Gywnne's World

Thanks to Marya for that nice comment.

I too saw Gywnne Dyer on his cross country tour. And his faith in crazy technological solutions really scared me. There are much easier ways it seems to me: public transit, population control, everyone gardens, only plant fruit and nut trees in cities, no more cars, no more plastic. Population control is of course really the biggest bang for your buck but of course you all know how I feel about that. Gywnne said that the population would stabilize at 9 billion and then drop as everyone becomes more affluent. What does that mean for consumption and the climate though? More people consuming more. Not exactly a good recipe.

Anyway his technological solutions all revolved around the concept of "buying us time". So we'll build some space mirrors, blast some sulphur into the atmosphere and construct wind powered boats that will make clouds over the ocean. And paint all the roads white (oil based paint?).

But the question no one answers, as Marya rightly pointed out, is: what are we buying ourselves time for?

I guess Gwynne's answer is: to come to some kind of international agreement that will allow everyone to prosper but will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop runaway climate change. Things are going really well on that front. The Copenhagen meetings are basically over before they started. Way to go Dear Leaders!

My answer to the question of buying time for what is a little different. This is about avoiding reality. We are not buying time we are like an addict who puts off quitting or addressing his or her addiction for another day. We must remain deluded at all costs. Focused on endless growth on a finite planet. Believing that we can have it all. That it is our right. We must never remember that we and our shit are our food. That we are material beings, just like a tree or a chipmunk. That we live in relationship with other beings on this planet. We must never accept that we are destroying the planet and that we can stop anytime. Nothing is written in stone.

What do you think we are buying time for? So that we can buy a new car before we can't anymore? So that you can get that new cell phone?

It's time to stop. This civilization is an illusion. Reject it. Walk away. Start now. Smash your television. We can't continue to support this madness.