B io ph ile Issu e 18 - Biophile Magazine

If a global ecological collapse is almost upon us, thenwhere's the urgency?It's time to act bravely,and with resolveby Dr. Glen Barryate to say it, but "i told you so."Global ecological collapse is uponus and the human family isentering a Hobbesian struggle for survivalof the Earth and all her species includinghumans.Even mainstream leaders tell us wehave a decade to act before utter ecologicalruin and despair is assured. If things arereally so bad, where is the urgency? Willyou fight for being?Many mega-consumers in the overdevelopedworld, until now responsiblefor most environmental destruction, livein a world of entertainment, abundanceand great comfort. We sit stupefied infront of our home entertainment systems,addicted to vicariously watching the livesof glamorous stars, as the Earth dies. Moviesand TV are the modern day bread andcircuses meant to control and keep blindconsumers blindly consuming.A lifetime of global change and ecologyresearch leads me to conclude humans areon the brink of global ecological collapseand only dramatic, even revolutionary,global policy responses can save us now.The Earth system has been cut deeply, hurtin so many ways, that barring major socialand personal transformation, it is notinconceivable that complex life is finished.There has been enough awareness building.It is time to act bravely and with resolve.These are dangerous times. Andthose concerned with the fate of theplanet and her species are faced witha dilemma. They can follow a failing,star-studded, corporate drivenreformist agenda which seeks togreenwash business as usual environmentalpolicy responses. Or you canconcern yourself with what is trulyrequired to maintain the biosphere,ecological patterns and processes,relatively civilized human society;and yourself, family and friends.Human populations have increasedsixfold in just over 125 years. Who has aplan to reduce global population? Billionslive on a dollar or two a day while a handfulof billionaires enjoy more wealth thanentire nations. The whole world increasinglyembraces and idolises the ostentatiouslifestyles of celebrities. Meanwhileour climate, forests, oceans and water arefailing worldwide. The sky is falling.Humanity is facing global ecologicalArmageddon within a decade or generationat most. Responses to date have beenhalf-hearted, and do little or nothing tostrike at over-population and over- consumptionas the underlying causes of afailing biosphere.There is little hope when Greenpeacepromotes ancient forest logging, whenAl Gore states climate change can be addressedwithout economic sacrifice, whenLeonardo DiCaprio assures us at the 11thHour he only uses private jets when absolutelynecessary.These are our leaders? Their visionlacks concrete actions adequate toachieve equitable and just ecologicalsustainability.Academically, at what point if ever willarmed struggle on behalf of Gaia be justified?I ask not to encourage violence, but toascertain what we are willing to sacrificeto save the Earth and her humanity. Giventhe failure of large environmental groupsand well-known environmental activiststo present a coherent and adequate visionto save the Earth, what are we left with?Changing light bulbs? Renewable energy?Simultaneous global rock concerts? Willthese get us there?Is the very ecological fabric of beingworthy of fighting for at all costs? I do notknow. But if indeed there is only a decadeto save the planet, our being, and veryexistence; are we not justified in imaginingmore robust responses? I speak not oftoken arson or mild larceny, but of a globaleco-insurgency adequate to topple thewhole disgusting planet eating industrialgrowth machine and replace it globallywith decentralized ecologically sustainableagrarian democracy. The vision is ofpeople living peacefully with the land, air,water, oceans and all life; and within theirecological and bioregional limits.A hypothetical Earth revolution mustknow when and how to strike. As globalecological mayhem intensifies, it will becomeincreasingly evident when to beginwholeheartedly targeting SUVs, coalpower plants, ancient forest loggers andtheir apologists.The goal must be prompting swiftindustrial collapse and lead to acontinued insurgency adequate tostop its regeneration, even as people'sneeds are met by returning tothe land in relocalized communitiespracticing true egalitarian democracyand sustainable permaculture.It is crucial that the first strike notresult in the entire Earth insurgency beingarrested, suppressed and dismantled.War in defense of the Earth and ourhabitat is not mere tokenism; it is a fightfor all life and continued being. Given thefailure of the environmental movementand existing political and economic structuresto enunciate and implement policiesadequate to stop ecosystem destructionand meet all basic human needs, it is timeto ask yourself whether you will simply liedown and die without fighting for motherEarth and your children's children? Mybest advice is to educate yourself, bandtogether in landed communities, organizeand protest; and begin to stealthilyprepare yourself for an Earth Revolutionshould we fail. Gaia will say when.Biophile Issue 1815