Save Ourselves

A Way Forward

        Everyone is concerned with what the future has in store. Many ask, "what do we do?". The bigger question is, "what are you willing to do?". You will hear all kinds of suggestions. Almost all involve maintaining the status quo to some extent. Most suggestions are rubbish. This is more along the lines of what needs to happen...

1. Open all borders or eliminate them altogether. We are one species bound to a single spaceship.
No one is more deserving or more special than another. We all must be able to move freely; to
where we feel the opportunity for survival is best.

2. Severe limits on human reproduction for the foreseeable future. Population must be reduced as
quickly as possible from current levels to those in line with ecological sustainability . We can do this in a sensible, orderly fashion or nature will do it. If left to nature, it will be chaotic, and violent.

3. There must be a redistribution of resources. The richer must give up their luxuries so the poorer
can survive. It should never have been acceptable for anyone to become a billionaire (or even
a multimillionaire) with so much poverty and inequality worldwide. Currency as a medium of  exchange needs reform or should be abolished.

4. A resource or ecology based economic system needs to be established. We must work with
what the planet can provide without depleting resources (except for fossil fuels). We must put systems in place that help the Earth replenish resources while fulfilling our “needs”. Our “needs” must be drastically scaled back. Globalization must be reversed and economic activity localized.

5. The vast majority of us need to go “back to the land”. We need to immediately start planting

food crops and other plants wherever we can. Soil replenishment using natural inputs must be
a priority. A transition away from mono-crop food production must happen immediately.
Millions of small, bio-diverse farms or holdings are required. Livestock stewardship in line with nature.

6. All non-essential use of the planet’s resources must cease. That would include demobilizing
military forces everywhere and shutting down weapons manufacturing. Forget about Mars. We
aren’t going anywhere and we have more pressing concerns.

7. Energy conservation and efficiency must be a priority. Ramping up small scale energy production using

truly sustainable and greener methods. Large scale solar energy, wind farms and biomass facilities are non-starters. They all rely heavily on fossil fuels and other precious Earth resources. The business-as-usual mindset needs to go. It is dooming us.
    

        Implementing the above is a must. It needs to happen now. It will do nothing to prevent global
temperature rise. That is already baked into the cake. Depending on how much the temperature rises, these measures may help mitigate the effects of global warming. The above actions will only give our species a shot at continued existence beyond this century. It will do nothing to save industrial civilization. We are in overshoot. All we can do is transition to a new, less complex civilization. We can take the initiative or let nature run its course. We really won’t like the latter option.

        Scary stuff, I know. That is why so many will look to a higher power for comfort and rescue. We need to dispense with that foolishness. There is no higher power. There is just us. We need to save ourselves and it may be possible; if we all act as one tribe and get busy. Technology can help us but it will not come to our rescue. Again, we need to work together and get it done.