I've been reading Nomad Century by Gaia Vince lately, and picking up that book inspired me to start writing my thoughts around sustainability topics here in this blog. The book is actually terrifying, because what it's saying is true:
The world is headed into a disaster, and we constantly forget about it. I forget about it, even though I’m in a very aware and educated bubble: I study economics and sustainability and think about the ongoing triple crisis of the world daily. Almost everyone around me at uni also deeply cares about the planet and is studying sustainability. I read the news on a regular basis. And still, I forget how urgently climate action is needed: We're currently on track for a heating between 3°C and 4°C, which would be a nightmare world.
Vince describes in the book how a 4 °C warming would transform the planet to unrecognizable from anything humans have seen before: the Sahara desert will expand to the Mediterranean area, South and Central Europe, while most of the incredibly humid tropical Africa, Asia and South America will become uninhabitable for most of the year because of intolerable heat. The Amazonian rainforest will be dried because of weakening trade winds along the equitor, increasing fires, turning the rainforest into grassland.
What has really struck me about the book so far is that a 4°C warming is more likely than people realize. According to the IPCC, a 4°C could be reached by the year 2100 if we follow an 'intermediate economic pathway' in which our emissions will peak by 2040 and then start gradually dropping. By 2040. Looking at the current level of political commitment to climate action and emissions reduction, peaking our emissions by 2040 seems ambitious to me. And that would lead to vast areas of the globe, home to billions of people, becoming uninhabitable.
No one, (NO ONE!!!) seems to take this as seriously as it should be taken. It is so bizarre, so absurd, so maddening and simply just so unbelievable to me: why isn't this a top priority for all governments? Instead, the US is fighting over misinformation, hate and lies are spreading and people are living strictly in their own imaginary worlds. This combination is almost too much to think about, seriously. But it is the truth about the world right now, so I don't think we can ignore it either.
I've been thinking, and talking with my friends lately about what to do. How to continue. What kind of action would have the biggest impact? What is the right way forward?
Is it to read, read and read - articles and scientific papers, the news, books like Nomad Century or Less is More or Doughnut Economics - become more and more educated, aware of the facts of what is happening, and then starting discussions? Discussing with peers, family and friends, organizing events for the university community that brings even more students and field experts together to discuss? Education, reading, discussing? I've been doing this this spring. I organized a panel discussion at Aalto with the topic "Green growth or Degrowth - What saves our planet?" and invited four experts from different backgrounds to have a conversation about the feasibility of green economic growth and the alternative pathway, degrowth, on stage. It was a very interesting discussion and it drew a lot of attention, we had an audience of about 120 people who asked very good questions and also continued talking about the topic with me on campus in the weeks after the event.
But how impactful is all this reading, talking and thinking?
The state of the climate emergency is so alarming that I can't help but feel that maybe the university way of doing things is too slow. So is the right way forward then something more grassroots?
Is it to start your own project and inspire others to do the same - like starting a community garden to grow your own food? Or inventing a solution for some part of the climate crisis - like a sustainable, circular solar panel - and making it a successful startup? Focusing on one thing that is improving some small part of the society in a meaningful way, and being happy with that.
In other words, I keep thinking: is it better to hold on to thinking about the whole system, staying at this high level of thinking, questioning deep assumptions and values integrated in our society and system? Or is it better to pick one battle, focus your energy on doing one good grassroots thing well, and save the energy from all the reading.
Or, does the right way forward include becoming an activist, taking this frustration and rage out on the streets, trying to wake up the decision makers who just don't seem to care?
I believe there are so many ways to try to improve the planet, and all of them are needed. But what is the best, the most impactful way, is the question I have had in my mind lately. I guess it also depends on the person, different ways work for different people. I love reading - and thinking about the whole system - but sometimes I feel like a hypocrite or someone who keeps thinking but doesn't actually do anything.
But I am working on that too.
If you want to share your thoughts, I'd be more than happy to hear <3 (my Instagram is @annahakola :3)
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