This might've been the most elegant summary of the metacrisis. The way you weaved together practical tips with higher-level lessons is seriously impressive. Thank you Susan.
From Spain, Thank you very much, Susan. What I just read from you is impressive. It's a prophetic work that describes what scientists have repeatedly announced, and what deniers reject, but which is getting closer and closer.
It's a shame, because today, what people want is to enjoy a life that is increasingly threatened by the passing day. The future is very bleak with the three threats looming over it: economic collapse, climate disaster, and universal war. No one can deny this possibility, but everyone looks the other way.
I became aware of this a long time ago, and I wrote a book for my grandchildren (who are the ones who will bear the brunt of the threat) entitled "Your Grandfather Tells You," in which I projected what their lives would be like in childhood (2020 to 2030), adolescence and youth (2030 to 2050), adulthood (2050 to 2080), and old age, if they ever reach it (2080 and beyond). The goal is to prepare them for what's to come and gain resilience.
I'm 75 today. It won't catch me by surprise, but before I move on to another life, I'm leaving things in such a way that those who follow me will already have it made. I live on the north coast, right on the beach, and I have another home also on the north Atlantic coast. I've put my houses up for sale to move inland to a house with land, which will be the one my family inherits.
I'm trying to advise my grandchildren on the decisions they need to prepare and educate themselves for adulthood, so they choose the paths that will allow them to have a better life.
The gaps between citizens are growing ever wider, and the middle classes are becoming increasingly impoverished, while the poor are deprived of the most basic needs. Migratory pressures are already causing problems in many countries. Water and food shortages are increasingly displacing more of the population. Access to survival resources will become increasingly difficult.
For all these reasons, your writing is very important. Everyone should read it, but above all, memorize it. If they do, they will be better off in a future that is already visible beyond the horizon, and you don't have to be a fortune teller to see it. Just read what you wrote.
Thank you very much, Susan, for such sincere work. I congratulate you. So far, this is the worst I've read on the subject. Greetings from Spain.
Thank you for this kind and thoughtful message, Luis. It sounds like you're making the right long term plan for those that you care about, and within the sphere of your own control. We can't fix everything but we can make things less of a mess for as many around us as possible. Many believe that this is the debt we owe to society for the gift of being born.
Personally, I do take comfort from the fact that there has always been suffering alongside survival, and that things have been much worse than they are today and likely to be in the future. One of the greatest protections against a future that's worse than our darkest past is education and knowledge -- the millions who died under Gengis Khan didn't have literacy, information, a way to organize or fight back. We have all that and more now, so it's up to us to use it.
I'm in the upper Midwest with a view of a Great Lake from my office. Even though I'm from around here, there's a reason I came back to start a family.
I wrote about the reality that this area was bound to be a climate refuge in the coming years. The city I'm in has room, but the infrastructure is run down from years of neglect and (white) flight into surrounding suburban and rural areas. Some of us here are trying to sound the alarm bells.
You are incredibly fortunate to have roots in the most resilient "lifeboat region" of the US! agree with you, however, that the infrastructure isn't ready and even those who are counting on the upper midwest as their climate oasis have dramatically overestimated the readiness of this region to absorb a lot of incoming population.
First newsletter that makes me feel sane as I use my software engineering/energy tech money to buy property and put solar on it in Minnesota! Even starting a garden this summer and plotting a path toward chickens and yaks.
Reaching out to your neighbors is such an important point. Can't hide if you're the only house with the lights on. Will people turn on each other like terrible black friday, or help each other because there are relationships and stability and mutual aid?
Ryan, thank you for sharing this. I live in Seattle, and we're also putting our tech money into rural property, but would we'd be in the upper Midwest in a heartbeat if we could. Very true about hiding with the lights on. Black Friday doesn't bode well for what might come to pass in a more scarce future, but that's where smaller-scale, intentional community building can be protective (vs the random population of Black Friday sale shoppers). Great comparison though.
This is an excellent article, thank you. One thing concerns me though. All of these articles, groups, courses etc focus on household sustainability for people who have some land. Who can grow food, and share, and raise animals etc. But so many people live in apartments and in urban areas. The planet cannot sustain them moving to small towns and regions. I can't find anyone addressing this in a meaningful way. It seems to be a don't go there zone, maybe everyone just thinks that those people will succumb to gang warfare, poverty, degradation and death? I guess the advice is the same, collaboration and community building, sharing etc. But access to food, water and energy will be a real problem.
