You Are Personally Responsible for Dealing With Climate Change
The week I’m writing this, we’ve heard about dozens dying from record heat waves in the Pacific Northwest of the United States and Canada, as well as dozens more dying in catastrophic floods in Germany and surrounding regions. Heartbreaking footage of families in crisis rolls across our screens as we munch on snacks in our air-conditioned homes, and I imagine the emotions of viewers run the gamut from existential dread to callous, selfish disregard.
Climate change is such a global problem that it leaves each of us struggling with the scope of it. Many people have issues taking control of their own lives, let alone the fate of the world. The response to such a huge demand tends to fall into two camps:
The first group includes those that sacrifice and perform rituals to appease the gods of climate change. They go vegan, they sell their cars and buy hybrids, they pay twice as much for every product at the grocery store if it has the words “sustainable” or “eco-friendly” or “organic” on the label, they call and petition their congresspeople to do something about climate change, they spend hours recycling and composting, and so on. They hope that, by “being the change they wish to see”, they can somehow wish large-scale climate action into existence.
The second, much larger group, recognizes that many of the actions of the former group are futile, especially without mass adoption. Using reusable coffee cups at Starbucks won’t diminish the size of the plastic trash island floating in the Pacific. Bicycling to work will have a negligible impact on carbon emissions: the global temperature is almost certainly going to rise to levels that will result in the current most populated areas of the world being completely uninhabitable, and most of the North America turning into a desert.
One of the most damaging common beliefs of both of these groups is: “It’s not my fault.” Rather, they insist that it’s the politicians, it’s the people who drive gas-guzzling SUV’s, it’s the corporations. But this is again falling into the trap of assigning individual blame for a global, systemic problem. No one politician, no one corporation, can stop the train here. Nearly any that try will be run out of business or out of office by competitors. It is possible (and necessary) to make economic and political changes that mitigate climate change, but it will never be the purview of any particular actor.
So now we can introduce a third camp, much smaller than the previous two: the doomsday preppers. These are those who have accepted the inevitability of the climate catastrophe, and are stockpiling food stores and rainwater capture systems as we speak. I’m very sorry to inform them — as I know many of them are already pathologically depressed — that their plan is almost certainly going to fail too. There is almost no precedent in history of single people completely detached from others surviving for more than a few years. Since the beginning of time humans have required, at the very least, a tribe. Also, it is not unlikely that at some point their huge stockpiles of food will go up in a forest fire (or run out after a few months), or their solar panel will break and require a costly and unavailable replacement part, or they will get dysentery and die without antibiotics. In a way, this kind of survival prepper-ism is also a fetishistic ritual to mentally foreclose or repress the realities of climate change.
So what do we do, then? Is it hopeless? Do we lay down and die?
I’m tempted to leave it here and cackle my way off into the night, but fortunately I am not so cruel. Yes, I have a solution, and a rational response. It is a response filled with hope and purpose, but it is not comfortable or easy to swallow. It will require serious self-reflection, patience, faith, and a willingness to accept the unknown and the uncertain. For many of my readers, this is a tough task, one that — I’m being honest — most people are not up to. But the good news is, this is a response that you can do all by yourself. It requires no cooperation or convincing of others to work. But the best part is that it also requires no competition or selfishness either: you can do this work entirely by yourself, but the more people who join and participate with you, the easier and more rewarding it will be.
I also want to forewarn you that from here on out, my writing is going to be pretty didactic and self-help-y. I know that this tone can rub some people the wrong way. I just want to reiterate here that this approach requires no cooperation or convincing, and that includes you, dear reader. If it helps, you can think of the rest of this essay as me talking to myself, and extract any theory or wisdom that you find useful to your own situation while leaving the rest.
