This is one of several posts that I am creating together in order to have peace of mind about some pressing matters, primarily focused on current events in American society. Even limiting myself here, I have a feeling that our partisanized atmosphere makes this about as effective as Plato’s attempts to philosophize in Syracuse, so perhaps I have wasted keystrokes. This is probably the last one; I’d much rather talk about religion, and so much has happened over the past few weeks that I wasn’t even sure that I still wanted to post this.
Regardless of whether or not these words make a difference, I leave them with you. I pray that we each find ourselves governed by the best of daimons and that Athene the Savior gives each of us the purifying clarity that we need.
This post in particular was prompted by the Project 2025 document. (Its treatment of climate change has Serious Pentheus Energy.) I do not like this document, and Gods know a jar cannot be closed of its nightmares once opened, but this issue is where I have chosen to spend my breath. I am also alarmed at how many procedures and technologies that have increased quality of life/happiness/the standard of living in other countries have been flagged as bad for Americans when we have data and statistics worldwide that show their usefulness.
A few years ago, I decided to set a baseline expectation on KALLISTI that everyone is aware of what data has been collected over the decades and that our societal goal related to the climate crisis is to achieve lower emissions. The climate crisis looms in the background of many of my life choices, much like how someone with a medical diagnosis must manage their life with the diagnosis in mind, from the scary time when they’re wrestling it under control to the new normal of living with it and adjusting to the accompanying lifestyle changes. We have out-of-control heat energy being pumped into our climate system, resulting in mass death.
What I do understand as partisan is that people have different positions about how to achieve these lower emissions and where to focus our time and effort.
There is also the societal issue of how to implement sweeping infrastructure, corporate accountability, and social changes in a democratic system. Authoritarian states have an easier time of addressing these problems and point to that efficiency as a sign that their civilizational approach is better for the whole whenever we talk about human rights issues.
These functional and geopolitical problems are what I expect politicians to debate along partisan lines.
Instead, what I have observed happening is that people are drawing a line in the sand around things that are basic facts or accusing people talking about the climate crisis of hysteria.
We already have the solutions available for averting this crisis. Certainly, the diagnosis is a bit scary — the same would be true of being diagnosed with an incredibly treatable form of cancer — but fear is manageable when it is accompanied by clear and authoritative recommendations from people with decades of experience in urban planning, civil engineering, applied earth sciences research, and related fields.
In fact, many recommendations are on the table: some implemented, some caught up in red tape, some only awaiting funding. One sacrifice I made a few years ago was rebalancing my donation budget to divert more to climate action. An unexpected benefit of the rebalancing is that I get updates about positive change when I receive updates. I have a lot of hope for the situation if we get our acts together.
There is an assumption in that document that climate change is a special interest that is disconnected from the major workings of our society. Here are some concrete examples that show why this is not the case.
- We are seeing significant property damage in some states, such as Florida and Louisiana, due to rising sea levels, especially with tides and hurricane surges. What is your group’s perspective on the correct way to address this?
- It’s interesting to hear your perspective on energy. One Senate committee indicated that the USA has 50 years of oil available at current energy usage rates. How would you balance using that oil against the need for us to be energy independent? It takes time to build alternative energy infrastructure, and many countries are far ahead of us at securing their post-oil future.
- We have 50 years of oil from American sources available at current energy usage rates. Given your position on low-energy, high-impact changes to our transportation infrastructure, how would you prioritize our need to reserve some of that oil for essential medical supplies, which is in conflict with using it in vehicles that could easily switch to another source and relieve that pressure?
- The atmosphere is becoming increasingly unstable due to warming, which is leading to more injuries and fatalities during airplane turbulence. The government has decided to fund high-speed rail projects, which will decrease airline load and create thousands of jobs. Rail will also provide safer alternatives for many travelers. What is your group’s position on the amount of funding that should go to these important projects, and where we should put the rail lines?
- I learned recently that many people who purchased homes in suburbs when they were younger are now reaching ages at which they are struggling between keeping their independent mobility and declining eyesight … but those locations are not transit-accessible. What kind of plan does your group have to improve accessibility for our elderly? What funding are you planning to make available for trains and buses so they can retain their agency and independence?
- The overuse of plastics and the microplastic debris they produce has been demonstrated to cause miscarriage and infertility, in addition to cancers and autoimmune disorders in individuals of any age. What is your group’s plan to decrease unnecessary plastics to protect fertility and reduce Americans’ medical bills?
- &c., &c.
This steers the conversation back on the rails and focuses on facts and policy, not on ideological commitments. It counterweights the naïve claim that climate change is a fringe issue.
Of course, human beings are not entirely rational in our decision-making because we have appetites and emotions that sometimes work for us, but which sometimes behave chaotically and without control. When I was perplexed and disgusted by the subject lines and leading text of email solicitations I was receiving from the Democratic Party — if you donate to a voting rights group, suddenly you’re on every list — I learned that the majority of people are carried away by the drama in these emails. This applies to both major parties. I just want people in office whom I can trust to make mindful and accurate decisions, and I refuse to enshrine a politician in my heart.
Still, I have a kernel of hope. I believe that people are fundamentally good and that expecting the best of others brings out the best in them, especially when we want to come to a no-nonsense agreement about what is to be done regarding our biggest civilizational challenges.
We all have the responsibility to safeguard our nation’s future and security. After all, how is someone going to find a spouse or a house if we’re all running from a giant electrified fire floodnado hurricane that was completely preventable by deploying already-existing solutions at scale?
By the way, that apotheosis painting of George Washington? It exists.
A closing note: For climate news, I recommend reading the American Geophysical Union’s Eos — a publication I have loved reading for years — to stay up-to-date on research that has not yet been given a partisan spin (note: contributors sometimes advocate for science-based policy) and to learn a bit more about what professionals in the geosciences even do. I signed up for Eos’ newsletter in the mid-2010s and have never regretted the weekly email. Of interest to readers of this blog who treasure cultural awareness and learning about others’ spiritual practices, Eos even started adding content about indigenous land practices, spirituality, and the geosciences a few years ago — which was a delightful change even though such content is still irregular.
For advocacy groups, Only.One tends to keep things positive on social media by balancing education about major climate problems with highlighting innovative projects. If you want statistics, I recommend Statista, a freemium tool (many colleges and universities subscribe!) that will show you graphs and charts. It will connect you to who gathered the statistics and data and why. Keep in mind that statistics are Epimethean and not Promethean; they are disparate afterthoughts gathered from what has already happened and need to be used as part of a balanced and mindful sensemaking process. (And thank you to the person who is the root of that analogy in a very different context. It remains amazing.)
KALLISTI 