So what is this new word, permacrisis? Well, it is simply permanent crisis. But it is certainly not simple. It refers to a state of being where one crisis leads to another and often caused by a failure to adequately prepare for that shit happens moment -- or the proverbial slippery slope. And it can occur at any level, be it the individual level or the global level. On a visual level, think of the breaking of racked billiard balls struck with force by the cue ball. (For an other article on this topic, read Are We On the Cusp of Permacrisis?)
How can we live well in the face of crisis? There is a tendency in us all to depend on the "Scarlett O'Hara moment". Her last line, and most famous, in the novel Gone with the Wind is "After all, tomorrow is another day." We can not live on hope alone. Nor can we live without hope. What must accompany hope is preparation and prevention. In the military we called this 'poor preparation yields poor performance'. If this implies all knowing the outcome then nothing could be farther than the truth.
What we must do is use the best information we can, judge the result honestly, adjust the action, and try again, again, and again. Often what fails us is we don't want to admit failure and mistakes and then we can not complete the cycle. But we cannot live on bread alone -- we must have jam or peanut butter or both. We cannot live only for, or just in, the cycle but we must be mindful of the moment and not live only in the future. Through it all, we must remember "Nothing is as simple or as complex as it seems" -- including this idea. For if too simple we miss other variables and if too complex we often fail to act.
This same cycle can be found in near infinite situations. On a communal basis it is no different although the variables of misinformation and disagreements of action can be daunting. In climate change, climate disruption, or climate crisis or whatever we wish to describe it, we find the best example of communal permacrisis.
Gases in the atmosphere create a greenhouse effect. This is what makes this planet habitable and it is governed by the Goldilocks effect. Too few gasses and it's too cold. Too many gases and it is too hot. Earth's gasses are climbing and the global temperature is rising. There is no dispute here. We have known this for many years. What we haven't known too well in the past is how much gas it takes to increase the temperature and how much temperature rise increases climate disruption. That is changing quickly with research and high speed computer climate modeling.
People like to say that climate is always changing. Yes and no. Our present climate has been relatively stable for thousands of years. This stability is what has allowed our civilizations to exist and prosper. Climate stability is now changing and the temperature is rising.
Climate is not weather. We know from the past and the present what heat waves can cause. Drought, fires, floods, famine, and pestilence. Yes we have had those in the past but think of rising temperature as a threat multiplier. The greater the temperature, the greater the droughts, fires, floods, famine, and pestilence. Think of the billiard balls example again. The cue ball is the temperature and billiard balls are the outcomes ever continuously crashing into each other until they can't..
I often ask myself if we are nearing that point where our crisis is permanent. While we have made great scientific and engineering breakthroughs, it is our politics that have fallen prey to some sort of collective Dunning–Kruger effect. If so, some have fallen prey to greed, selfishness, moral depravity, lying, cheating, and all around bad behavior. And the preponderance of this is found in the republican party of the United States. They have been able to disguise themselves from their followers by projection and gaslinghting.
The midterms are over and the young ones under 35 have inserted their finger like Hans Brinker to plug the hole in the dam. Yes, that was an accomplishment. A big one. They saved our collective asses while we let them down. If we allow the republicans to return to their poor governance and malfeasance in 2024, the window of opportunity for climate adaptation and mitigation will likely pass and humanity will enter the "every man for himself" permacrisis. Willing to take a chance I am wrong? That's a chance I am not willing to take.
All hands on deck! Recommended reading below. - Robert Jennings
Our Final Warning: Six Degrees of Climate Emergency
Mark Lynas delivers a vital account of the future of our earth, and our civilisation, if current rates of global warming persist. And it’s only looking worse.
We are living in a climate emergency. But how much worse could it get? Will civilization collapse? Are we already past the point of no return? What kind of future can our children expect? Rigorously cataloguing the very latest climate science, Mark Lynas explores the course we have set for Earth over the next century and beyond. Degree by terrifying degree, he charts the likely consequences of global heating and the ensuing climate catastrophe.
This book must not be ignored. It really is our final warning. -- Book Publisher
About the Author
Robert Jennings is the co-publisher of InnerSelf.com, a platform dedicated to empowering individuals and fostering a more connected, equitable world. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army, Robert draws on his diverse life experiences, from working in real estate and construction to building InnerSelf with his wife, Marie T. Russell, to bring a practical, grounded perspective to life’s challenges. Founded in 1996, InnerSelf.com shares insights to help people make informed, meaningful choices for themselves and the planet. More than 30 years later, InnerSelf continues to inspire clarity and empowerment.
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