Global warming is an undeniable reality, yet government and society show limited action to combat it. Economist Frank Ackerman critiques standard economic models, which assess the global cost of protection versus destruction, for their incomplete cost-benefit analysis.

This discussion took place at an event hosted by The Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future on April 28, 2009.

Larry O'Connor, a La Trobe University accounting lecturer, concluded that accounting is not fostering a sustainable economy. He argues that free market ideology, misrepresented as "reform," actually deforms the system by prioritizing economic value, even transforming universities into profit centers. Thus, accounting reinforces the status quo rather than promoting sustainability.

This video was produced by Ruth Ann Barrett of EarthSayers.tv in June 2010, as part of Portland State University's Social Sustainability Network.

Loretta Napoleoni is an international expert on the financing of terror networks and economics. A renowned author and journalist, she regularly writes columns for European newspapers and advises governments on counter-terrorism. She has also authored works of fiction.

This information was presented by AtGoogleTalks on May 26, 2010.

Raj Patel critiques free-market economic models, identifying significant flaws while also highlighting successful alternatives. He recalls Alan Greenspan's congressional testimony, where Greenspan admitted, "I found a flaw in the model that I perceive is the critical functioning structure that defines how the world works, so to speak."

Patel's insights are further explored in his book, *The Value of Nothing*, published this month.

During the reboot of the world's economy, Geoff Mulgan, CEO of the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and a visiting professor, proposes a transformative approach. Instead of allocating bailout money to failing old industries, he suggests utilizing stimulus funds to establish new, socially responsible companies, aiming to improve the world.

Mulgan also questions the effectiveness of GDP as a measurement tool for a new, sustainable economy. His insights are available on http://www.ted.com.

A 10-minute video trailer from Ecotrust explores their belief that fostering local, living communities can simultaneously save the economy and the environment.

The film showcases diverse individuals—analysts, professors, bankers, students, entrepreneurs, and architects—who are driving a new economic model for recovery and sustainability.

Access this and other Ecotrust programs on EarthSayers, the Ecotrust Website, and their YouTube Channel.

Harry Kreisler of the University of Berkeley interviews Amory Lovins on Natural Capitalism (http://www.natcap.org/). Lovins discusses the Rocky Mountain Institute (http://www.rmi.org/) and analyzes how the profit motive can redesign the relationship between the environment and capitalism.

Drawing on his three-decade career as an innovator, Lovins explains how ideas can impact business practices and government policy. The ultimate goal is to foster environmental sustainability.