I don't have an answer for this but agree you raise a poignant and difficult question. I know the answer starts with community, but don't know how it translates into practical implementation beyond that. One consideration: urban populations have the lowest birth rates in the world, regardless of country / nationality / region. Mumbai's birth rate is already only 1.6 today -- far below replacement. It may be a problem that solves itself over time.
Many dense urban areas have developed community gardens in which individuals and families can have small plots where they grow vegetables and fruits. So far I haven’t heard of any community dairies or chicken coops.
That's true, but they're usually miniscule in comparison to population numbers around them. We have a long way to go, in terms of roof gardens, dense urban plantings, and high-tech food growing in urban areas.
I agree on the point about travel, especially considering the fact that the weakening jet stream due to climate disruption will make long distance air travel much more dangerous and turbulent (as in, violent, life-threatening turbulence) than it is today.
Thank you for the practical tips. That point about even deca billionaires not being safe is what frustrates me the most. They may have bunkers but the ongoing investments in assets that are causing the climate crisis is reprehensible
Excellent analysis. All of this has been top of mind for me as a retired baby boomer with a pension and a 401k. How best to help the thirty-something millennial kids and the two Gen Z granddaughters we are raising. Just forwarded to one of my sons who has been asking me what he should do with his crypto whatever (I don’t understand this at all) and his S & P. I said don’t sell the s&p but don’t know if that’s correct. This article lays it all out there. Grateful that it was forwarded to me and just subscribed!
It's so hard to know when to sell vs hold, and no mainstream financial advisors that I've researched or spoken with are accurately pricing in risk. None.
Equities and crypto are at high risk right now, so are currencies in the long run. Cash continues to lose its value even with the modest inflation we are experiencing today. So that leaves you with hard assets like land -- but only so long as contracts and rule of law is upheld.
As mentioned in this essay, there's nowhere to 'hide.' The only answer is to engage.
Insightful piece Susan. As an ex-climate tech entrepreneur who now writes about the Metacrisis because of the exact realization that there is no safe haven, I deeply resonate with a lot of what you have said here
So, the problem with this approach, as with all “investor” approaches, while obvious to me, in real world terms very disturbing and potentially dangerous, seems to have bypassed your awareness altogether.
Please, bare with me.
I think it’s fair to say that when investing in any productive business, the outlook is an attempt to extract value which itself is directly linked to shareholder”success. SS has been proven to lower wage growth for workers, undermining value over time (please consider what you are seeing of late), reducing quality in the long term, and, in the vast majority of cases, output.
So, while what we need it pure investment in climate changing technology with output to match, what your suggesting is investors should extract value from the very thing that might save us?
If, on the other hand, you suggest philanthropy to be a good moral and financial investment, especially considering the current plight of your fellow humans, then I applaud you.
Found myself constantly nodding along as I read this. Really enjoyed your writing.
I also believe that these productive-core-to-life assets could act as safe havens over the next decade or so.
I wrote about something similar recently in the Web3 space - the development of clean energy backed yield-bearing tokens - which can be resilient store of value in volatile times, whilst also accessible to all due to the fractionalisation of assets.
The project I case studied in that article also focuses on distributed mini solar farms providing localised energy. So there was a lot that resonated with me in your article.
This is a measured and pragmatic analysis Susan. Thank you for sharing this! We're in a critical time, and it's time to build. To take action. The worst thing we can do is hoard our assets.
Our focus is supporting the development of social innovators in essential verticals (food, water, climate, culture, education, health, housing).
We're finding that "traditional" entrepreneurship & innovation values, funding, and design processes don't allow us to meet the complexity of the moment. Have you seen this as well?
Let's continue building the life-rafts so we can flourish together in times of change!
The interest rate on a high yield savings account at my green bank (Forbright) were 4.25% and my old bank (American Express) was at 3.70% which makes switching easy. Climate-friendly choices don't mean compromising anymore. The tide is turning.
This might've been the most elegant summary of the metacrisis. The way you weaved together practical tips with higher-level lessons is seriously impressive. Thank you Susan.
Thank you for this kind comment, Simas.
