I’m a diabetic. The trouble with diabetes is it kills you without pain until it is way too late. I test my blood sugar. I used to avoid it if I had binged on carbs or sugar. The long range reading stayed stubbornly high. My doctor asked me to systematically test twice a day come what may. I got a shock. I am too frightened to eat bread and fruit. The moral of the story is that people will push the impending crisis out of their minds unless a) something dreadful affects them or b) some way is found to show them the effects. It may sound stupid but we should get a video feed from Delhi or Lahore when the temperatures tend to unbearable.
That’s a fantastic analogy! (Not for you personally, but I hope you get what I mean. Like when my husband ignored his gallbladder symptoms until the organ had literally died inside his abdomen, and his kidneys were failing.) Thank you - what an excellent point.
I also love the idea of a heat cam, or many of them. A fantastic idea for collaboration and sharing while showing people what is actually going on.
The insurance industry is going to lead the way to transformations in where we live at least, and the cost of utilities (water, electricity for cooling) will contribute to it.
We humans discount the risk of any future negative event happening, especially when things otherwise look “normal.” The destruction caused by fires, floods and storms still amount to episodic skirmishes in the coming crises. The reality of what we are in for won’t start to bite until we have large scale crop failures that affect food availability. That might be soon.
In the meantime I am doing the things you are discussing… I am in the process of getting solar installed with battery backup for when the grid goes down. I am experimenting with growing food (tomatoes planted, peas are up, things are happening!). I am minimizing my use of fossil fuels, making connections in the community and volunteering… will it make a difference?
In the 5 stages of grief around the climate emergency I am at “acceptance” now. The future is like a tsunami that is a white streak on the horizon while we are building sandcastles on the beach.
Thank you, Doug! 😊 Such a very good point about the insurance industry. I also read a piece recently about how the banking industry is accepting a 3.0 degree world as baked in, and are adjusting plans accordingly.
I think that what you are doing WILL make a difference. And would love to see pix of what you are growing as it comes along!
Overpopulation has been known about since at least 1960 (or earlier with Malthus) and has been ignored and exacerbated by "consumerism". Fossil fuel was predicted to run out back then about now. Yet humans have bred like rabbits and fossil fuels usage increased exponentially with them. The ramifications were kept hidden from the public and government is still promoting both. It's now "patriotic" under Trump to have more children with a $5000 bribe and "drill baby drill".
Simple measures like birth control and a change in mfg away from a disposable goods (consumerism ) economy to one of lasting goods would have avoided the problems we now face which is the end of civilization in the very near future. Capitalism and the economy were the main drivers and a miniscule number of people were at fault. One has to wonder why. Simple greed and ego? Resource management is antithetical to capitalism.
At this point, is the continuation on the wrong path because they know that it's too late to stop it? Or do they have another plan like a drastic reduction of population? Are they completely insane or devious? Would different leadership make a difference or is it just "human nature" that is the cause? Will they sacrifice the majority of people to go live underground in their bunkers for years until things stabilize and let AI and robotics run things? Humans will be replaced by robots in 10 years or less by their own words. Humans are parasites, except for them. We should take heed.
The government and the media lie to us on a daily basis. We are being kept from the truth. If overpopulation is the cause, the cure is population reduction, if not too late.
“Are they completely insane or devious?” I can’t decide. Maybe both? I find it hard to imagine any group of humans able to orchestrate anything in a fully coordinated way - either for good OR evil.
One thing is for sure, what is coming is very scary, whether “just human nature” or not.
Just in case anyone wonders what the conscientious bankers of the world are doing to combat climate change, I will remind you that world banks have committed over $7 Trillion to FUTURE fossil fuel projects. This crisis is being fed by them!
If you care even one whit about the future of our biosphere, get your money out of those fucking banks. Find a small credit union that still gives a tiny shit about people and curse those bankers to hell.
Oh good grief - you are right! they’re not conscientious or doing anything. They’re just warning other rich folks so they can buy private islands and build bunkers.
