A Reality Check from the Brink of Extinction

I want to call attention to a thoughtful article by Chris Hedges… same title as this page. There are multiple themes that run through the climate change debate: chaning lifestyles, aggressive organizing, technological innovation, even ditching capitalism. A good composer can weave the themes into a symphony, but generally all we hear is cacophony… or at best picking out the one theme that we already know.

Hedge's article was first published at truthdig and then picked up and re-published at West Coast Climate Equity. It is about as revolution oriented as any that I have read. It may appeal to some Greens. He even quotes extensively from Derrick Jensen.

“If all we do is reform work, this culture will grind away. This work is necessary, but not sufficient. We need to use whatever means are necessary to stop this culture from killing the planet. We need to target and take down the industrial infrastructure that is systematically dismembering the planet. Industrial civilization is functionally incompatible with life on the planet, and is murdering the planet. We need to do whatever is necessary to stop this.”

Unfortunately, I don't think that there is time to do what he wants on a world wide basis. When the Prime Minister of the Maldive Islands calls a cabinet meeting at an underwater location to illustrate the fact that his country will eventually be submerged, you know that it is more than a publicity stunt. Even if we were to pull down capitalism, anarchy is not the answer and he offers no others.

This is not a multiple choice test where you get to pick the best approach. The answer is all of the above.