From Spain, Thank you very much, Susan. What I just read from you is impressive. It's a prophetic work that describes what scientists have repeatedly announced, and what deniers reject, but which is getting closer and closer.
It's a shame, because today, what people want is to enjoy a life that is increasingly threatened by the passing day. The future is very bleak with the three threats looming over it: economic collapse, climate disaster, and universal war. No one can deny this possibility, but everyone looks the other way.
I became aware of this a long time ago, and I wrote a book for my grandchildren (who are the ones who will bear the brunt of the threat) entitled "Your Grandfather Tells You," in which I projected what their lives would be like in childhood (2020 to 2030), adolescence and youth (2030 to 2050), adulthood (2050 to 2080), and old age, if they ever reach it (2080 and beyond). The goal is to prepare them for what's to come and gain resilience.
I'm 75 today. It won't catch me by surprise, but before I move on to another life, I'm leaving things in such a way that those who follow me will already have it made. I live on the north coast, right on the beach, and I have another home also on the north Atlantic coast. I've put my houses up for sale to move inland to a house with land, which will be the one my family inherits.
I'm trying to advise my grandchildren on the decisions they need to prepare and educate themselves for adulthood, so they choose the paths that will allow them to have a better life.
The gaps between citizens are growing ever wider, and the middle classes are becoming increasingly impoverished, while the poor are deprived of the most basic needs. Migratory pressures are already causing problems in many countries. Water and food shortages are increasingly displacing more of the population. Access to survival resources will become increasingly difficult.
For all these reasons, your writing is very important. Everyone should read it, but above all, memorize it. If they do, they will be better off in a future that is already visible beyond the horizon, and you don't have to be a fortune teller to see it. Just read what you wrote.
Thank you very much, Susan, for such sincere work. I congratulate you. So far, this is the worst I've read on the subject. Greetings from Spain.
Luis Domenech
Thank you for this kind and thoughtful message, Luis. It sounds like you're making the right long term plan for those that you care about, and within the sphere of your own control. We can't fix everything but we can make things less of a mess for as many around us as possible. Many believe that this is the debt we owe to society for the gift of being born.
Personally, I do take comfort from the fact that there has always been suffering alongside survival, and that things have been much worse than they are today and likely to be in the future. One of the greatest protections against a future that's worse than our darkest past is education and knowledge -- the millions who died under Gengis Khan didn't have literacy, information, a way to organize or fight back. We have all that and more now, so it's up to us to use it.
I'm in the upper Midwest with a view of a Great Lake from my office. Even though I'm from around here, there's a reason I came back to start a family.
I wrote about the reality that this area was bound to be a climate refuge in the coming years. The city I'm in has room, but the infrastructure is run down from years of neglect and (white) flight into surrounding suburban and rural areas. Some of us here are trying to sound the alarm bells.
You are incredibly fortunate to have roots in the most resilient "lifeboat region" of the US! agree with you, however, that the infrastructure isn't ready and even those who are counting on the upper midwest as their climate oasis have dramatically overestimated the readiness of this region to absorb a lot of incoming population.
First newsletter that makes me feel sane as I use my software engineering/energy tech money to buy property and put solar on it in Minnesota! Even starting a garden this summer and plotting a path toward chickens and yaks.
Reaching out to your neighbors is such an important point. Can't hide if you're the only house with the lights on. Will people turn on each other like terrible black friday, or help each other because there are relationships and stability and mutual aid?
Ryan, thank you for sharing this. I live in Seattle, and we're also putting our tech money into rural property, but would we'd be in the upper Midwest in a heartbeat if we could. Very true about hiding with the lights on. Black Friday doesn't bode well for what might come to pass in a more scarce future, but that's where smaller-scale, intentional community building can be protective (vs the random population of Black Friday sale shoppers). Great comparison though.
This is an excellent article, thank you. One thing concerns me though. All of these articles, groups, courses etc focus on household sustainability for people who have some land. Who can grow food, and share, and raise animals etc. But so many people live in apartments and in urban areas. The planet cannot sustain them moving to small towns and regions. I can't find anyone addressing this in a meaningful way. It seems to be a don't go there zone, maybe everyone just thinks that those people will succumb to gang warfare, poverty, degradation and death? I guess the advice is the same, collaboration and community building, sharing etc. But access to food, water and energy will be a real problem.
