Climate and ecological breakdown – THE WORST CASE OF RACISM

We may not think of ourselves as racists.  Maybe it is true that in our day to day lives we do treat people, whatever their background, with equal respect.  Yet our privileged lifestyles rely on a world system where we create devastating problems, and it is people in other countries (generally those who are least responsible for causing them) who suffer most.  We therefore benefit hugely from a society that is inherently racist. 

Our lifestyles are driving climate and ecological breakdown.  This statement is not even scientifically controversial, it is a matter of fact. 

In Britain we are noticing changes: more floods, droughts, storms, rising seas, wildlife collapsing, soils washing out to sea and fish populations plummeting.  But these are tiny compared to the devastating effects that impact other areas.  Low lying islands will disappear under the sea, some people are already having to relocate.  Forests are burning, indigenous peoples are displaced, sometimes even murdered.  Floods and monsoons will flatten vast areas.  Crops will fail in regions made more arid by climate change.  Millions will starve.  It will not be long before parts of the globe will be uninhabitable, temperatures having tipped over a point where humans can survive.  And this is in places that are populated today, so where will the inhabitants go?  Oxfam has estimated that there are already 20 million climate refugees – people made homeless by climate change - probably a huge underestimate.  The worst drought in 900 years was one stimulus to the problems in Syria.  Wars and conflict are almost inevitable. 

And it’s only just the beginning. 

People forced into destitution by climate and ecological breakdown happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Most have played little part in this devastation, yet they will suffer most from it.  We cause the problems – they suffer from them.  And we are “fine” with that!? 

There is a horrible tendency to dismiss “other” people – they are often black or brown, live a long way away and are not like us, so we care about them less.  “Othering” people is a justification to treating them differently.  Our lifestyles cause devastation to other people but we are not prepared to give up our luxuries just because it affects those “others”!  Racism at its worst!  Maybe we’ll send a patronisingly small amount of oversees aid to make ourselves feel better.

But is this the worst case of racism?  How about historic racism – stealing other people’s lands and forcing them into slavery.  Surely that is worse?  But, put to one side that our current global economic system was fuelled by past racist exploitation, perhaps we can’t take responsibility for the past.  However, this same economic system is driving environmental collapse today and will disproportionately impact hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of people globally before the end of the century.  Being part of a global system that is inevitably causing the death and destitution of millions of “other” people of colour far away surely is the very definition of racism? 

In our defence, this is not about individuals.  It is very difficult for an individual to recognise the problem, let alone change something that operates on a global systemic level (even more so when that same system deliberately aims to isolate us from the consequences of our actions). 

Some paint concern about the ecological and climate emergency as a luxury that just concerns the white, rich, middle class.  They imply you are racist if all you are bothered about is tree-hugging!  The very opposite is the truth – it is failure to address the ecological and climate emergency that is racist, catastrophically racist, unforgivably racist.  Inactivity leaves us complicit.

How SIGNIFICANT is this covid crisis?

I have just had the chance to take a look at the recently released e-book "Significance" by Paul Hannam.  This is an excellent articulation of the steps you can take to choose a life of significance. 

If you are interested in Paul Hannam’s work, as an internationally renowned author, life-coach and our very own local sustainability leader, then do please visit his web page.  Paul’s E-book is available for download.  A free of charge promotion will run between 2^nd and 4^th June only, so make sure you get your own Kindle version.

Viviane Doussy, my wife, has done a short article about what this book can tell us as we emerge from the COVID-19 crisis - I have reproduced this as a guest blog below:

 

The Covid-19 virus is raging into our lives, an uninvited guest.  Here to linger.  Here to stay and become part of us – forever.

We claim we’ve not had time to prepare yet scientists have warned us: viruses like these have been sitting on our doorstep for decades.  We’ve chosen to ignore that, and instead busied ourselves with parties and shopping and celebrity culture.  We’ve been kids, naively continuing to play our part in growing the economy, getting more, bigger and better stuff than any past generation.  The media of course has not been an innocent bystander, and their vested interests are at play too.

In our adolescent state, this version of the corona virus has come to us as a rather unpleasant surprise.  Virtually overnight it’s turned our worlds upside down.  Suddenly we’ve had to mature and come to terms with realising that it is all of our own doing.  It is our destruction of natural habitats plus all its life-forms and our abusive exploitation of animals that has opened the door to let the virus in.  Our natural environment is so badly broken.  Our whole world is so badly broken.  We are now feeling all of that immense tragic human and personal loss; the consequences of one small virus.  Covid is significant in its impact.  It has become a keystone species and the driver of human evolution on a global scale.

The world is slowly re-awakening, re-aligning itself after a brief pause for breath from all our damaging human interventions.  It is with a deep sigh of relief that the earth is hopeful that we humans can start seeing the magnitude of what needs undoing.  

We need a whole earth-systems rebuild to provide a thriving home for everyone and everything. This means a re-write of the legislation, media, transport, food, economy and educational functions that will underpin a healthy thriving world and all of its interconnected and regulating systems.  Sounds idealistic?  Yes, it’s achievable and necessary for survival too!  Humanity is finally set on a mature and honest pathway looking forward from the covid lockdown.  We all have a part to play in re-imagining a new world.  

I recently read a small book called “SIGNIFICANCE”.  Yet like covid, small does not mean insignificant.  Greta Thunberg, Sweden’s young climate activist, taught us that no one is too small to make a difference.  This book is significant in that it is an inspiration for change, a short and easy guide for each of us to become more significant; to step up and make a significant difference in this mis-aligned covid-infected world.  This book offers so many nuggets and take-home messages, so many quotes that will resonate.  There is a call to action: first to heal and re-align your inner self, then moving outwards in your circle of influence to engage in this conversation and a positive forward movement.  Only you set your own limits to re-imagining a fresh new future.  Become SIGNIFICANT and refocus your life on what matters most.