We have known for at least forty or fifty years humans are causing the Earth to warm and the effects will be catastrophic. Well, here we are; climate change war, crazy weather / fires and islands already disappearing. The poles are melting. The Earth is warming more now than in tens of millions of years. We know this is happening but cannot seem to do much more than sound alarm bells in deaf ears, listen to politicians say they want to do something (with no follow through) and make half-assed agreements. Why? Global Capitalism.
The Earth says there are limits. Capitalism says no, only unlimited growth. I don't see how these two things can coexist. One way or another, capitalism is going to lose. There are indeed limits and we will have to learn how to live within our means. Different economic systems(s) will develop as we run headlong into reality. No, this does not necessarily mean socialism or communism. I think it will be something new. Capitalism (as we practice it) is blind to anything beyond this quarter's bottom line. There is little to no short-term profit in long term planning or thinking. To placate people, a whole new industry has popped up- pretend environmentalism, Greenwashing. It is the business version of politicians pretending they are actually doing something. In reality they are only trying to preserve the status quo. Your actions, Joe Biden, speak louder than your words. But please tell me again, Boomer Democrats, how your party really cares about climate change! The Republicans don't even pretend to listen to climate science, never have (with one notable exception). There are people thinking the world will be the same, just warmer. The melting icecaps will open new shipping lanes and new paths to profits! The reality will be more messy, a lot more messy. Care for a look?
Depending on how bad things get, there may no longer be a global system, think local, local and local. One thing is clear. The main issue is the people who run things have most of the wealth and power based on the current system. They have no short term reason to change it. For the short term, they can buy their way out of the consequences of a warming Earth. Longer term, not so much. Who really wants to take a Porsche 911 turbo S across a scorched Mad Max hellscape? Being trapped in a fortified McMansion looks all cool in the movies. A few years in when life is little more than subsistence farming (even if you can farm) one would realize they live in a prison of their own making serving a life sentence. Things like large nation states and multinational conglomerations will disappear as the rule of law becomes a distant memory. I can see a medieval flavor setting in, a strange mix of lords, ladies peasant-types and a dash of high tech. Every part of the globe will be affected as terrible weather, wars and instability become normal. Oh, and let's not forget about all those nuclear tipped missiles. How long will it take for a climate related war to go nuclear? That would be bad, real bad. Let's try not to find out.
This is usually the part where I say it's up to you and me. No, you and I did not cause climate change. Downsizing your carbon foot print is just a way to let the big polluters off the hook. Still, I'm all about less stuff, driving less and reusing things. No, it's not going to save the planet, just make me feel better. The message I took away from "Planet of The Humans" was not green tech's failures but rather our own failure to question our fossil fuel based lives. I'm not giving up my car, heat in the winter. cold A/C in the summer or eating fruits from South America. There are very few people willing and able to completely change their lifestyles. This is going to be bad. The only question is how bad?
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