Hard Truth #1
Climate change is real, and devastatingly serious. It is not going away or getting better, especially in the near future (our lifetimes). Research the effects. Understand what the best predictions are for how things will change, and take them seriously. Keep abreast of news to the extent that it is relevant for providing information. Expect more floods, wildfires, heat waves, and other extreme weather, and know where each is likely to occur. Expect food and water shortages. Expect mass migration, collective grief, disruptions to electric and communications systems, and so on.
Also, someday you will die regardless.
If you are having trouble acknowledging or dealing with this truth, find a way to accept it, at least to the best of your ability. The more you accept the reality of the situation, the better equipped you are to handle it. You don’t have to despair forever.
Hard Truth #2
It is not guaranteed that anyone can come to save you from the things that make you uncomfortable or even threaten your life. Again, the more of us who are on the same side, the more we can carry and support each other. But start from the assumption that you have few, if any, people that you can reliably depend on. Identify those you can and invest in those people and relationships. Find out what those people need to be happy and healthy and include those in your list of priorities. You need to make new friends and allies where possible.
Hard Truth #3
For reasons explained above, you cannot hoard and isolate your way out of the effects of climate change. You are not going to become a mountain man and live off the land. Abandon that fantasy now: mountain men require a functioning society to exist. There were no mountain men in hunter-gatherer or agricultural times. Also, nobody’s coming to break into your house and steal your rice. Don’t waste your resources on building a fortress and stockpiling unless you’re planning on using these things in a bid to make friends and allies. Maybe you’re not very good with people; offering free clean drinking water to anyone who needs it is a good way to make friends.
Hard Truth #4
The world is not ending and your choices do matter. At the end of every previous mode of production, there has been a catastrophic event that saw extreme death and destruction, and the writings that remain are often apocalyptic. The end of the temple economy was the Bronze Age collapse and the invasion of the sea people. The fall of the Roman-style slave economy saw widespread violence and famine. The end of feudalism was precipitated by a plague that killed 50% of the population. One witness at the time wrote:
Father abandoned child, wife husband, one brother another; for this illness seemed to strike through the breath and sight. And so they died. And none could be found to bury the dead for money or friendship. Members of a household brought their dead to a ditch as best they could, without priest, without divine offices … great pits were dug and piled deep with the multitude of dead. And they died by the hundreds both day and night … And as soon as those ditches were filled more were dug … And I, Agnolo di Tura, called the Fat, buried my five children with my own hands. And there were also those who were so sparsely covered with earth that the dogs dragged them forth and devoured many bodies throughout the city. There was no one who wept for any death, for all awaited death. And so many died that all believed it was the end of the world.
Humanity and society have rebounded from all of these crises and created an even better, more robust, more plentiful lifestyle than before. The crisis will be devastating and painful, but it will not be permanent. We are not all going to be wiped out, nor are we returning to monke. Claims to the contrary are a failure of serious consideration and historical materialism.
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Okay, have we worked on accepting the hard truths? Did I gloss over any of them too quickly? Let me know and I’ll update this in the future to make it more comprehensive and useful to readers.
Now take a deep breath and a good look around. So: who are you? Mmm, maybe a bit too existential. Let’s stick to the material realm. What do you do everyday? What do you need and depend on? Who depends on you? Where do you live? What do you do for a living? Let’s split it into a few categories:
Location
Where do you live and how is it likely to be affected by climate change? Do some research. Is that okay with you? If you know, for instance, that you have ten or twenty years before the summers where you live are going to be completely unbearable, or your home will be underwater, then start making plans to move. This is not an overnight task, so don’t panic — but also, don’t stick your head in the sand. Change is coming, and you can either respond in advance, when you have time, or run away with nothing but the clothes on your back after waiting too long. Choose a new location considering the type of climate you like, the ease of relocating there, and so forth. This is a big project so take your time, but start formulating a plan of action now.
Lifestyle
Think about what you (and your loved ones/allies) need to physically stay alive: food, water, medications, climate control, and so on. In the future you can also start considering what elements are most beneficial for your wellbeing and happiness. I can’t answer this for you, but for me it includes things like being submerged in water (a bath, swimming, etc.), having access to books and the internet and other sources of information, having the time and freedom to educate my children, and chocolate or other sweets.
