The Courage to Go Somewhere New

The world is set to warm 3°C by the end of the century, which would have catastrophic consequences for societies.

This kind of warming presents a three-fold challenge that must be addressed as soon as possible: (1) minimizing warming by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and getting off of fossil fuels; (2) preparing for this warmer, less hospitable world in a manner consistent with human rights; and (3) preparing and implementing an intergenerational plan to return to planetary stability over the coming decades and centuries.

The status quo is not set up to implement the changes needed to address planetary threats this century

Unfortunately, many wealthy societies do not seem to have the social or political infrastructure needed to contemplate (1), (2), or (3). The kinds of changes needed to minimize warming and to return to planetary stability run deep and would require whole-scale restructuring of many industries, a shifting in how social resources are invested and allocated, and completely new ways of life. These kinds of changes would require dialogue, education, political participation, room for dissent, and the possibility of consensus. All of these things seem absent today.

Going somewhere new requires courage

It takes courage to question the way things are, and it takes courage to propose new kinds of solutions that seek to change or amend the status quo. But continuing with ‘business as usual’ is not a solution̉—it is a road towards a much hotter world with far reduced biodiversity and with increasingly catastrophic challenges for all of us.

It is tempting to hope that things will get better on their own, but hope is neither a strategy nor a solution.

Addressing planetary threats this century will require a different way of life and different kinds of societies with different kinds of values. It will require governments to cooperate in unprecedented ways and to prioritize climate stability, environmental restoration, and the protection of human rights. It will require us to implement genuinely democratic strategies to protect vulnerable and marginalized communities and to implement a multi-decade and multi-century plan to return humanity to its climate niche, restore biodiversity, and heal broken planetary boundaries.

It takes courage to advocate for this kind of destination and it takes courage to push for this kind of change. It takes courage to suggest a different way.

This kind of courage is desparately needed at this time.