I'm guilty as charged. Thanks for the wake up call. Thanks also for the suggested actions and precautions to take - it's time for me to slow the damage for the next generation by stepping up.
Thanks, Kira, for your decade long effort at awakening the public to the climate crisis and your excellent writing. However, I am always amazed that noone writing about fertility/overpopulation/environmental collapse ever mentions the dire future awaiting the 168,000 innocent children being born just today. A tidal wave of alarming climate collapse news is creeping into the MSM, and many excellent sources are now on substack, including my free e-book, "Stress R Us", which spells out the health consequences of "population density stress". Native American "grandmothers" relate that their culture requires us to consider the future consequences of any action for at least 7 generations into the future. In our Capitalist/infotainment centered culture of denial and stress addiction, we ignore the potential environmental/health consequences for those children unfortunate to be conceived today, as they will turn 22 in 2047, when current climate science (C3S) predicts we hit the unsurviveable 6 degC over the 1991-2020 baseline. Even at the 3 degC level, many reputable scientists predict a 50% dieoff for humanity, and that's likely by 2032, if the trend of increasingly higher global annual temp increases continues. Our planet has its own AC for buffering surface temp's, the hydrological cycle, which moves excess heat energy from the surface to outer space and keeps our surface temps endurable, but the 1.2 trillion tons of melting global ice, and the 321 million cubic miles of warming oceans, are indicating an AC highly stressed and facing outright collapse. My advice is to join the 47% of Americans 18-50 who have decided to forgo reproduction (PEW report, 7-24). Have a blessed day!
A candid and thoughtful written article. Like you I have been ‘anxious’ and ‘aware’ for the last decade, with many ups and downs. With this article you bring hope. Rather than sitting in the ‘problem state’ we can be doing things locally. Thank you for your work and care. Robin
I’m a diabetic. The trouble with diabetes is it kills you without pain until it is way too late. I test my blood sugar. I used to avoid it if I had binged on carbs or sugar. The long range reading stayed stubbornly high. My doctor asked me to systematically test twice a day come what may. I got a shock. I am too frightened to eat bread and fruit. The moral of the story is that people will push the impending crisis out of their minds unless a) something dreadful affects them or b) some way is found to show them the effects. It may sound stupid but we should get a video feed from Delhi or Lahore when the temperatures tend to unbearable.
That’s a fantastic analogy! (Not for you personally, but I hope you get what I mean. Like when my husband ignored his gallbladder symptoms until the organ had literally died inside his abdomen, and his kidneys were failing.) Thank you - what an excellent point.
I also love the idea of a heat cam, or many of them. A fantastic idea for collaboration and sharing while showing people what is actually going on.
Great, as usual Kira.
The insurance industry is going to lead the way to transformations in where we live at least, and the cost of utilities (water, electricity for cooling) will contribute to it.
We humans discount the risk of any future negative event happening, especially when things otherwise look “normal.” The destruction caused by fires, floods and storms still amount to episodic skirmishes in the coming crises. The reality of what we are in for won’t start to bite until we have large scale crop failures that affect food availability. That might be soon.
In the meantime I am doing the things you are discussing… I am in the process of getting solar installed with battery backup for when the grid goes down. I am experimenting with growing food (tomatoes planted, peas are up, things are happening!). I am minimizing my use of fossil fuels, making connections in the community and volunteering… will it make a difference?
In the 5 stages of grief around the climate emergency I am at “acceptance” now. The future is like a tsunami that is a white streak on the horizon while we are building sandcastles on the beach.
Thank you, Doug! 😊 Such a very good point about the insurance industry. I also read a piece recently about how the banking industry is accepting a 3.0 degree world as baked in, and are adjusting plans accordingly.
I think that what you are doing WILL make a difference. And would love to see pix of what you are growing as it comes along!
I will be updating this post… maybe today! But here is what I have been working on.
https://dougflet.substack.com/p/growth?r=fjrpt
Overpopulation has been known about since at least 1960 (or earlier with Malthus) and has been ignored and exacerbated by "consumerism". Fossil fuel was predicted to run out back then about now. Yet humans have bred like rabbits and fossil fuels usage increased exponentially with them. The ramifications were kept hidden from the public and government is still promoting both. It's now "patriotic" under Trump to have more children with a $5000 bribe and "drill baby drill".