Now for the fun part, and by fun I do mean fun, but I also mean hard work and research. I want you to place these needs and activities 20 or 50 years in the future and imagine what they will look like then.
Food: What crops are hardy and sustainable? What foods are nutritionally well-rounded? Which ones will be locally available? You can imagine that you, and any children you may have, will be eating a lot of those foods in the future, so start learning how to cook and enjoy them now. Make them a part of your family traditions.
Water: This should be something you seriously considered when deciding on your location. Where do you have reliable sources of clean drinking water near you? Do you know what potential contaminants can affect your water and the different ways to eliminate or reduce the risks? How can you reuse water instead of wasting it? Learn and practice these skills now. Diversify your skillset; imagine what you could do if you turned on the tap and nothing came out. Figure out what you would need, in terms of materials but especially in terms of skills, and start practicing.
Medications & Health: Who manufactures your necessary medical supplies? If you have a rare and life-threatening disease, this might be an important consideration in terms of your future location (what would you do in case of transportation delays?). Consider other ways of managing your chronic and acute diseases can you rely on — diet, certain stretches or movements, other medicines or products that do the same thing, lifestyle interventions that improve your condition (like getting enough sleep), and so on. Learn basic first aid. Study and practice good hygiene procedures. Get into better shape so that you can handle everyday tasks more easily. Don’t forget mental health.
Again, we’re not talking about the collapse of society here, but there might be issues like natural disasters, delays, products sometimes being out of stock or very expensive, etc. Our goal is to reduce dependence on things that are not always guaranteed.
Climate Control & Habitat: Learn how to cool off and warm up without depending on electricity. Choose your home/housing materials based on efficiency and ease of repair and upkeep. Learn what to do in case of various different emergency situations, like floods and fires. Identify safe places to go in your community in case of power outages or natural disasters. Practice doing your own basic repairs and maintenance, and/or making connections with people who can help you with these things. Learn how to sew and fix things instead of replacing them. When you replace them, choose quality and sustainable business models so that you get used to using products that are more likely to be available in the future. Again, try to live today like you might live in a few decades, both to predict and solve potential problems before they happen, and to get into good habits and routines now so that you’re more flexible where it matters in the future.
Interpersonal: Learn how to get along with people and determine who’s trustworthy. Learn about the psychological and physical needs of refugees and immigrants and be prepared to live amongst and cooperate with them. They will be your allies in pressuring governments and the ruling class to provide for the needs of the people. Make yourself useful to other people so that they have a vested interest in supporting and helping you. Learn how to defend yourself and others — self-defense, but also riot and guerilla tactics if necessary. Learn how to protect and care for vulnerable people. Learn how to deal with difficult and annoying people, how to de-escalate tense situations. Practice these skills in your community and daily life now so that they’re second nature when you need them.
Luxuries: What luxuries and extra goods do you want and care about? What need do they serve? How might these things look in a few decades? Can you find alternatives that serve the same purpose? Is there anything you would be well served by weaning yourself off of or replacing? Are there new habits — things that will be fairly easy to come by or enjoy— that you might consider picking up?
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These are just a few areas of consideration where you can work now to shape your life so that you and your loved ones are more resilient and more prepared for the climate crisis future. There will be a lot of suffering and death, and not all of it is avoidable, but a lot of it is if you start preparing yourself to face the challenges head on. There are no guaranteed solutions, and that’s something you have to accept before you’ll be able to make any meaningful choices at all— we can only do the best we can, and adapt to new information and changing circumstances. Make small changes, and make them habits. You can start wherever you are. Do what you can now so that you can do what you need to tomorrow. And the best part is that none of this requires anyone else’s cooperation, but the more of us who adopt this mindset, the easier and more enjoyable life will be for everyone going forward.