Alarm bells are ringing and we are discussing the weather!

Personally for me, the climate debate and the Greta debate are a distraction from the obvious. It is a massive waste of energy and is blocking people from making decisions and taking action. Time is of the essence and collectively we are wasting it.

A self care request – The thought of our possible future can be very emotionally challenging to look at. I suggest that if you are new to looking at this or if you haven’t look at it for a while then you be mindful of the impact it has on you and take care of yourself. How can we look at the situation without freaking out or going into climate grief becoming fearful or going into denial, shutting down, running away or even becoming aggressive and attacking the evidence? We need to build our emotional strength, one way to do this is through titration, just dipping into uncomfortable facts or stories a little bit and then coming to terms with it and letting the emotions settle. Then dipping in again, maybe further this time. It’s like building muscle strength through gradually lifting heavier and heavier weights. OK with that said let’s keep going.

We are faced with such a complex situation where it is impossible for any one person to make sense of it – the system is too complex. Where misinformation abounds and debate is polarising, creates division, emotions are triggered and it can get personal and nasty.

I like to be practical, to simplify and then see if a clear picture emerges and a decision can be made. Pragmatically we don’t need to understand everything to make an assessment, to decide and then act. We only need to understand just enough.

So let’s see if we can simplify the situation around things that are facts and around things that most of us can agree on. Let’s find where we can unite amongst the division. Let’s bring people together uniting on areas of common dreams, goals and needs. Let’s unite us on actions that we are in general agreement .. and DO them.

Now what can we agree around the current situation? As far as I can see – without the need for any particular climate science and using information we can all easily find doing some simple research – we are in need of urgent action based on the following observations:

1. Most of the world’s forests and natural environments have been destroyed and occupied by humans either for food production or housing
2. 80% of the population lives in cities that have very low food security e.g. in Australia there is 3 days of food supply in the shops and cities do not grow food
3. Most of us are still reliant on fossil fuels, the supply of which is under other people’s control eg. I believe that the whole country of Australia has only around a 30 day supply at any point and it is reliant on others to supply it
4. Mass extinction is happening across animals and insects
5. We are polluting our planet at massive rates to the point we can’t see more than 100m in some cities and ecosystems are being killed
6. In our history there are regular economic collapses across the world that causes great hardship
7. Rivers are running dry, droughts abound and cities are facing water shortages
8. A large portion of the world is overfed whilst a large portion is starving
9. We have an economy based on infinite growth on a finite planet

For me, some simple observations like the above – with no climate science needed, no need to trust the scientific community, no shooting the messenger, no need to do a three year degree to understand things – has lead me to the conclusion that as a species, humans need to change how we live, to change how we treat the earth and all its inhabitants VERY QUICKLY or we are in for A LOT of pain in the future.

I suggest you go through the above list personally and make it more tangible, look at the evidence either world wide, in an area you love or in you local area and look at the current state of it. Look for the damage that has occurred. Ask questions like how is this area compared to 1000 years ago environmentally? What trends can I see happening? What will happen if these trends continue? And if you choose to act then ask how can I act on it here and now? 

So what can we do? My simple personal plan of action is

1. Educate myself on the situation and ways to prevent it and prepare for it. Educate myself on how to live in harmony with nature. This requires a fundamental change in how we relate to the world. It requires a perspective of interconnection and a consideration of the consequences of each and every decision we make and action we take
2. Get Healthy – improve my physical fitness
3. Get emotionally resilient – we need to be strong in difficult times
4. Learn how to learn and how to handle change
5. Get to know myself through meditation, mindfulness deep discourse and connection with nature
6. Ensure we have a secure food supply – grow your own food or join food co-ops or co-op owned farms
7. Live near a clean water supply – river, springs, dams, rainfall
8. Plant trees – lots of them – and regenerate natural habitat
9. Help protect what is here – we can’t afford to lose any more natural environment. Even consider becoming an activist
10. Convert to green energy
11. Have emergency plans in place with equipment and food supplies
12. Build Community – get to know your neighbours, have this discussion with them, decide how together you can face and prepare for an uncertain future

 

For me, I am a massive fan of ecovillages as, if done well, they do all of the above and more. They are simultaneously the dream, the preparation and the prevention. What do I mean by that – the are the dream lifestyle I’d like to live, they will help prevent environmental and social collapse and if it does happen they are a great way to prepare for it.