And it's a disease that infects so much of the developed world.
Everywhere--the UK, Europe, Japan, Australia, Brazil--everywhere people choose to believe the improbable, because the obvious truth, that they hadbit all, but now are pampered slaves destined to live in an unliveable world, is too terrible to contemplate.
Yes, this disease applies to most if not all the developed world. Most of the people in my immediate life are in a state of denial. After trying a bit, they simply won't engage, so I let them have their denial, illusion, or whatever it is. Maybe letting them have that is ultimately all I can give them. Maybe avoidance for as long as possible to what becomes more probable every day is a legitimate strategy. That's not how I am made, though. Eyes wide open to this world since my early teens.
Then you have the circle of silence. I talk to people all the time and once I let them know I accept collapse, they typically open up and spill the beans. It’s like they need permission to be honest. I don’t know how widespread that is, or it’s just people I keep bumping into.
I meet people occasionally who know what's going on and engage, but not often. I try to find openings when I'm out on errands. I gave a doctor my five-minute synopsis of the situation when he seemed interested and pretty much left him stunned. People simply aren't getting reality through our crummy mainstream media.
Try existing in a world of these colleagues. I just spent $20,000 to rent three billboards that will go up May 15 and am designing a website called HEATHEALTH that will inform the public the personal risks from warming climate and how to avoid or reduce them. Not one of the drs willing to contribute.
Kudos to you for your extraordinary efforts. If I can help, let me know. I used to be a graphic designer. Would love to see your billboards and a link to your site when you go live. We have to fight for those who won't.
Geoff: Thank you for denouncing the reinforcement by horrific events that plays in my head, "is this angry, might makes right behavior" our destiny? Reading comments and action like what Neil is taking reassures me there are things we are doing. From individual, local, national and global action; collectively the "Sane" will navigate through the abyss.
Nell's efforts are fantastic, but without leadership at the top we're in deep trouble. Even as we build renewables, our energy demands grow, and we're burning more oil than ever. The oil industry is even using wind turbines to assist in drilling, calling that somehow more green. We absolutely need to reduce energy use, which means consumption and travel, reduction of meat consumption, etc., and bring the billionaires to heel whose carbon footprints are criminal. Billionaires emit a million times more greenhouse gases than the average person. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/07/world/billionaires-greenhouse-gases-climate-intl/index.html
Yes, the misguided mob is looking for a fight, one with the wrong people. They don't want to hear the truth that our glorious, unsustainable way of living is coming to an end. We need gurus, and also to fight in our little corner of the world.
I stopped writing my weekly newspaper article climate corner because people said it was not local enough, and it was too alarmist. Whatever. I now have built a year-round greenhouse, and put up growing towers in the doctors office. Planning to have fresh produce in the greenhouse and extend these into town.
Also working on a project FOOD ALLIANCE to gather food surplus from hospitals, hotels, schools, restaurants, etc. Not a novel concept, but will be critical. Getting health unit and food banks etc on board.
Tiresome. Have a few locals who live in our reality. That feels grounding.
I dream of a cabin and farm in mountains in Costa Rica. Then only South Americans headed north will slaughter me, not the Americans and Central Americans who will come soon enough.
Your efforts are wonderful, and you are correct that projects like the Food Alliance are valuable. There are so many low tech things we can do to make a difference. But that doesn't make anyone money, does it? Wasted food emitting methane in dumps is an obvious issue, while so many go hungry. Our leaders so removed from us don't understand on the ground reality. Never been to Costa Rica, but a former illustration professor retired there and loved the people and its beauty. You're right, though, those in Central America will be forced to flee. Hell, Mexico's drought situation is dire as well. Climate migration is set to be an enormous problem. The ramifications are difficult to think about.
(a big section repeats) The "massive failure of our society" began around 60 years ago with the demise of proper education. You can never regain those early teachable years, the "deplorables" are beyond rehabilitation, you just have to find a way to work around those vacant minds and try better with the next generations. There is no quick fix, the egg has boiled.
Thanks, yes I fixed that repeat. I agree, education has failed, that is foundational to our problems. I don't lay the blame at the feet of teachers necessarily, though. Our culture has become progressively shallower as a whole, an entertainment society (ever coarser as well), and problems often start with the kids at home not being inspired to learn. It's a complex problem with no one size fits all solution.
