Perfectly said. It really is all "normalized crazy," where somehow YOU become the crazy one if you try to discuss in ordinary conversation how absurd and dire the human situation/future of our planet is right now. You're often seen as "bringing the vibes down" or being a "doomer" where I think it's the opposite. The ones with the courage to take action and relentlessly speak about what is happening are the true heroes and fighters for our future. The real downer is allowing ourselves to fast track into hell on Earth.
I guess we're the "weird" ones recognizing facts and understanding the historic pattern of human behavior. So glad you see the truth. We must bring the truth to as many deniers as possible and change their thinking, even at great cost. Not doing so will cost far more.
I think that it being dire is on the mind of anyone who isn't crazy. People are catatonic about what to do, though. Everyone feels helpless. And there isn't any movement to take collective action. We have the internet and why haven't any power figures created a coalition for the good? It would be easier than taking to the streets! Looking for what to do is what I'm writing about on my Substack. And not how to inform the crazies as much as how to collect us to think together about what to do.
You're right, there are a range of reasons people are paralyzed. Some are clueless about our dilemma, because they're not readers, relying on commercial news sources to form their opinions. FOX of course is the worst of the lot, but the others leave much to be desired in sins of omission, emphasis and consistency. Spurious bloggers peddling disinformation (poster child Alex Jones) and crazies on AM radio don't help (I occasionally listen a bit on long car drives, and it's appalling). I look at the internet as a good organizing tool, but not a replacement for taking to the streets, a powerful and necessary agent of change. I've brought up the Civil Rights movement in my writing as a comparison to my subject, which tries for the most part to focus on climate change.
It's frustrating to see so many misled or sitting on the sidelines, but take heart, social change is the result of a handful of people lighting the wick and emboldening others. It might be my spark, it might be your spark, it might be someone else — the more of us lighting matches, the better.
To my mind, time is our biggest enemy now, the changes we need to make are extremely pressing. Whether our governments and behemoth corporations want to admit it or not, we're heading for a lower energy world, and less consumption. That can be managed, or it can be chaos. An electric world if we manage to build it (in many ways questionable with its own environmental destruction and pollution issues) will not be the same as the fossil fuel one.
People are being led to believe the only change they need to make is to drive an EV, which of course is ridiculous.
Hopefully Harris-Walz get elected, and they have a clue about the gravity of the situation we're in. We need a galvanized, concerted effort, a unifying vision at the top, akin to the WWII effort. We can't assume that will happen, so we also need to demand it from the bottom.
Thank you, for your paid subscription, they are rare. This is a labor of love and conviction, but the occasional paid subscription buoys me and helps pay for the subscriptions I pay for to find good information. Your support is absolutely appreciated. Thank you.
I didn't see this here. My Substack is free. I don't know how all but the superstars make money. Actually I have an offer out where I'd fund what stood a chance to bring about system change -- time being our biggest enemy. How to change the way humanity thinks, where we stop clubbing each and become a cooperative species?
I do "take heart, social change is the result of a handful of people lighting the wick and emboldening others. It might be my spark, it might be your spark, it might be someone else — the more of us lighting matches, the better."
Maisie you unfortunately make a great point. Being real about the impact of everyday human choices to ignore the destruction of many ecologies, habitats and vital processes of our Earth— and instead pursue our hedonistic ignorance is all too common in the so-called developed countries. In the face of unlimited power and greed, the ability to turn this speeding train around and avoid it crashing off the tracks will inevitably throw us off the cliff.
Hi. I liked your first article on Substack, too. Thoughtful and well written. Our predicament is the fundamental product of our behavior, which is a theme to one degree or another in most of my writing. I like to joke opposable thumbs are what did us in, if only we couldn't make tools. Thanks for the link.
Well written, as usual. Horribly true. Yes, getting Kamala elected is crucial, but that doesn't do enough to curtail human stupidity. I must say, I'm glad I'm as old as I am. Won't have to watch the worst of the world dying a death.
No, electing Harris certainly doesn't solve anything. We don't have a clear understanding of who she is and what she stands for. There are some indicators and I believe she can be far better than Biden, but with so far incomplete evidence. I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon, but clearly, she's our best shot. I hope she is the beginning of a rational direction to fight for.
