The Summer that Challenged People and Wildlife
Where do we go from here? Global warming’s threat + choosing effective actions to help.
Welcome! You’re at Mother E, a monthly newsletter devoted to exploring our kinship with other species in a climate-changing world.
You can also view this post on the website if the photos don’t show. And if you missed last month’s post, it’s here: A Dangling Snake in a Kenyan Tree House.
Since all species are affected by a destabilized climate, one of the best things we can do is to lighten our outsized human footprint.
Climate changes are a multi-faceted challenge, but I tried to summarize the situation and needs in a one-minute way. Thanks for reading!
Robin Applegarth
AS I WROTE THIS, smoky air with a hazardous air quality index in the red/purple zone kept me inside. The culprit was an 80,000-acre forest fire near the northern border of California.
The summer of 2023 has seen record-breaking heat and flooding, territory-scale burning in Canada, warming seas and thinning sea ice. Millions of people and creatures have coped with life-threatening situations. Climate-boosted storms and warming are now shifting the baseline towards a “new abnormal”—and I find that alarming.
You might be wondering—how do we fix this human-caused problem that feels like a runaway train?
First, slow that train down, which means limiting fossil fuel use and stepping up our care for nature. Climate scientists say we still have a narrow window of opportunity to prevent major tipping points.
Here’s my shortcut—a one minute guide for understanding climate perils and becoming part of the solution.
1. Life is precious and it’s now threatened by Earth becoming dangerously destabilized.
2. The problem has grown BIG, while our response has been small.
3. We have the proven SOLUTIONS right NOW to limit further damage and create a more thriving future. More of us need to apply them.
4. The priority in a crisis is to protect real things like NATURE and PEOPLE, not artificial things like institutions or economic systems.
5. Who can help? All of us. 😁
6. What’s your part to do? Choose it, and find allies for more effectiveness. Link up with a group working on this.
That’s it.
We’re in an ALL HANDS ON DECK moment, where we need many more helpers, place-restorers, convincers, system-challengers, and action-takers.
Add to that list the artists, dreamers, inventors, and others who can imagine the future we want, hold that vision, and inspire others.
We need legions of people to patiently and fiercely love the world back into a healthier place. As we acknowledge, talk about, and act on the climate crisis, a social tipping point will be reached and it will become easier to make more rapid progress.
The climate movement is now a living drama with a thousand roles. What part can you play?
Time is short, but actions by many more of us can form a wave of effort that turns things around. 💪 In fact, eco-philosopher Joanna Macy calls this collective transition “The Great Turning.” Which direction will we choose? 🌎
Here’s the summary:
Life is precious and it’s now threatened by Earth becoming dangerously destabilized.
The problem has grown BIG while our response has been small.
We have the proven SOLUTIONS right NOW to limit further damage and create a more thriving future. More of us need to apply them.
The priority in a crisis is to protect real things like NATURE and PEOPLE, not artificial things like institutions or economic systems.
Who can help? All of us!
What’s YOUR part to do? Choose it, and find allies for more effectiveness. Link up with a group working on this.
Want to make the biggest impact? Look at the list below:
Related links
+ Are your climate actions effective—or not?
See what you’re getting wrong—or right—at this Washington Post gift article here: https://wapo.st/47Nts3p
+ Beautiful Solutions for a more just and resilient world
This interesting site includes a crowd-sourced set of applied solutions for a “more just, democratic, and resilient world.” You can check it out here: https://solutions.thischangeseverything.org
+ Is your money playing with bad actors while you sleep? Ditch the banks that pollute.
+ Using Social Imagination to change our patterns
From the Beautiful Solutions site: https://solutions.thischangeseverything.org/module/social-imagination
Philosopher Maxine Greene describes social imagination as the ability to “look at the world as if it could be otherwise.” It is the capacity, both creative and moral, to envision alternative possibilities for our communities and our world. The social imagination makes social change possible because an understanding of what might be gives us a perspective from which to challenge things as they are, as well as the hope and determination we need to build something different.
Robin Applegarth
I like to hear from readers!
🐦⬛ Has your summer brought more climate challenges than previously?
🐦⬛ Do you feel knowledgeable about impactful climate solutions? What would help?
👉 You can comment at the button above, or reach out to me privately at MotherE@substack.com or by responding to the subscriber email.
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Thank you for your perspective and insights into global climate change and what we can do realistically to respond to this crisis that we all face. So many valuable tools have been provided.
I am always so grateful for the topics you address in your newsletter, Robin.
Another great edition. Thanks