Yes, foundational, and no, I don't blame the teachers. The whole environment of education, from home, to school, to society has been gutted. I was just watching a recital in Ukraine (on YouTube) by young (very young) 'cello players at different levels of training, playing complicated pieces from memory. This is true brain development, and it requires full support from home and the education system and the entire endeavor must accrue value from society at large. As they say, "It takes a village." That is all history now; real development of young brains is no longer an important consideration and society suffers from that in increasingly exponentially damaging ways.
Perfectly put! Nothing but the truth and unequivocal mobile reality.
It is a small bit pression point I think that “rape and pillage“ which is our current macro economic model has nothing to do with capitalism. True capitalism has an absolutely free market and flat fully and placed partially punished if violating consumer protections. We have neither. The only market niche close is the Saturday morning market at the park.
Reality is coming. Fossil fuels will soon be too expensive to extract economically. This is going to crush the build out of renewables, which come with their own rape and pillage. No diesel means no mining, transport or construction. More and more I believe the world is destined to become starved for energy. Add in uncontrollable climate change fueled disasters and massive refugees. Degrowth is coming, but not in the organized, planned way we should have started 40 or 50 years ago. It's boggling to contemplate.
I would imagine the food wars will happen long before a scarcity of fossil fuels. If mankind sees 2030 I will be quite surprised. I collated data for an earth scientist professor emeritus any world conference with over 950 leading scientist. It was a four week ordeal. At the end, the final report was unanimously declared ever to be released. Only one of two things could possibly happen. Mass panic or complete dismissal.
Food wars, water wars, the end of extractable fossil fuel crashing the renewables fantasy, so many good choices. I agree such a paper would likely result in mass panic or dismissal. Ultimately, our downfall is behavioral.
It is absolutely terrifying. I have been appalled at how slowly the justice system works when you have money to slow it down. This is a make-or-break year for humanity, and we are far from out of the woods, even assuming Trump's defeat.
“People like Donald Trump, Alex Jones and Marjorie Taylor Greene can only exist in a society gone terribly wrong.”
Compelling evidence of a diseased society.
The evidence is endless, from the perps at the top to the victims at the bottom.
The age old “mismanagement of resources“ story.
If only civilization was civilized….
And it's a disease that infects so much of the developed world.
Everywhere--the UK, Europe, Japan, Australia, Brazil--everywhere people choose to believe the improbable, because the obvious truth, that they hadbit all, but now are pampered slaves destined to live in an unliveable world, is too terrible to contemplate.
Yes, this disease applies to most if not all the developed world. Most of the people in my immediate life are in a state of denial. After trying a bit, they simply won't engage, so I let them have their denial, illusion, or whatever it is. Maybe letting them have that is ultimately all I can give them. Maybe avoidance for as long as possible to what becomes more probable every day is a legitimate strategy. That's not how I am made, though. Eyes wide open to this world since my early teens.
Then you have the circle of silence. I talk to people all the time and once I let them know I accept collapse, they typically open up and spill the beans. It’s like they need permission to be honest. I don’t know how widespread that is, or it’s just people I keep bumping into.
I meet people occasionally who know what's going on and engage, but not often. I try to find openings when I'm out on errands. I gave a doctor my five-minute synopsis of the situation when he seemed interested and pretty much left him stunned. People simply aren't getting reality through our crummy mainstream media.
Try existing in a world of these colleagues. I just spent $20,000 to rent three billboards that will go up May 15 and am designing a website called HEATHEALTH that will inform the public the personal risks from warming climate and how to avoid or reduce them. Not one of the drs willing to contribute.
Kudos to you for your extraordinary efforts. If I can help, let me know. I used to be a graphic designer. Would love to see your billboards and a link to your site when you go live. We have to fight for those who won't.
You bet. It’s my most expensive climate project to date. I’ll send you pics and link when up. Thank you. 😊
Geoff: Thank you for denouncing the reinforcement by horrific events that plays in my head, "is this angry, might makes right behavior" our destiny? Reading comments and action like what Neil is taking reassures me there are things we are doing. From individual, local, national and global action; collectively the "Sane" will navigate through the abyss.
Nell's efforts are fantastic, but without leadership at the top we're in deep trouble. Even as we build renewables, our energy demands grow, and we're burning more oil than ever. The oil industry is even using wind turbines to assist in drilling, calling that somehow more green. We absolutely need to reduce energy use, which means consumption and travel, reduction of meat consumption, etc., and bring the billionaires to heel whose carbon footprints are criminal. Billionaires emit a million times more greenhouse gases than the average person. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/07/world/billionaires-greenhouse-gases-climate-intl/index.html
Not unique to US at all. This plastic-fixated, me-centric, angry, uneducated mob looking for a fight.