I tend to agree. I haven't seen any leadership telling us the truth or galvanizing us into action in a WWII style plan of action. If there's any chance left, that's what we need. I'm particularly wary of the Arctic. If it hasn't tipped, it's damn close. https://geoffreydeihl.substack.com/p/permafrost-maybe-not
The data trend is apparent. The principles of physics are known to us. How do you inform the global population? Apparently, you just keep gaslighting them to avoid complete and utter free fall chaos.
You bring up a serious subject. I wonder all the time about people bringing babies into this world. I have a daughter, 21, and even two decades ago had an idea her future was screwed, but the evidence and my knowledge then was far less. At that time, I could not make the argument not to have her because of climate change.
Yes, the data trend is obvious now, as are physical realities, and as we drift to tipping points computer models will at best scramble to keep up. Desperate SAI will come soon, I think. I'm pretty certain you know climate scientists are generally stunned by the speed of change at this point, decades ahead of predictions.
The science was there in the 70s from the research Exxon did with their own people. Talk about gaslighting. I understand how you feel about being a father in these circumstances. Sorry. It's hard.
I had one child in the early 90s (well, someone else Was involved, so I guess that's half a child) and I always felt a sense of guilt. Here's something new on my radar though, I read an article the other day that said people running the show are afraid of under population for purely economic reasons (benefitting them, of course) Maybe that explains the pro life stance getting more restrictive. My favorite bumper sticker about abortion was, Don't Like Abortion? Don't Get One. And I don't like bumper stickers! thanks for reading my rambling thoughts if you did
I thought you might like this for a laugh due to the overwhelming stupidity of the article. I actually learned a lot from it though. And keep in mind that beach sand in paridise is actually fish shit. No shit. More shit? Same old shit? Do I look like I give a shit?
USA today, a fine rag. I think future tourism on the islands looks like scuba diving the ruins. Maybe the billionaires can go in a self-designed, self-imploding sub when they emerge from their bunkers.
Perfectly said. It really is all "normalized crazy," where somehow YOU become the crazy one if you try to discuss in ordinary conversation how absurd and dire the human situation/future of our planet is right now. You're often seen as "bringing the vibes down" or being a "doomer" where I think it's the opposite. The ones with the courage to take action and relentlessly speak about what is happening are the true heroes and fighters for our future. The real downer is allowing ourselves to fast track into hell on Earth.
I guess we're the "weird" ones recognizing facts and understanding the historic pattern of human behavior. So glad you see the truth. We must bring the truth to as many deniers as possible and change their thinking, even at great cost. Not doing so will cost far more.
I think that it being dire is on the mind of anyone who isn't crazy. People are catatonic about what to do, though. Everyone feels helpless. And there isn't any movement to take collective action. We have the internet and why haven't any power figures created a coalition for the good? It would be easier than taking to the streets! Looking for what to do is what I'm writing about on my Substack. And not how to inform the crazies as much as how to collect us to think together about what to do.
You're right, there are a range of reasons people are paralyzed. Some are clueless about our dilemma, because they're not readers, relying on commercial news sources to form their opinions. FOX of course is the worst of the lot, but the others leave much to be desired in sins of omission, emphasis and consistency. Spurious bloggers peddling disinformation (poster child Alex Jones) and crazies on AM radio don't help (I occasionally listen a bit on long car drives, and it's appalling). I look at the internet as a good organizing tool, but not a replacement for taking to the streets, a powerful and necessary agent of change. I've brought up the Civil Rights movement in my writing as a comparison to my subject, which tries for the most part to focus on climate change.
It's frustrating to see so many misled or sitting on the sidelines, but take heart, social change is the result of a handful of people lighting the wick and emboldening others. It might be my spark, it might be your spark, it might be someone else — the more of us lighting matches, the better.
To my mind, time is our biggest enemy now, the changes we need to make are extremely pressing. Whether our governments and behemoth corporations want to admit it or not, we're heading for a lower energy world, and less consumption. That can be managed, or it can be chaos. An electric world if we manage to build it (in many ways questionable with its own environmental destruction and pollution issues) will not be the same as the fossil fuel one.
People are being led to believe the only change they need to make is to drive an EV, which of course is ridiculous.
