#3 It's a chance. Not a crisis.
A long phase of climate stability is ending, stability upon which our societal development has been built over the last thousand years. And it is doing this at a great pace.
We believe climate change is a result of human activities. While we have and have had a great influence on it, this perspective falls short in three aspects: (1) As a consequence of the belief that we caused this change, we think we can control or better reverse it. (2) We believe that we can understand climate at all. (3) We believe that climate is something independent of us. None of this is true.
Climate is not separate; it is not something we can understand, see, and work with independently. What we know as climate change is only an expression of a much broader dynamic that includes all different aspects and dimensions of life on Earth, a dynamic from which we are inseparable. Being part of it means that we have, by definition, a limited perspective.[1]
So there’s a dynamic, and it comes at a great pace. We can’t control it or shape it. It is something we have to adapt to, something that constantly invites us to evolve and transform ourselves simply by opening up to the guidance that lies in the dynamic itself. But we aren’t able to do so. From the last issue, we know that we build ourselves a trap that holds us in a state of consciousness and a belief system that blocks exactly the kind of evolvement that is necessary now.
What will happen if we stay in this trap? I invite you to take a broader view to understand this.
First of all, our societies rely on certain natural conditions and on the belief that we can exploit nature at our discretion and control those conditions. Now, if those conditions change, not only will the base of our existence fall apart, but our belief systems and societal foundations will be shaken. Everyone who has experienced a crisis while fundamental beliefs fall apart knows how frightening this experience can be.
Second, the internal friction in our society will increase: we will face more polarization, more violence, more social tension, and injustice on a local and global scale as these frictions are built into our current society. We have a power structure that produces social and political inequality. Our wealth is built on technological dependency and a great hunger for resources and energy; all are finite resources. And globally, our sickness increases as we have created a toxic culture. All these aspects are connected and are reinforcing themselves: There will be competition around fundamental resources like energy, water, land, metals, and rare goods, but also around power. This competition will nourish exclusion, harden existing power structures, and grow the gap between those who can take part in society and are better equipped to adapt to external changes because they have access to necessary resources, and those who won’t be able to. We are in a self-feeding circle.
Third, we must reckon with upheavals and breakdowns, not knowing when, where, and how they will appear. Every living system has a state of dynamic equilibrium, which it tries to maintain. There are thresholds or tipping points in this dynamic. If a system crosses these, it loses its primary state. It can no longer fall back into its equilibrium. Instead, it will fall into another state of dynamic equilibrium, go through a long and volatile transition phase, or fall apart into total disorder. Those tipping points are unforeseeable; they can occur suddenly and the system isn’t aware of them. This isn’t new. Throughout human history, we have experienced those breakdowns and upheavals constantly. But what sets our situation apart is how we destroy our livelihood, nature, social fabric, and, with all of this, our ability to adapt. We remove the basis for our resilience: diversity, health, and openness.
Fourth, there lies a great chance. Upheavals are moments of opportunity, moments of transition and openness. They can lead to disorder but can also be a gate to a new kind of order. And while we face destruction, we also see and create a rise in awareness, in the understanding of our consciousness and the way it works, and a surge in self-leadership. We have everything at hand to stride through that gate and open up to the unknown, the new, that wants to unfold.
There’s a great chance. Upheavals are moments of opportunity, moments of transition, and openness.
Lovelock, J. (2016) Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth.