Is it too late to do anything about climate change?
Is it too late to do anything about climate change?
I was asked if it was too late to do anything. And my answer is no.
What do you say when people ask you what your job is?
I am always stumped by this question. It’s a very long time since I had an official title with a regular profession to match. Usually, I opt for writer because my tools of trade are the words I put on paper, or more often on screens.
More recently, I’ve started saying that I work in the climate change space. That’s turned out to be a good conversation starter.
Today, in one such conversation, I was asked if it was too late to do anything.
With the extreme weather events in many countries this past year, the recent hurricane Helene and now hurricane Milton, and the continuing obstruction from some of our Australian politicians, it seems a fair question. Is it too late?
And my answer is No.
No, because if you believe it is too late, you lose hope, and you give up.
No, because if we accept there’s nothing we can do, we do nothing but ensure that our worst fears become a reality.
That doesn’t mean hope for the best and have faith that somebody or something - governments, scientists, technology - will sort it out for us while we carry on as normal.
It means not giving up on the overwhelmingly huge global problem of climate change and biodiversity loss by doing small local actions and making changes in our personal and working lives that move everything in a better direction.
Those local actions, especially shared actions, are what nurtures the hope needed to keep going.
Doom and Gloom, or Opportunity
It’s about how we see the world, where we focus, and how we describe it.
I’ve not lost a neat grass verge, I’ve gained a small park that provides shade, biodiversity, and a place for casual chats in front of my home. And it’s much more convenient than regular mowing.
I’ve not lost a swimming pool, I’ve gained a 50KL water tank with a useful area on top.
I’ve not lost a car, I’ve gained financial freedom and the health benefits of a more active lifestyle by finding other ways of getting around.
By making the effort to reimagine, we can change paths, do things differently, and make our small contribution to a better future.
It doesn’t always work. We are fickle creatures, after all. And the status quo can be strong. But if we get it mostly right, are kind to ourselves and others, that’s enough.
Doughnut Economics and Global Donut Days
The thing that draws me to Doughnut Economics is that it forces us to look at the interlinked nature of the climate crisis.
Doughnut Economics asks us to question what we value and change the way we measure success. What’s enough? What’s too little and what’s too much? What do we value and how do we measure it?
Importantly, Doughnut Economics is not about deprivation or going backwards. We just want to think more carefully about what we grow.
The theme of the 2024 Global Donut Days is Local action, Global connection.
Local actions are the place where we can build the connections to do much more. To bring change for the better, we need local and global networks and collaborations, all hands on deck.
On 6th November, I will be participating in one of the sessions in the full day of online events on the DEAL platform for Global Donut Days 2024. Our session is a collaboration between four of us, spread around the globe which makes it very difficult to coordinate with time zones. For Australians, our session will be on the morning of Thursday 7th November.
On Friday, 11th October, I’ll be sharing with the Strategic Doing network how we’ve combined the Doughnut Economics framework and Strategic Doing methods, to create Regen Brisbane. This is part of their regular Friday zoom events. See the Linkedin event page: Doughnut Economics Meets Strategic Doing in Brisbane This is at 9am New York, 3am Brussels, 11pm in Brisbane.
For those in the Brisbane region, on Sunday 3rd November, ACF Community Brisbane Northside will join with Regen Brisbane as part of Global Donut Days 2024 to explore how Doughnut Economics is relevant to our groups and our region. All welcome, please register here.
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I agree that its not too late. While climate change impacts are already upon us and some degree of change is locked in what we should be focusing on is stopping even worse impacts from being locked in. But hope is key - believing we can create a better future. Hannah Ritchie is a data scientist and her article shows how stories of progress can show the way. https://www.sustainabilitybynumbers.com/p/progress
I agree, Gayle, that is not too late. Hope inspires action. Particularly when we share our hopes and fears and learn to work together effectively (listen better and consequently talk openly). What you are describing is the power of deeply attuned collaboration and the compounding effect of engaging whole people with their diverse minds and diverse experience (recombinant innovation). And you don’t just talk about it. I love the practicality of what you are doing both in your local urban ecology and in introducing people to collaborative engagement.