What is a person to do?

As I have written before, the consensus of climate scientists is that we must make a 50 percent reduction in atmospheric carbon emissions within the next 8 years (less than 100 months!) in order to have any chance of avoiding a runaway climate emergency leading to complete economic collapse and possible near term human extinction. Conditions are changing so rapidly that some feel we need a 75 percent reduction within 3 years! Climate disasters in the US continue making headlines across the country, with economic impact beginning to approach $1 trillion per year.

It is estimated the complete decarbonization of the planet will cost about $20 trillion, which means the US would have to invest $400 billion per year (only half the Pentagon budget) for the next 8 years, to hit the 50 percent mark.

Despite all that, with atmospheric CO2 concentrations still increasing every year, “business as usual” is fighting to avoid admitting there is even a problem. The CEOs of the major oil companies recently testified before Congress that they never denied climate science, despite decades of funding the deniers. Supposedly “moderate” Democrats are working against funding even $50 billion per year to address the climate emergency.

I still believe that enough Americans across the political spectrum are beginning to realize we really are all in this climate crisis together, and will vote the obstructionists out of office in order to support a concerted effort to preserve a habitable planet for our grandchildren. But I have overestimated the political sanity of our country many times before. So, what is a person to do?

At one level, it is important to sit with the idea that we may already be too late. I hit that mark several years ago reading the extensive scientific literature about abrupt climate change, such as McPherson’s book “Extinction Dialogs”. It took me months to come to terms with the idea of near-term human extinction. I noticed how much of my conversation and thinking presupposed an ongoing future. It made me more aware of my daily activities, and sharpened my appreciation for the beauty of life.

Our cultural pathology, which has difficulty addressing even individual death, has no place for contemplating death of our species. As I have aged, I have made some peace with my own death, and appreciate that I have had a good life. But much of my acceptance of personal death is balanced by the assumption that someone will still carry on. That civilization will endure, even as I exit as an individual. Letting go of that was another level of grief.

Joanna Macy, in her “Work That Connects”, is clear that our primary work is grief work. Feeling it, embracing it, honoring it, and transforming it into a deep experience of healing, love, and gratitude for this beautiful planet and all the life forms that share it with us. This deeper appreciation can renew us in the task of doing what can be done in the time remaining, for we are not extinct yet.

Corporate capitalism, rooted as it is in the illusion of separation and the fallacy of exclusive gain, can’t rescue itself from its own extractive excesses. There is no more time to waste pretending the fiction of the “free market” will save us, or that “business as usual” must be preserved. The Titanic is sinking, and society must begin preparing the lifeboats.

Even the larger business community is beginning to recognize this fact, as the looming tidal wave of the climate disruption builds each year. Shareholders are beginning to demand climate assessments in corporate business considerations. Insurance companies are starting to ban some of the worst climate polluters from further coverage. Hedge funds are asserting their awareness that a dead planet is bad for business. Some states are stepping up to the task of climate leadership. This trend will only grow as the reality of the climate impact accelerates.

There is no certainty of success. Humanity may indeed already be dead and just too distracted to know it yet. But it is worth trying to transform our economy and society. For such a global issue, a viable solution must be massively inclusive, transcending all the illusions of separation humanity has used to define ourselves so far.

What an interesting time to be alive!

Crispin B. Hollinshead lives in Ukiah. This and previous articles can be found at cbhollinshead.blogspot.com.