Monday, November 4, 2019

“Violence is a failure of the imagination.” -- William Stafford


"Radiohead - Idioteque" used with permission of Extinction Rebellion.

It's a hard but important time for creative artists, scientists, young people, and middle aged or elders of conscience. Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in his recent Rolling Stone interview with Jeff Goodell "The more I think about this, the more I understand this [climate] challenge as a lack of imagination, in two ways. One, some people can’t imagine a world that is as degraded as science tells us it’s going to be. They have trouble imagining a world without coral reefs, or a way to grow grapes in California; they can’t imagine that. But more importantly, they can’t imagine a world where we are driving electric cars, where we are powering the grid with a combination of renewable energy and have much more energy-efficient homes. [par break] We have done this before, with the mobilization for World War II. We have reorganized our economy [ . . . . ]"

Similarly, see Implications of Climate Change for the U.S. Army. The report noted "Rising seas will displace tens (if not hundreds) of millions of people, creating massive, enduring instability. This migration will be most pronounced in those regions where climate vulnerability is exacerbated by weak institutions and governance and underdeveloped civil society. Recent history has shown that mass human migrations can result in increased propensity for conflict and turmoil as new populations intermingle with and compete against established populations. More frequent extreme weather events will also increase demand for military humanitarian assistance. [par break] Salt water intrusion into coastal areas and changing weather patterns will also compromise or eliminate fresh water supplies in many parts of the world [. . . .]"

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