The positive of this article is too little too late but restoration should still be part of the agenda. Relinquishment is a much needed part of any footprint lowering agenda but this goes against sustainable development. Sadly sustainable development is anything but sustainable. What relinquishment means is stopping affluence in both the wealthy developed world and the poor 3rd world. Part of this braking on affluence would be disrupting global consumerism. There are trends in global consumption that are not sustainable and definitely not related to the efforts of conservation for a lower footprint. This braking of affluence needs to be in both the poor and wealthy parts of the world because this is the only way it will work. The latest trend is the 3rd world claiming they should be allowed to be rich too but this only ends any chance of lowering the impact of the destructive human footprint. One needs only see what China has done to the world by its build out of a high consumption middle class which is the equivalent of the US population. To make this work all sides rich and poor must cease and desist now. The situation is such that no side can downsize without pain. Just because the rich world is rich does not mean it has room to decline. The systematics of this mean no side can take much more pain because of rigid boundaries of change.
If nothing else we need to stop growth. The problem with this is again the systematic side of growth that is now embedded in the system itself. It is not clear how much degrowth either voluntary of not the system can handle and still survive. This makes policy even more problematic if governments would even agree to cease and desist growth. What we see any more is the corrupted wealth transfer of sustainably development to the poor parts of the world. The reality is sustainable development is just exploitation though a late stage corrupt capitalism where the 3rd world sees only small gains for a few wealthy elite and a siphoning off of the rest to corporate entities. The poor remain poor and lately in a Chinese debt trap. It used to be American and European traps but now it is mostly Chinese.
This then points to honesty that decline is inevitable and nothing can be done but deep adaptation. We can increase reliance in the face of decline by adapting both materially but even more with behavior. The key here to a manageable decline in the face of possible systematic bifurcation is behavior. This can’t only be material. In any case the likelihood of the corrupt global leadership making the right decisions is very low even once a serious crisis is upon us. It will likely be conflict instead. This then points to Real Green which take the approach of the individual pursuing personal Deep Adaptation. This is the only real force of change that can mitigate the decline ahead. Deep adaptation indicates a planetary awakening. If enough people that can change do change then real change will be registered. Even so this change will not be enough to matter. It will just lengthen out the terminal nature of the coming decline and eventual collapse.
This is where honesty comes in with behavior. The top is not only unable to address change properly but the best minds are also in denial. Many are in denial of the basic science we can call them orange after Trump who personifies this denial. Yet, even our best scientist and academia are in denial with solutions. The extremist fake green left think renewables are the answer and this is delusional. The fake green left want their cake and eat it. They preach green and affluence. Renewables will help but they won’t save us. The real issue now is squarely with behavior. We have tech that can make things less bad but we do not have the behavior to properly employ tech. This is why those individuals who are awakened and can change should change. Not all awakened individuals can change. It is vital those who can change take the plunge. It is a plunge because it means a radical departure from the status quo. It can be done in a relative way according to one’s ability both materially and mentally. This is where Real Green comes in. Practice relative sacrifice. Do it locally and with relinquishment. This means avoid the best you can the corruption of the status quo drive to a fake and unhealthy affluence through consumerism.
Part of this change is restoration of the environment but also the building of monasteries of knowledge and tech for the coming dark times. It is about lifeboats for those awakened. These lifeboats should be local. Forget about donating to global causes focus on your local. The key is for awakened individual to have tools and knowledge for locals to adapt once crisis sets in. This is also about hospices for the significant others of the awakened who will not make it. This is about ending the denial of death that the unawakened sidestep. Of course the success of this real green deep adaptation is dependent on the pace of this decline into collapse. This process may have a degree and duration that even the good behavior of Real Green can’t adapt to. In that case it is still heroic and meaningful to have tried. If there is a silver lining to a Real Green in a complete collapse it is the meaning that comes with honest effort.
REAL Green Adaptation 