Vermont in July and Hawaii in August. It’s clear to all but the most resistant that when it comes to climate, we’re not in Kansas anymore. Climate change is real, and resistance to the idea is futile. Even though Northwest Arkansas hasn’t felt the worst effects we see it all around us. Tornadoes have hit in every part of our state, rain by the barrel comes regularly, we’ve had 2 killer arctic vortexes in the past 3 years and right now we’re sweltering in a heat dome. But the disturbing insistence by some of our “leaders” that it’s not real is making things that much harder to address.
I just read an unsettling article from the LA Progressive called “A World on the Edge of Collapse” that included a reminder from Jerod Diamond’s 2005 book “Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.” He claims that societal collapse is always the result of climate disruptions, though not always human-caused. His 3 precursors for societal collapse are
- · Persistent patterns of environmental change for the worse
- · Signs that existing ways to do industry and agriculture make the crisis worse
- . Elite failure to abandon harmful practices and find new ways
Well that’s us in a nutshell. If we started listing all the ways our leaders are failing to address significant crises this would be an endless newsletter. The one most on my mind is the issue of homelessness. How is it related to climate change? At this point about everything is related to and aggravated by climate change. But our current episodes of homelessness sank to new lows with the climate-related covid pandemic, so it has a clear relevance.
As an example of leadership being trapped in old thinking, consider the “solutions” being offered to help it here. Washington County will address homelessness by building a bigger jail, and Fayetteville imagines they’ve dealt with the problem through harsher zoning codes. It’s just not productive thinking. We need flexible ideas that can adapt to fast-changing conditions based on what can help people and planet survive, and that’s not happening . Sadly, we’re not alone. there are lots more communities facing the same dearth of imagination.
Looking to leaders to save us is not the only way for us to prepare for difficult times ahead. A great Mayan civilization collapsed in drought and agricultural stress about 900 BC. The elite culture vanished mysteriously, but the people survived without them and are still a cultural force in central America. The communities knew how to help each other survive and thrive.
Remember how many times you yourself have said “we’re all in this together?” It’s a progressive mantra that really means something to us. And as this metacrisis grinds on, and more unimaginable things emerge – some of which will happen in Fayetteville and Northwest Arkansas – we can see that the mantra needs to be operationalized for where we’re at now. Since I can’t help but believe in us, I know we can do that with grace and good hearts. To do it well we need to start practicing, and we can do that too. Service to our community through good local nonprofits and churches, care for struggling people among us, sharing among neighbors, caring for our home planet and nurturing our own true humanity… these are all precursors for survival in difficult times. Let’s focus on those and plan to thrive together. Together we can imagine a future that works for all of us and make it happen.