Hopefully Harris-Walz get elected, and they have a clue about the gravity of the situation we're in. We need a galvanized, concerted effort, a unifying vision at the top, akin to the WWII effort. We can't assume that will happen, so we also need to demand it from the bottom.
Thank you, for your paid subscription, they are rare. This is a labor of love and conviction, but the occasional paid subscription buoys me and helps pay for the subscriptions I pay for to find good information. Your support is absolutely appreciated. Thank you.
I didn't see this here. My Substack is free. I don't know how all but the superstars make money. Actually I have an offer out where I'd fund what stood a chance to bring about system change -- time being our biggest enemy. How to change the way humanity thinks, where we stop clubbing each and become a cooperative species?
I do "take heart, social change is the result of a handful of people lighting the wick and emboldening others. It might be my spark, it might be your spark, it might be someone else — the more of us lighting matches, the better."
Maisie you unfortunately make a great point. Being real about the impact of everyday human choices to ignore the destruction of many ecologies, habitats and vital processes of our Earth— and instead pursue our hedonistic ignorance is all too common in the so-called developed countries. In the face of unlimited power and greed, the ability to turn this speeding train around and avoid it crashing off the tracks will inevitably throw us off the cliff.
Hi. I liked your first article on Substack, too. Thoughtful and well written. Our predicament is the fundamental product of our behavior, which is a theme to one degree or another in most of my writing. I like to joke opposable thumbs are what did us in, if only we couldn't make tools. Thanks for the link.
Well written, as usual. Horribly true. Yes, getting Kamala elected is crucial, but that doesn't do enough to curtail human stupidity. I must say, I'm glad I'm as old as I am. Won't have to watch the worst of the world dying a death.
No, electing Harris certainly doesn't solve anything. We don't have a clear understanding of who she is and what she stands for. There are some indicators and I believe she can be far better than Biden, but with so far incomplete evidence. I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon, but clearly, she's our best shot. I hope she is the beginning of a rational direction to fight for.
It doesn't matter who you put into office at this point. Humanity is off the rails and headed towards extinction this century.
I tend to agree. I haven't seen any leadership telling us the truth or galvanizing us into action in a WWII style plan of action. If there's any chance left, that's what we need. I'm particularly wary of the Arctic. If it hasn't tipped, it's damn close. https://geoffreydeihl.substack.com/p/permafrost-maybe-not
The data trend is apparent. The principles of physics are known to us. How do you inform the global population? Apparently, you just keep gaslighting them to avoid complete and utter free fall chaos.
I will die with the sin of fatherhood.
You bring up a serious subject. I wonder all the time about people bringing babies into this world. I have a daughter, 21, and even two decades ago had an idea her future was screwed, but the evidence and my knowledge then was far less. At that time, I could not make the argument not to have her because of climate change.
Yes, the data trend is obvious now, as are physical realities, and as we drift to tipping points computer models will at best scramble to keep up. Desperate SAI will come soon, I think. I'm pretty certain you know climate scientists are generally stunned by the speed of change at this point, decades ahead of predictions.
The science was there in the 70s from the research Exxon did with their own people. Talk about gaslighting. I understand how you feel about being a father in these circumstances. Sorry. It's hard.
I had one child in the early 90s (well, someone else Was involved, so I guess that's half a child) and I always felt a sense of guilt. Here's something new on my radar though, I read an article the other day that said people running the show are afraid of under population for purely economic reasons (benefitting them, of course) Maybe that explains the pro life stance getting more restrictive. My favorite bumper sticker about abortion was, Don't Like Abortion? Don't Get One. And I don't like bumper stickers! thanks for reading my rambling thoughts if you did
I thought you might like this for a laugh due to the overwhelming stupidity of the article. I actually learned a lot from it though. And keep in mind that beach sand in paridise is actually fish shit. No shit. More shit? Same old shit? Do I look like I give a shit?
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/2024/08/01/hawaii-beaches-climate-change/74624517007/
I thought this article was appropriate for it.
USA today, a fine rag. I think future tourism on the islands looks like scuba diving the ruins. Maybe the billionaires can go in a self-designed, self-imploding sub when they emerge from their bunkers.
Nice article. I agree that our behavioural patterns are one of the fundamental cornerstones of our predicament. You may be interested in this study that backs that claim https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00368504231201372
You are right on!