We are all feverishly working to pressure our politicians . . . and all the leaders of every country . . . to address the climate emergency immediately. It is a great call to action . . . as it is the first time ever to work to get of fossil fuels and reduce our CO2 emissions . . . to save humanity at a global level. There is a new awareness thanks to Greta Thunberg, Extinction Rebellion, the student climate strikes, the Sunrise Movement, and so many more. So many cities and countries are declaring a “climate emergency.”
All well and good. But after attending a meeting at a city council member’s house to put a sustainability plan together, “collapse” was in the title of one of the handouts. That got me thinking . . . and obviously the person who brought it was already way ahead of just “sustainability.”
While “sustainability” has its own connotations, so does “collapse.” Hmm, which word would anyone act faster on? Yes, collapse . . . a no brainer.
What type of collapse are we talking about? There are a few quite plausible scenarios where it will happen. The first, of course, is environmental collapse. Some of it is happening already . . . or in some cases, it is eroding. In some countries the drought is severe enough that food cannot be grown. In some other areas, soil depletion is happening but food is still able to grow.
All our efforts to get off fossil fuels are to avert a major environmental collapse.
But, there are other collapses, as in financial/economical. I read an article recently that I mentioned in another post where the oil industry will at some point abandon their economic interests in oil extraction and production because of the depleting reserves, and that will create a collapse economically globally.
Oil runs everything.
Another collapse will be if the Green New Deal gets implemented, along with deindustrialization. That will change all systems globally. It could be the end of capitalism.
How ready are we for any of these collapses?
The handout had an extensive outline. It was titled, “Planning the Future after Collapse,” from Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed,” by Jarod Diamond. Giving one a good idea what would be necessary to change and address. Some of the subjects on the list were water, food, shelter, energy, medicine, animal husbandry, etc. All are essential, no doubt.
But, before we go off into the weeds addressing transportation or something, it got me thinking which were the most critical. I came up with food, water, and heat. They were the first three on the outline. Yes, let’s address these first . . . and quickly. In doing so, it may help to avert a collapse.
Let’s look at food. A person in our climate group said that we need to grow our own food, enough to get us through the winter. I couldn’t agree with her more. Our reliance on the grid has put us in a very vulnerable position, besides destroying our planet. How many people can live without a grocery store? In our area, that would be the Amish. Let’s grow our own food.
Water is a little bigger challenge, especially in desert areas. Well, growing food there is another challenge, too. How do we address water security? Rain barrels would be a good solution for places that get a sufficient amount of rain. What about the dry areas of the country? Ideas?
Heat . . . we got to have it in most of the country . . . and the world for that matter. Getting off natural gas and propane is a must. Deep energy retrofits are expensive. If we are looking at survival, perhaps one room is dedicated for heat during the winter to minimize the cost of a deep energy retrofit. A heat pump could be installed and run on solar or wind energy. Many homes before venting heat had no heat in much of the house. Many blankets were used in bedrooms. I believe Amish houses are still like this.
Our current lifestyle is one of extreme convenience. We will have to make some changes to be better prepared for a collapse. Food, water, and heat are essential for our survival. That is what I would focus on first. All of these actions are within our control if we organize together.
We must continue to push to get off fossil fuels . . . but must also prepare for collapse at the same time.
Any other plans? Chime in please!
An Off Grid Life - Climate Crisis Solutions 