war with Russia, as might well have occurred if Clinton had prevailed. The TPP is hopefully dead, and the U.S. can be expected to move toward at least some post-globalization trade policies. The neoliberals’ dominance of the Democratic Party suffered a grievous and perhaps fatal blow. Millions of Americans who have felt ignored by the Washington and Wall Street elites now feel they have a voice. Even though foreign relations and trade policy will likely be in the hands of business-friendly Republican apparatchiks who will ultimately throw working people overboard with giddy glee, regular middle-Americans will be able to reassure themselves that at least “their guy” is in charge. Maybe things could be worse; after all, as my friend Ugo Bardi has pointed out, Italy survived 20 years of Berlusconi.

On the bad side: There will be no more federal support for climate action or research, for environmental protection (the EPA will be gutted), or for alternative energy. All federal lands will be opened up for oil, gas, and coal exploration. Most of Yellowstone will be paved over as a parking lot for a new Trump resort (okay, I’m kidding—a little). With the Executive Branch, Congress, and Supreme Court all dominated by the same party, there will be no brakes on efforts to defund government agencies, or overturn regulations of all kinds (on guns, banks, workplace safety, you name it). Having witnessed Trumpism’s success, a new generation of politicians will adopt the tactics of utterly demonizing their opponents. It’s hard to see how civility can return anytime soon. These will be dire times for women and minorities.

The pundits rightly see the election as a repudiation of the establishment. But who will actually be running things in the months ahead? Mostly, the same old revolving-door lobbyist-officials. When the next economic crisis hits, the entire country will face a rude awakening, and mere tough talk won’t do much to actually keep food on the tables of anxious Iowans or Missourians. Rather than admit that he can’t actually make America great again, expect Trump to line up the scapegoats. And rather than admit that “their guy” is incompetent or wrong, expect many Trump supporters to hoist the modern equivalent of pitchforks (for which background checks will no longer be required).

Crises won’t go away because government refuses to acknowledge or address them. Climate change, resource depletion, and over-reliance on debt are wolves at the door. In light of all this, Post Carbon Institute’s organizational strategy continues to make sense: Build resilience at the community level.

For the time being, national policy-based action on climate and other environmental issues is a closed door. But the most promising responses to our twenty-first century crises are showing up at the community level anyway. It’s in towns and cities across the nation, and across the world, where practical people are being forced to grapple with weird weather, rising seas, an unstable economy, and a fraying national political fabric. Whatever workable strategies are likely to be found will arise there. We see our job as helping that adaptive process however we can. This is not about winning; there is no finish line, no election day. Just a new opportunity each morning to encourage, educate, and build.

If you haven’t already, join us. You’re needed.

Photo by Overpass Light Brigade

The post Post-Carbon in the Trump Era appeared first on P2P Foundation.

In this third and final episode, Upstream speaks to some of the leading experts on why GDP and economic growth are flawed measures of wellbeing. They travel to a small kingdom in south Asia, an indigenous village in the sierras of Peru, and the headquarters of Happy City in Bristol to talk to the visionaries of new cultural paradigms. and ask them to reveal the secrets of happiness and wellbeing that are hidden right beneath our noses.

How can Frome adopt a wellbeing strategy that helps to further the movements discussed in episode 1 and that begins to bridge the divides explored in episode 2? There’s no simple solution, but Upstream hopes that this series will provide some food for thought in towns and cities like Frome all over the world.

Follow Upstream on social media:

Twitter: @upstreampodcast

Facebook: facebook.com/upstreampodcast

Instagram: upstreampodcast

The post Welcome to Frome: A new cultural vision – Part 3 appeared first on P2P Foundation.

In this second episode, Upstream dives deeper into parts of Frome’s darker history, and explores the divisions within this town. You’ll hear about how these divisions are part of a much larger story, a story which goes back almost half a century and which spans the globe. What are the scars left from thirty years of closing factories and cutting services? How do these scars reveal themselves in our hearts and in our communities? Is it possible to bridge the economic, social, and psychological divides that carve up our societies? If it’s possible, then how do we do it?

In this episode, Upstream shows how the neoliberal policies first popularized by Thatcher in the UK and Reagan in the US have contributed to the economic and social divides which plague much of the world today. They argue that to understand the phenomenon of Trump, you must understand the divisions in Frome. And to understand Brexit, you must also understand Frome. And if it’s possible to live in a different world – one that values people and planet over profit – you must start in Frome.

Stay tuned next week for Episode 3.

Follow Upstream on social media:

Twitter: @upstreampodcast

Facebook: facebook.com/upstreampodcast

Instagram: upstreampodcast

The post Frome, a town divided: Part 2 of a 3 part podcast series appeared first on P2P Foundation.

The Upstream Podcast team has spent the summer in Frome – a small town in the sleepy western countryside of England. They came here to explore one story, but soon discovered that there was another bursting at the seams. It wasn’t long before they realized that this fiercely independent and historic town was a microcosm of a much larger phenomenon taking place in towns and cities all over the world. They argue that to understand Trump, we must understand Frome. To understand Brexit, we must understand Frome. And if it’s possible to live in a different world – one that values people and planet over profit – we must start in Frome.

Upstream tells this story of revolution, division, and happiness in a three-part radio documentary series called .

This is what the New Economy looks like

In the first episode, “This is what the New Economy looks Like,” they explore the “Flatpack Democracy” movement in Frome and the new economics initiatives it has sparked. What is a “share shop”? How about a community fridge? What happens when a town council creates a position designed to address climate change? Listen to find out and to enjoy some great music along the way. upstreampodcast.org/frome

More about the other two episodes coming soon.

Follow Upstream on social media:

Twitter: @upstreampodcast

Facebook: facebook.com/upstreampodcast

Instagram: upstreampodcast

Photo by andypowe11

The post Revolution, Division, and Happiness in the small town of Frome appeared first on P2P Foundation.