Strong, charismatic and convincing global gurus needed urgently.
Yes, the misguided mob is looking for a fight, one with the wrong people. They don't want to hear the truth that our glorious, unsustainable way of living is coming to an end. We need gurus, and also to fight in our little corner of the world.
I stopped writing my weekly newspaper article climate corner because people said it was not local enough, and it was too alarmist. Whatever. I now have built a year-round greenhouse, and put up growing towers in the doctors office. Planning to have fresh produce in the greenhouse and extend these into town.
Also working on a project FOOD ALLIANCE to gather food surplus from hospitals, hotels, schools, restaurants, etc. Not a novel concept, but will be critical. Getting health unit and food banks etc on board.
Tiresome. Have a few locals who live in our reality. That feels grounding.
I dream of a cabin and farm in mountains in Costa Rica. Then only South Americans headed north will slaughter me, not the Americans and Central Americans who will come soon enough.
🤷♂️
Your efforts are wonderful, and you are correct that projects like the Food Alliance are valuable. There are so many low tech things we can do to make a difference. But that doesn't make anyone money, does it? Wasted food emitting methane in dumps is an obvious issue, while so many go hungry. Our leaders so removed from us don't understand on the ground reality. Never been to Costa Rica, but a former illustration professor retired there and loved the people and its beauty. You're right, though, those in Central America will be forced to flee. Hell, Mexico's drought situation is dire as well. Climate migration is set to be an enormous problem. The ramifications are difficult to think about.
(a big section repeats) The "massive failure of our society" began around 60 years ago with the demise of proper education. You can never regain those early teachable years, the "deplorables" are beyond rehabilitation, you just have to find a way to work around those vacant minds and try better with the next generations. There is no quick fix, the egg has boiled.
Thanks, yes I fixed that repeat. I agree, education has failed, that is foundational to our problems. I don't lay the blame at the feet of teachers necessarily, though. Our culture has become progressively shallower as a whole, an entertainment society (ever coarser as well), and problems often start with the kids at home not being inspired to learn. It's a complex problem with no one size fits all solution.
Yes, foundational, and no, I don't blame the teachers. The whole environment of education, from home, to school, to society has been gutted. I was just watching a recital in Ukraine (on YouTube) by young (very young) 'cello players at different levels of training, playing complicated pieces from memory. This is true brain development, and it requires full support from home and the education system and the entire endeavor must accrue value from society at large. As they say, "It takes a village." That is all history now; real development of young brains is no longer an important consideration and society suffers from that in increasingly exponentially damaging ways.
Perfectly put! Nothing but the truth and unequivocal mobile reality.
It is a small bit pression point I think that “rape and pillage“ which is our current macro economic model has nothing to do with capitalism. True capitalism has an absolutely free market and flat fully and placed partially punished if violating consumer protections. We have neither. The only market niche close is the Saturday morning market at the park.
Reality is coming. Fossil fuels will soon be too expensive to extract economically. This is going to crush the build out of renewables, which come with their own rape and pillage. No diesel means no mining, transport or construction. More and more I believe the world is destined to become starved for energy. Add in uncontrollable climate change fueled disasters and massive refugees. Degrowth is coming, but not in the organized, planned way we should have started 40 or 50 years ago. It's boggling to contemplate.
I would imagine the food wars will happen long before a scarcity of fossil fuels. If mankind sees 2030 I will be quite surprised. I collated data for an earth scientist professor emeritus any world conference with over 950 leading scientist. It was a four week ordeal. At the end, the final report was unanimously declared ever to be released. Only one of two things could possibly happen. Mass panic or complete dismissal.
Food wars, water wars, the end of extractable fossil fuel crashing the renewables fantasy, so many good choices. I agree such a paper would likely result in mass panic or dismissal. Ultimately, our downfall is behavioral.
You might have heard of him. Brooke Babineau
Wow! I thought your last photo was just a poorly developed foggy morning beach pic. Ugh!
The November election terrifies me. Could this country be stupid enough to elect this man again?
Wonderful article --- now, if I can just get my husband to read it!
It is absolutely terrifying. I have been appalled at how slowly the justice system works when you have money to slow it down. This is a make-or-break year for humanity, and we are far from out of the woods, even assuming Trump's defeat.