The Final Report
The report just released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has me thinking about what an extraordinary time it is to be alive on this planet. You and I are living in a time when humanity is truly at a crossroads. We are being called to act as a collective, as a species rather than as nations and warring factions. We are being called to transform our relationships with one another, with Nature, with stuff, with ourselves. I believe this is a portal to quantum evolution of the collective consciousness of humanity. Many, many likely will not step through, but many will.
To be clear, this is indeed another gut-punch of a report, documenting how decades of inaction means humanity has likely missed the chance to limit global warming to a level that avoids catastrophic extremes in storms, heat waves, wildfires, sea level rise, massive species loss, and all the human suffering that will accompany such events.
For decades this leading body of scientists has been urging world governments to take actions that would hold warming to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit or 1.5 degrees Celsius, which science shows would keep changes at a scale that could be managed through adaptation. On our current trajectory we will shoot right past manageable into the realm of reactionary. Maintaining any chance for management and proactive adaptation would require us to reach peak emissions within the next three years, while at the same time reducing methane emissions by one-third.
Though the language in the report was watered down by Big Oil interests and heavy reliance on Carbon Capture and Sequestration technologies that don’t yet exist, some authors and respondents did come out strong. Here are a few quotes:
“Some government and business leaders are saying one thing – but doing another,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. “Simply put, they are lying. And the results will be catastrophic.”
“Major cities under water. Unprecedented heatwaves. Terrifying storms. Widespread water shortages. The extinction of a million species of plants and animals. This is not fiction or exaggeration. It is what science tells us will result from our current energy policies.”
Hemantha Withanage, Chair of Friends of the Earth International, said:
“If the IPCC’s WG3 report does not contain any mitigation pathways that keep us from overshooting 1.5 degrees within the constraints of the current economic paradigm, that is only proof that this economic system is incompatible with life on Earth.”
Withanage’s response caught my attention because, of course, for many years, I’ve been pointing out that climate change is a symptom of a fundamentally flawed economic model. The existential crisis isn’t climate change; it’s the rapacious Capitalist consumption-based economy that we’re all trapped in.
Each IPCC report takes several years of research and documentation so this report is being called by some the last comprehensive assessment of climate science while there is still time to secure a liveable future.
For those of us who really follow this stuff none of this was surprising though, once again, it is deeply painful. What was surprising were the many reasons for optimism cited in the report. First the report authors note that existing capital and technology is sufficient to keep the 1.5 C goal within reach and with major transitions to solar, wind and other renewables should world leaders get serious about replacing fossil fuels with cleaner alternatives. Along with technical capacity, the cost of renewable energy options has plummeted in recent years. Since 2010, wind energy costs have plunged 55 percent and the costs of solar energy and lithium-ion batteries have dropped a stunning 85 percent. Of course, renewables have environmental issues of their own including the need for destructive mining and waste and these issues will also have to be resolved if indeed we are to have a healthy planet and livable future but that is a topic for a future essay.
The World Resources Institute put together an excellent summary of key findings and recommended actions from this IPCC report which you can find here. I’d like to add some additional considerations. First, the IPCC report notes that the absolute number-one action is to get the world off fossil fuels. That will require massive investments in low-carbon infrastructure, and here’s the deal, there is plenty of money to make this transformation. If we can pour trillions into the response to a virus, we can pour trillions into the far greater threat of global climate change. It is insane to ask the question that often gets asked, which is “Can we afford such a transformation?” The real question is can we afford not to? The answer is a profound, show-me-a-sign, absolutely no-gray-area hell no. This too is a topic for an upcoming essay.
Humanity will come back into balance with the rest of Nature. It will happen by choice or by force. Though we do not behave like it, we are still a part of, and utterly dependent on Nature. I don’t believe homo sapien is the only species with a right to this planet. I do believe humanity has tremendous opportunity to produce unbelievable beauty and good for all beings on the other side of this pivotal time. As we are forced to the place of rethinking our relationship with other life on this planet, we will naturally be rethinking our relationship with fellow human beings. Given the state of the world that is a positive development even though it’s likely to be a bumpy ride.
I remember a conversation many, many moons ago when a young friend asked me what period in history I’d go back to if I had a chance. I thought it would be cool to witness the dinosaurs and I thought it would be fun perhaps to be a bit of a rogue lady cowgirl in the wild west, but very quickly my mind landed on Truth and I said, “I don’t want to go back to anything; I want to go forward. I want to be in the time when humanity has got our act together and Nature is healing.” I long to be part of a human species that has become a restorative force.
Maybe we are on the verge of that time now. It’s an extraordinary time to be alive on Earth. Will we or won’t we meet this moment of collective evolution? For me, I am staying focused on meeting it. I’ll keep pestering politicians to rise to the moment, and I’ll keep speaking out and taking action, all the while holding space for that quantum, evolutionary step in consciousness. The more of us who stand up and call out the insanity of humanity while also keeping hope alive, our hearts open, and our imaginations focused on creating a more beautiful way of being the better chance we have of stepping through the portal into world that works better for all beings.
In hope and awe of these extraordinary times,
Cylvia
P.S. some of you may be interested in an online Sacred Eco-Nomics workshop I will be offering:
Sacred Economics: Create a Beautiful Economy that Works for all Beings
Thursday, April 28, 2022 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
National and global economic systems, based on materialism, consumption and limitless growth, are wreaking havoc on Nature and keeping millions trapped in poverty or unsatisfying, dead-end jobs. There is a better way! The New Economy movement is robust and gaining momentum as more and more people, entrepreneurs, businesses and organizations say “enough is enough” and get busy creating healthier ways of making a living and doing business. Explore some of the current norms in status quo economic systems that need a change-up. Let’s dive into some of the exciting alternatives and learn how we can help make the shift from an economics of separation to an economics of reunion, respect and love.
The workshop is free of charge. If interested let me know and we’ll send the Zoom info.