“A Good War?”

This pandemic has shown us that our society, worldwide, can make drastic structural changes for the common good. Could we use this same energy to fight against climate change and the exploitation of mother nature? Shouldn’t this be a war worth fighting for? I recently read Seth Klein's last book, “A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for Climate Emergency”. I would like to share his wisdom hoping to inspire others to do the same.

We aren’t ready or willing to envision ourselves soldiers or hostages of war. The endless list of fights that this world is currently enrolled in, is exhausting, terrifying. In this context, we would rather believe that these fights, particularly the fight against climate change are out of our control, blaming others: politicians, corporations, capitalism, etc. In his book, Seth Klein reminds us that if there is indeed an emergency, there are also opportunities for all of us: citizens, leaders, scientists, parents, youth, retirees to individually and collectively address the growing decline of our eco-system.

In his book, Seth Klein explains that change is possible and doable. Klein offers specific solutions or “takeaways”, to help us confront the climate emergency such as changing our mindsets, legislating clear and ambitious targets for overall GHG emission (greenhouse gas emission), conducting an inventory of conversion needs, ensuring indigenous communities and nations are fully participating in the development of the emergency plan, etc (ref. p 362).

What touched me the most in this book is his call to action to our leaders and to us, the readers. Here is a poignant extract:

“ ..To our current political leaders, a final message: Like the leaders who saw our country through the war, the climate crisis is your generational mission, your defining challenge. It will determine if and how you will be remembered. The climate emergency, like the peril we faced before, is a direct threat to our security and well-being. which you are entrusted to protect. Be the leaders we need you to be.” (ref. p 358).

We can take up this call to action, or ignore it. While witnessing the impact of our choices just 10 years from now, I hope that most of us would feel comfortable telling ourselves and the next generation, that we did what we could. Otherwise, for those who continue to doubt their ability to change the course of action, or for those who simply deny that there is a climate emergency, I would like to conclude this short post, by sharing the wisdom of another climate activist: Johanna Macy who has studied what she called the Great Turning, which is the transition from an industrial growth society to a life-sustaining society.

“ This is an exciting time and a privilege to be alive…If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear. ( Johanna Macy)

It is indeed a challenging time, but as we fear a darker future or the slow decay (or collapse) of our ecosystem, we can wake up, act now, and believe that our collective efforts will defeat this endless course of industrial growth and extraction of our “vital” resources. “We can be rescued by care for the future”, we can be part of the great turning.

More about Johanna Macy’s work here: https://www.joannamacy.net/main

More information about Seth Klein’s book here: https://www.sethklein.ca/book