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What if we shifted to a “needs-based” economy? Part 2 - with Helena Norberg-Hodge, Local Futures

• Sophie • Season 2 • Episode 8

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What if we shifted to a needs-based economy? 

Join me in our episode today featuring the incredible Helena Norberg-Hodge, world-renowned linguist, author, activist and filmmaker, as we discuss why shifting to a needs-based economy (or localization) would be the best path to addressing multiple converging crises that we face in the world today. Helena is the founder and director of Local Futures, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the revitalisation of cultural and biological diversity and the strengthening of local communities and economies world-wide. 

Today we cover:  

  • The economy as a root cause perpetuating the crises we see in the world today; 
  • The history of our economic system; 
  • What a “needs-based” economy is; 
  • Whether we can adapt our current systems (e.g. economic, political, legal, food systems) to be “needs-based” to address the current crises, or whether we need to implement a whole new system; 
  • Whether any economic models (e.g. Doughnut Economics, Degrowth Economics) appeal to Helena as viable systemic solutions; 
  • Helena’s experience in Ladakh (otherwise known as Little Tibet) witnessing the societal shift from a needs-based economy (based on a mentality of abundance) to a Western economic model (based on scarcity); 
  • A bit about World Localization Day, what it’s all about and how to get involved; 
  • The issue of economic illiteracy as a barrier to effective climate and environmental activism; 
  • Why we all need to be literate in the areas of ecological and economic literacy to engage in effective activism; 
  • Helena explains the main points to focus on when building economic literacy.

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