Industrial civilization seems to have pushed nature past its limits. Cactuses are dying of heat. Fish are drowning because the water lacks oxygen. The ocean now has almost as much plastic as fish. Severe droughts, heat waves, and floods are causing massive shortages of food and water. People of all species are dying in the heat.
We can’t stop the collapse, because we have a society organized around profit. If someone found an effective solution to climate change, it could never be implemented, if it weren’t profitable. Even if it were profitable, the oil companies might stop it to protect their own profits.
Our political and economic elites have proven for 30 years that they have no intention of stopping or even mitigating the environmental destruction they cause. We, or at least 98% of we are going to die from this.
Along with us, trillions of current and future living beings are in danger, because climate chaos won’t stop when we stop. The processes industry has started will continue after we are gone, because of the vicious circles we have set in motion.
What do we do now? Nature gives us life every hour. I’m asking us to devote our lives to nature in return. Devotion to life is a sacred path, and one that will be harder, happier, and healthier than the easy path of addiction to wealth we are on now.
If we prioritize life, we could save trillions of future lives, even if many of them are bugs. If we can stop destroying forests and start planting them, start seeing animals as our relatives and stop killing them, we could save millions of creatures living now
People need reasons to live. We need to feel we are doing some good. The purpose we were given by nature and God is to take care of our sacred Earth. Even the monotheist Bible says man has dominion over all things. I don’t know what the authors of that line meant by dominion, but I doubt they meant killing everything. To me, it means being a good shepherd to the rest of life. You eat a sheep now and then, but you take care of them full time. You don’t crowd them in factory farms where they can’t even move until it’s their time to die.
Life is a gift, and we have to give back, which indigenous botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer calls reciprocity. We should be devoting as much time and energy as we can to healing Earth. We might not see many successes, but we can do something, and we can feel good about what we’re doing. People will also get along together better and survive better when we’re working on a common goal.
Paths we can take to promote life
These are just hints. You can develop them or find your own.
● Stop paving over land. Advocate against new development. Or go farther and tear up existing pavement and restore the land underneath to life. This is called depaving, and nonprofit groups like Oregon’s Depaving.org are already doing it.
The People’s Republic of China is depaving on a grand scale. They have created over 200 sponge cities. A sponge city replaces pavement with green spaces and ponds, giving water a place to seep into Earth, preventing floods and nourishing surrounding habitats.
● If you have access to land, get out on it and use permaculture techniques to heal it. Let wild plants grow along with food in gardens, which can be as large as a farm or as small as a window box. Maybe move to and help out on a farm which focuses on regenerating the land. You can easily find places like that on the ‘Net.
● Plant trees, grow other plants in cities, restore wetlands and rivers; protect ocean fronts and lakes. Plants cool things down, keep air clean, and restore habitat for birds and insects. Wetlands are the world’s biggest creators of life.
● While actually doing things in Nature heals us, political activism is also crucial. Some of us should be advocating for peace, against toxic chemicals, mass incarceration, and development, for sane transportation systems. Some of us should be working to house homeless people and protect those who, like children, who cannot protect themselves.
● Whatever we do, we should do it with others. I’ve tried by myself; it doesn’t work. Find a group or start one for whatever part of nature calls you.
● Survive — Ultimately, most of us won’t survive climate chaos, but those who do can help life rebound. We could be digging shelters to survive heat waves. It’s a lot cooler underground. Cooperate; learn to share. Learn to defend ourselves.
● Lead with love. Loving nature means loving life and loving each other, realizing we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.
I often close with “We can do this,” but to be honest, I’m not sure we can this time. But we can try.
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