Simple measures like birth control and a change in mfg away from a disposable goods (consumerism ) economy to one of lasting goods would have avoided the problems we now face which is the end of civilization in the very near future. Capitalism and the economy were the main drivers and a miniscule number of people were at fault. One has to wonder why. Simple greed and ego? Resource management is antithetical to capitalism.
At this point, is the continuation on the wrong path because they know that it's too late to stop it? Or do they have another plan like a drastic reduction of population? Are they completely insane or devious? Would different leadership make a difference or is it just "human nature" that is the cause? Will they sacrifice the majority of people to go live underground in their bunkers for years until things stabilize and let AI and robotics run things? Humans will be replaced by robots in 10 years or less by their own words. Humans are parasites, except for them. We should take heed.
The government and the media lie to us on a daily basis. We are being kept from the truth. If overpopulation is the cause, the cure is population reduction, if not too late.
“Are they completely insane or devious?” I can’t decide. Maybe both? I find it hard to imagine any group of humans able to orchestrate anything in a fully coordinated way - either for good OR evil.
One thing is for sure, what is coming is very scary, whether “just human nature” or not.
I am old enough to remember ZPG. What a fail. ☹️
Why I never had children.
So much for individual effort.
Or lack thereof.
I didn’t either - more by accident than conscious decision. But every day I appreciate more that I did the right thing.
Just in case anyone wonders what the conscientious bankers of the world are doing to combat climate change, I will remind you that world banks have committed over $7 Trillion to FUTURE fossil fuel projects. This crisis is being fed by them!
If you care even one whit about the future of our biosphere, get your money out of those fucking banks. Find a small credit union that still gives a tiny shit about people and curse those bankers to hell.
Oh good grief - you are right! they’re not conscientious or doing anything. They’re just warning other rich folks so they can buy private islands and build bunkers.
I'm guilty as charged. Thanks for the wake up call. Thanks also for the suggested actions and precautions to take - it's time for me to slow the damage for the next generation by stepping up.
You do know that I give all teachers a pass (for pretty much everything)? 😊 You did the most important work on the planet for years and years. 💖
I love that you found my crazy substack. I just hope all my subscribers don’t feel super bombarded. I seem to be recovering from my writer’s block. 😜
Thanks, Kira, for your decade long effort at awakening the public to the climate crisis and your excellent writing. However, I am always amazed that noone writing about fertility/overpopulation/environmental collapse ever mentions the dire future awaiting the 168,000 innocent children being born just today. A tidal wave of alarming climate collapse news is creeping into the MSM, and many excellent sources are now on substack, including my free e-book, "Stress R Us", which spells out the health consequences of "population density stress". Native American "grandmothers" relate that their culture requires us to consider the future consequences of any action for at least 7 generations into the future. In our Capitalist/infotainment centered culture of denial and stress addiction, we ignore the potential environmental/health consequences for those children unfortunate to be conceived today, as they will turn 22 in 2047, when current climate science (C3S) predicts we hit the unsurviveable 6 degC over the 1991-2020 baseline. Even at the 3 degC level, many reputable scientists predict a 50% dieoff for humanity, and that's likely by 2032, if the trend of increasingly higher global annual temp increases continues. Our planet has its own AC for buffering surface temp's, the hydrological cycle, which moves excess heat energy from the surface to outer space and keeps our surface temps endurable, but the 1.2 trillion tons of melting global ice, and the 321 million cubic miles of warming oceans, are indicating an AC highly stressed and facing outright collapse. My advice is to join the 47% of Americans 18-50 who have decided to forgo reproduction (PEW report, 7-24). Have a blessed day!
A candid and thoughtful written article. Like you I have been ‘anxious’ and ‘aware’ for the last decade, with many ups and downs. With this article you bring hope. Rather than sitting in the ‘problem state’ we can be doing things locally. Thank you for your work and care. Robin