If only climate change was Darth Vader

If only the environment was a super-villain. Populist outrage always needs a human enemy and societal urgency requires something immediate and menacing. 

Right wing populism blames immigrants, trade unions, poor people and finds speech oppressing reds under every bed. Left wing populism blames the ‘elites’, capitalists, the Americans and the Republicans / Tories. Eco-populism blames corporate bosses, government officials and consumerism.

Our lack of urgency as regards ecological emergencies is explicable – we are hard wired to respond with alacrity to invaders and predators – not the slow and inexorable dynamics of the climate. A complex meteorological system doesn’t provoke moral outrage in and of itself, it isn’t affecting most people now and gradual changes provoke adaptation – not alarm bells. 

Imagine if the Russians / Chinese / Americans had set off wildfires in California and Australia, seeded destructive hurricanes, acidified the oceans, destroyed tens of thousands of plant and animal species, melted glaciers, engineered catastrophic flooding, caused disastrous droughts, filled the oceans full of waste plastic, eroded the soil, poisoned the air…and their evil plans to collapse human civilisation had been discovered by James Bond and shared with the world. I bet we would act against the evil-doers to protect ourselves…

…but the inexorable dynamics of the environment move too slowly, they exhibit no human malevolence and have no human face – so we ignore the ecological anaconda that slowly tightens its grip around our throat every day.

Of course, the environment is not the enemy – it merely reacts to our inputs but its lack of conscious intent and our culpability in damaging it, shouldn’t disguise its menace. Driven faster and faster by us…the ecological systems of this planet are coming first for our western lifestyles and then for our children’s lives.

It is almost tragically funny to watch firemen fighting a hopeless battle against apocalyptic bush fires in Australia. The real threat here is not the fire – it is the climate and by the time you are fighting the fires it is too late – the record temperature rises are irreversible and ongoing.

The reason why climate scientists and environmental activists scream that we must ACT NOW – is because well… we really ought to ACT NOW.

For the moment we retain a degree of control over the ecological dynamics we have unleashed – but that control will quickly be gone. Soon our choices will dwindle to nothing – we will be helpless in the face of what we have unleashed – standing white faced at the controls as every light flashes red and not a single lever or button works anymore.

I have no idea how to wake people up to the danger they are in – except to say that this is unlike any threat we have ever faced. This invader is not an invader, this destroyer of wealth and power is not interested in wealth and power. These forces have no interest in winning – indeed no consciousness at all, they merely reflect and amplify our values. Our collective cognitive immaturity is being turned into material consequence without mercy or malice.

If only climate change was Darth Vader – if only there could be a rebel alliance and a happy ending. Alas humanity is armed to the teeth against itself but asleep to the real threat.

What are we to do then when  the end times come – drive around in tanks shooting at the air? Are we that stupid?

Current indications suggest we are.