The Storm Is Rising
As the sun sets on another day in what could be called the Anthropocene epoch, we stand at the precipice, watching as the once-stable climate system of our planet lurches toward a cascade of ecological tipping points, accelerating “faster than expected.” Recent phenomena, such as the atmospheric rivers causing unprecedented flooding in California, are not isolated incidents. Rather, they are harbingers of a more chaotic climate regime. This is the reality of our world—a world where climate change is not a distant threat but an immediate crisis.
The accelerating pace of climate change and its increasingly visible impacts, from the devastating wildfires in Australia and the Amazon to the melting ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica, underscores a grim truth. That we are entering uncharted territories, and ecological tipping points are being crossed with alarming frequency. These are not mere fluctuations in weather patterns but stark indicators of a planet in distress, signaling the onset of irreversible damage to the very fabric of Earth’s ecosystems.
Chaotic weather patterns do not even have to be very destructive to have catastrophic consequences. The loss of stability and predictability when it comes to weather conditions can have a disastrous effect on global food production. Agriculture requires a stable pattern in the weather, and that is something we are losing rapidly.
The storm is here, and it is one of our own making.
The root cause of this acceleration? A global society stubbornly tethered to fossil fuels, despite the overwhelming evidence of their role in driving climate change. The fossil fuel industry, with its insatiable thirst for profit, has become the architect of our demise, actively obstructing efforts to transition to renewable energy sources. Their campaigns of misinformation and political lobbying have effectively delayed meaningful action against climate change, casting a long shadow over our collective future.
As it stands, the time for any meaningful change has long passed, and the industries making all the profits have doomed us with their greed. Given how we have progressed, and the glaring fact that we will continue along this path of “business as usual,” it is not unlikely that there are already at least 4 degrees of warming already ‘baked in’ to the equation.
And that is catastrophic warming, for us as well as for every other living thing on this planet.
How we got here
As we witness the increasing frequency and severity of climate-related disasters, it becomes evident that the global response to this crisis has been woefully inadequate. The international community’s failure to unite in action against climate change, hindered by geopolitical conflicts and economic interests, has only exacerbated the situation. The Paris Agreement, while a step in the right direction, fell well short of the drastic measures needed to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. Our world leaders, seduced by the siren call of economic growth and corporate interests, continue to gamble with the future of the planet. And we can no longer expect them to do anything. Actions always speak louder than words, so we need to see that the last few decades of action are simply examples of the coming ones. There has been no action that might demonstrate a change, and continuing to expect it is lunacy. COP28 Was a great example of what we can continue to expect: no action other than more fossil fuels expansion.
The consequences of this inaction are not abstract future predictions but are unfolding in real-time. Ecological tipping points, once theoretical thresholds, are now alarming realities. And we are already starting to exceed these thresholds. The collapse of the West Antarctic ice sheet, the die-off of coral reefs, and the thawing of the permafrost are not just environmental issues but catalysts for a broader cataclysm that will drive us to global societal collapse. These events signal the breakdown of the Earth’s systems that support life as we know it, threatening food security, freshwater supplies, and the very stability of nations.
And when the stability of nations becomes threatened, that progresses only one way. Directly into conflict. And we are already seeing that. Between the growing wars in Europe and the Middle East, nations are now scrambling to reignite their old war machine industries. There has been peace for quite some time, but that was during the final era of plenty.
Now, we are entering into a new age of scarcity and insecurity, with dwindling resources amid growing demand. The only possibility for nations to survive as the powers they are is to fight to keep whatever resources they can, and acts of conquest to obtain more. The perils of a system based on infinite growth on a finite planet are being allowed to run rampant are emerging now, not as potential threats but as new realities. And the simple fact is that not all can survive and keep what they have. There is no longer enough to go around. That means conflict. And that leads inevitably to nuclear conflict.
Yet, even in the face of these daunting challenges, there remains a path forward for those willing to see it. The acceleration of climate change and the crossing of ecological tipping points are a clarion call for immediate and decisive action. But that call is no longer one for the collective. The type of radical change we needed before is not only ineffective now, but also impossible, both politically and economically. Even if we were to enact sweeping change, that action itself would cause a collapse of civilization.
We are, for want of a better term, damned if we do and damned if we don’t. Once, there was time to reject the fatalistic narrative peddled by fossil fuel companies and to embrace the possibilities of a sustainable future. But that time has passed. We squandered our way through the time of prevention, and now we live in the time of preparation.
Let us try not to waste that as well.
Navigating the Storm
Collapse is here, now. You can see it beginning all around you. Denial of that fact is the worst kind of self-delusion. We have to take action based on this reality. This is not merely an environmental imperative but a survival strategy. As individuals, groups, and small communities, we must begin to prepare as nations did not. We must alter our living situations to weather the inevitable impacts of climate change, building resilience against the coming storms.
This preparation involves not just physical measures, such as creating our own individually sustainable food systems and fortifying our personal supply and defense mechanisms. It also calls for a profound shift in mindset. We must recognize that the traditional paradigms of growth and consumption are no longer viable in a world of finite resources, changing climate, and rising conflict. We have to do individually that which we have failed to manage collectively.
Because collectively, as far as the majority thoughts go on the matter, we don’t seem to give a damn. That is the only conclusion one can logically draw from our failure to change for the better. The evidence is there, for all to see. We were aware of the science that laid out the consequences of our actions. And yet, we burned it all anyway. We traded long-term viability for short-term gain, and the absolute most important fact to recognize is that this trade has already been made.
The call to action is clear: we must mobilize, individually and as parts of small like-minded groups, to face the threats posed by climate change and global conflict. This doesn’t mean we entirely abandon our activism in supporting renewable energy initiatives, advocating for stronger environmental policies, and holding fossil fuel companies accountable for their role in the climate crisis. Far from it. However, it does mean that we see such activism for what it is.
Fighting the good fight, from an ethical standpoint, still sends a good message to others, even as we lose that fight. It can also still help bring new minds to the realization of our predicament, perhaps helping get them started on their own course of getting ready for the end. After all, knowing that the end is approaching allows one to look forward to the new beginning ahead.
So, at the same time as fighting the good fight, the call to action we hear also means preparing for the inevitable reality of societal collapse. Not out of despair, and certainly not fear, but as a pragmatic recognition of the challenges ahead. By coming together in small groups, fostering individual resilience and self-sufficiency within those groups, and prioritizing sustainability, we can navigate through the coming storm. It is really not that much different from advocating for change on a large scale. Only now, we must do for ourselves what we have failed to do for global civilization. We really can’t save it, and perhaps we need to take a hard look at this civilization and ask ourselves if we even should.
Rather than trying to save everything, each of us needs to come together with our friends and families and focus on saving ourselves. And maybe making notes for our descendants when they begin thinking about rebuilding civilization…
In conclusion, the acceleration of climate change, the crossing of ecological tipping points, and the global conflict they bring are not just environmental issues but existential threats that demand a comprehensive and immediate response. The time for half-measures and future promises is over. The path we chose in error before has already determined the fate of our planet, but we still have choices to make that will determine our immediate future survival and the legacy we leave for coming generations. Let’s not make the same mistakes. Let us choose a path of action, resilience, and preparation. The storm is upon us, but together, we can weather it and emerge into a future where humanity thrives in harmony with the Earth.