Folks are catching on...

...to why economic globalization is retarded.

See recent pieces in Grist and World Changing about the current globalization slowdown stemming from rising transportation costs.

Here's my prediction: look for the proliferation of some new(-ish) buzzwords - "de-globalization," "re-localization," and the like.

It really is exciting to see more folks catching on to the idea that an indefinitely expanding human economy is not a good thing - that it's the economic equivalent of "the mentality of the cancer cell," as Ed Abbey once pointed out.

My initial reaction is, like, "no duh!" And it's weird to me that folks are just now putting all this together. Veteran critics of corporate globalization will probably grind their teeth a bit with the new-seeming-ness of these conversations. But it's really a very, very good thing.

Folks are catching on, the breakdown of globalization is accelerating, and (hopefully) we're on our way to an economy modeled on ecological principles, agrarian values, and primarily local self-reliance. There are bound to be some aches and pains from the growth spurt brought on by all this, but it is overwhelmingly positive, hopeful and encouraging news.