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For the past ten years, I have been obsessively following climate change -- and have been consistently disappointed with the lack of attention from the world's media, national leaders and governments. This year, with the presidential election and Covid-19 happening at the same time, the world hears very little about climate change (except for the Western fires) or anything else about our not-so-rosy future as a species.
As for that front page piece, the New York Times has a section called Climate and Environment, but even there, the lead articles are usually 3 to 7 days old. But, last week, I awoke to this powerful climate change article on the front page of my NY Times reader on my iPad.
Correction. It was not really a front-page article; it was just the lead article in the Climate & Environment section mentioned above. On my laptop version of the Times, it was near the bottom of the "Home Page" right after the lead articles in the Sports and Obituaries sections.
Get this! Even the death of a 92-year old singer in the Four Seasons rock and roll band was bigger news that will probably be read by far more people than this powerful climate change article.
This comment from one of the readers of the climate piece puts things into perspective -- from Doug in British Columbia on September 23:
We humans, for all our intelligence, are too ignorant, too stupid and too vain to survive. We have even created a beast called "the economy" that is more important to us than survival. We bow to it, refuse to change it and, indeed, are slaves to its every whim.
Related News. Last week, two powerful videos were launched -- and both of them featured the renowned English broadcaster and natural historian, Sir David Attenborough, who is still as sharp as a tack at 94 years of age.
What struck me about both of these excellent videos is that Sir Attenborough and many other scientists have recently begun to speak much more candidly about climate change and its likely ultimate impact on humanity: Our Extinction.
"We've overrun the planet" says Sir Attenborough
The problem with these alarming videos is that they never tell us exactly what we must do maximize our chances of survival.
They, of course, talk about replacing fossil fuels with renewables and timidly hint that our steadily expanding consumption of meat, dairy, eggs and fish is a big problem -- yet they don't even suggest that we might want to think about replacing them with plant-based foods.
Of course, I applaud the clarity of how they describe the scope of the problems we are facing yet I am disappointed that they don't suggest a radical transformation of our civilization.
The Bottom Line. As I watched these two excellent videos, I kept thinking that they were going to talk about the sweeping lifestyle changes that must take place soon if we expect to be able to survive as a species. But I heard no such message.
That said, to my knowledge, Outcry remains the only published work (whether book or film) that summarizes our sustainability dilemma in a manner that the average 11th grader can understand AND describes a process whereby an Earth-friendly economy coupled with a hyper-efficient futuristic lifestyle could become a reality in fifty years -- all while leveraging today's technology.
Get the book and help jumpstart the crucial "conversation"
about how humanity can begin moving rapidly toward a way of life that is acceptable to Mother Nature. Just consider our book a handy conversation instigator.
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Also, let's talk.To help jumpstart a global conversation
that I keep encouraging, I am now offering to conduct private Zoom conferences free of charge to groups of almost any size. I look forward to Zooming with you and your group sometime soon.
In preparation for those sessions, I have developed a one-hour format consisting of an opening statement followed by a 20-minute slide show and then ending with a discussion and Q&A with the attendees. The sessions you organize will be far more interesting and productive if attendees have read Outcry in advance.
Our book, for a host of environmental reasons, is only available as an e-book on Amazon. As such, it contains hyperlinks to hundreds of references and videos, is less expensive, does not kill any trees and does not have to be manufactured and delivered.
You can join my mailing list and/or find all of my previous postings by visiting the SOS Memos page on my website. Here are a few of them where you can see how my vision has evolved since that first "creative idea" on 9-21-18:
As always, I am just trying to spark a global conversation about what is needed. By sharing a vision of what I believe is possible, I hope to influence others to think bigger, better and bolder.
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As for speaking, I continue to search for mainstream audiences who may have an interest in learning more about a realistically hopeful vision for our future - and their role in making that vision come true.
In the months ahead, I will continue to focus on the urgent need for a totally reinvented greening of our civilization - beginning with a model in the USA that could be applied globally over the next fifty years.
Upcoming talks: There are lots of open dates on my calendar and I look forward to the opportunity of tailoring my presentation to best suit an audience you may have in mind:
Universities, churches, book groups, legislative bodies, think-tanks, environmental organizations, alumni associations, leadership clubs, PTA's, family, neighbors
and/or civic groups who may appreciate a message of reality and hope for our future.
What else can you do to help? Three things:
1. Live as greenly as possible while doing all that you can to raise the awareness of "big picture" solutions that are crucially necessary for saving our civilization.
2. Share this BSB and my "Mama Ain't Happy" BSB with prominent journalists, thought leaders and/or elected officials whom you respect. They need to learn a lot more about the many reasons why Mama ain't happy.
3. Here are a few more GRATOLA-related blogs that you can share with your most powerful friends, leaders, journalists and movie producers.
Until next time, just remember...
Humanity is on a collision course with Nature.
A damaged Nature will survive. We may not.
We must change course to avert an ecological disaster.
This SOS Memo series was created by:
J. Morris (Jim) Hicks
CEO, 4Leaf Global, LLC
In the past two years, I have spoken at a VegFest in
Fort Myers, at vsh.org in Honolulu and Kahului, Maui, the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, a Plant Powered Manhattan event in New York, at a lakeside health conference in South Haven, Michigan, in Buffalo, NY, at the University of Scranton, at Dr. Fuhrman's Golden Gate Health Getaway in California and at the Healthy World Sedona Health and Sustainability Conference in AZ.
To schedule a presentation at a venue near you, please contact me at [email protected]
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