Tags
Arctic Ice Melt, Capitalism, Climate Change, Climate Chaos, Climate Tipping Points, Collapse of Industrial Civilization, Corporatocracy, Daniel A. Drumright, Eco-Apocalypse, Environmental Collapse, Extinction of Man, Financial Elite, Global Famine, Inverted Totalitarianism, Mass Die Off, Nature Bats Last, Resource Wars, Robert Scribbler, Security and Surveillance State, Social Unrest, The Elite 1%, unwashed public
Paul F. Getty brought to my attention a new essay written by environmentalist Daniel A. Drumright. I featured his writing in a prior post entitled ‘The Day The Whole World Went Away‘. This new one, entitled ‘The irreconcilable acceptance of near-term extinction‘, was a bit long-winded for me, so I have whittled it down to the meat and potatoes and corrected a few typos. It’s worth your time to read it. I cannot find any fault with the machinations of capitalism he describes and his general outline of how things will fall apart, but of course the timing is always up to debate. However, seeing that the disintegration of the Arctic is happening faster than any scientific models had predicted, global famine may come much sooner than most know.
In conjunction with this essay, I would also point you to a recent post by Robert Scribbler – ‘For Central US, Climate Change and a Mangled Jet Stream Means Drought Follows Flood Follows Drought‘ – which should help bring everyone up to speed with some ominous trends in the climate of Earth. Humans are continuing to pump so much CO2 into the atmosphere in such a very short time span, geologically speaking, that a considerable lag time has built up, in terms of human time scales, for the final catastrophic effects to play out over the coming decades and centuries.
As far as how one should live their life from here on out, Daniel says “ethical hedonism” is the choice he has made in the face of NTE[Near Term Extinction]. As for myself, a lot of people are dependant on me, so I cannot take that route.
For anyone else reading this, how will you live henceforth, knowing the end is near?
Collapse of Industrial Civilization 
as for the expoonential speed lending credence to the prospect of NTE: http://arctic-news.blogspot.com/2013/04/arctic-sea-ice-in-steep-descend-more-than-four-days-earlier-than-in-2012.html
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“… as long as capitalism rues the day” — I suspect — should read “rules the day”. Otherwise clear as doom. Thank you for sharing it.
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Correct. Thanks.
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Wow, thanks for the ‘meat and potatoes’ version. I checked out the full version and made quick use of the scroll bar.
As for ‘ethical hedonism’ I had to research that one. Here’s one blogger who describes it as “enlightened self-interest” which he describes as “looking after yourself – your physical and mental health – (so that) you can be more effective in helping others to help themselves.”
http://willpower.4mg.com/hedonism.html
This reminds me of the instructions you get from an airline attendant: put your oxygen mask on first, then help the person next to you. That sounds right to me. For example, I’ve built raised beds and planted seedlings so that I can teach my son how to do it while putting a little food on the table for us to eat. Gardening is a ‘selfish pleasure’ that generates no income, but I hope it has a lasting impact on my family and neighbors.
And I agree with his assessment that staying in the rat race (whether we want to or not) becomes an untenable proposition when confronted with widespread drought. Without an abundance of affordable fossil fuels (and the credit markets required to finance them), sufficient rain, healthy soil, bees, etc. there’s simply no way to feed everyone here or those on the way.
(Aside: Hmm, I wonder if it’s possible to reach ‘peak bees?’)
Anyway, the loss of income is soul crushing when it’s integral to the mythology of western civilization. So I’m constantly on the look-out for stories about how people are coping in Europe, hoping to read stories that will give me insight on how to ‘cross over’ without the nest egg that Drumright talks about. Here’s one article I read this morning: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22309326.
Not very encouraging. I think I’ll go weed the garden.
Thanks –
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this will go over like a lead balloon
Ready for Rationing? Why We Should Put the Brakes on Consumption If We Want to Survive
http://www.alternet.org/environment/ready-rationing-why-we-should-put-brakes-consumption-if-we-want-survive
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