I don’t know about you, but I have been on an emotional roller-coaster. I have been worried, even frightened about our outlook with the disappearance of biomass, and I admit I was a bit angered by the ignorance of governments and media who should be there to look out for us. At the same time, I also feel excited about so many opportunities to solve poverty and build better communities.
I have now come to terms that we will have a massive increase of temperature, maybe 5 degrees C or more given our current inaction. We will certainly not sustain life as we know it. The only thing that bothers me now is not taking actions to make the necessary changes for our children. We clearly see now that we can not trust big business and current governments with our future, and we must take urgent actions to regain control for the people.
Slowing down climate change is now very important to give us some time to make life-preserving changes. The next concern must be water and food security; without water or food we will starve in a couple of days or weeks. I am particularly worried about pollution of ground water. Any fracking or plans thereof must therefore stop immediately. Guaranteeing enough food supplies will be a continuous struggle. The changing ecosystems will put a lot of pressure on farming. Disappearing insects, the assault on microorganisms with chemical warfare, and the rise of new diseases require immediate and increasing attention.
The next problem to tackle is the massive change around labour and energy. Our historical development brought us from the age of human and animal labour to farm land, via the use of energy and labour in the industrial age, to the emerging age of automation in which energy will be central. Energy will represent the wealth of our society, and energy must thus belong to the people. At the same time, we must shift energy rapidly away from carbon. There is not a single solution to the energy problem, but there is a host of possibilities. Local solar farms in our communities, wind, geothermal and micro-hydro can be employed where appropriate. Distributing the wealth from these facilities must belong to all of us. The most direct way to achieve this now is a guaranteed livable income.
We will have a wild ride in front of us, and it’s time to take it. Bring honest and ethical people in a room who really care about our children and grandchildren, and we can do this. I am going to PEI today to see a historical change in the making. Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option.