I don't have an answer for this but agree you raise a poignant and difficult question. I know the answer starts with community, but don't know how it translates into practical implementation beyond that. One consideration: urban populations have the lowest birth rates in the world, regardless of country / nationality / region. Mumbai's birth rate is already only 1.6 today -- far below replacement. It may be a problem that solves itself over time.
Many dense urban areas have developed community gardens in which individuals and families can have small plots where they grow vegetables and fruits. So far I haven’t heard of any community dairies or chicken coops.
That's true, but they're usually miniscule in comparison to population numbers around them. We have a long way to go, in terms of roof gardens, dense urban plantings, and high-tech food growing in urban areas.
Thank you Susan, a lot of good common-sense thinking. Esp. building neighbourhood strength.
I think one also has to consider the risky aspect to travel - all resources need to be locally accessible.
Finally the horrible issue to consider - if/how one protects one’s local resilient group: how “Open” can such a group be?
I agree on the point about travel, especially considering the fact that the weakening jet stream due to climate disruption will make long distance air travel much more dangerous and turbulent (as in, violent, life-threatening turbulence) than it is today.
Thank you for the practical tips. That point about even deca billionaires not being safe is what frustrates me the most. They may have bunkers but the ongoing investments in assets that are causing the climate crisis is reprehensible
Thanks for this episode Susan! Loved your history lesson. This is a important backdrop for us.
Excellent analysis. All of this has been top of mind for me as a retired baby boomer with a pension and a 401k. How best to help the thirty-something millennial kids and the two Gen Z granddaughters we are raising. Just forwarded to one of my sons who has been asking me what he should do with his crypto whatever (I don’t understand this at all) and his S & P. I said don’t sell the s&p but don’t know if that’s correct. This article lays it all out there. Grateful that it was forwarded to me and just subscribed!
It's so hard to know when to sell vs hold, and no mainstream financial advisors that I've researched or spoken with are accurately pricing in risk. None.
Equities and crypto are at high risk right now, so are currencies in the long run. Cash continues to lose its value even with the modest inflation we are experiencing today. So that leaves you with hard assets like land -- but only so long as contracts and rule of law is upheld.
As mentioned in this essay, there's nowhere to 'hide.' The only answer is to engage.
Insightful piece Susan. As an ex-climate tech entrepreneur who now writes about the Metacrisis because of the exact realization that there is no safe haven, I deeply resonate with a lot of what you have said here
So, the problem with this approach, as with all “investor” approaches, while obvious to me, in real world terms very disturbing and potentially dangerous, seems to have bypassed your awareness altogether.
Please, bare with me.
I think it’s fair to say that when investing in any productive business, the outlook is an attempt to extract value which itself is directly linked to shareholder”success. SS has been proven to lower wage growth for workers, undermining value over time (please consider what you are seeing of late), reducing quality in the long term, and, in the vast majority of cases, output.
So, while what we need it pure investment in climate changing technology with output to match, what your suggesting is investors should extract value from the very thing that might save us?
If, on the other hand, you suggest philanthropy to be a good moral and financial investment, especially considering the current plight of your fellow humans, then I applaud you.
Perhaps invest in putting the fires out?
Found myself constantly nodding along as I read this. Really enjoyed your writing.
I also believe that these productive-core-to-life assets could act as safe havens over the next decade or so.
I wrote about something similar recently in the Web3 space - the development of clean energy backed yield-bearing tokens - which can be resilient store of value in volatile times, whilst also accessible to all due to the fractionalisation of assets.
The project I case studied in that article also focuses on distributed mini solar farms providing localised energy. So there was a lot that resonated with me in your article.
This is a measured and pragmatic analysis Susan. Thank you for sharing this! We're in a critical time, and it's time to build. To take action. The worst thing we can do is hoard our assets.
Our focus is supporting the development of social innovators in essential verticals (food, water, climate, culture, education, health, housing).
We're finding that "traditional" entrepreneurship & innovation values, funding, and design processes don't allow us to meet the complexity of the moment. Have you seen this as well?
Let's continue building the life-rafts so we can flourish together in times of change!
The interest rate on a high yield savings account at my green bank (Forbright) were 4.25% and my old bank (American Express) was at 3.70% which makes switching easy. Climate-friendly choices don't mean compromising anymore. The tide is turning.
Can you elaborate on what makes Montenegro more climate-resilient?