The “Supply Chain Crisis” and Inflation Are Climate-Related: Tell the Truth and Act Accordingly
We must integrate actual reality into our public discourse and lay out the reasons we are here — and what it will take to ensure most human beings and other species survive
The photograph and news article on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle today (see below) surprised me in a good way, and also a very bad way. In a good way, because we need to start to tell the truth to one another — and the corporate news media has lagged on this by several crucial decades.
In a bad way, because, as someone who has been tracking climate science and species extinction (both within my personal experience and according to the respected and serious scientists, biologists, researchers and authors working on these issues), I always hope I am wrong about my predictions. I hope we have more time, far more time than I think. I hope there is something I am missing. That someone sensible and wise is in charge, somewhere. And hopefully, more than one “someone.”
The article in the Chronicle, above, mentioned climate change’s “impact on crops.” This is actually the very first time I have seen the corporate news media acknowledge that what is now commonly and relentlessly called our “supply chain” issue is also — even “largely” — a climate change issue.
I wrote about this extensively in my last Medium essay. But this effect of our ongoing climate emergency cannot be emphasized enough. As storms, droughts, floods, freezes, demon winds and fires impact crops, farms, extraction sites and factories, as well as transportation routes (imagine trying to get ships through the new, giant storms on the ocean), realistically, all this will only get worse and not better. In other words, there is no evidence in sight that this will get better within even the next decade at our current levels of near immobilization around global heating.
I fear that without truly understanding the predicament we are in, Americans in the US are going to blame the current adminstration for issues far beyond its control, and, which, frankly, the GOP has exacerbated through its cruel and relentless “denialism,” which has muddied the waters and prevented meaningful action for decades. We are now at a point in which exponential “feedback loops” of heating, releasing natural systems of CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHGs), have likely been triggered. Government (at all levels) and societal attention to these matters cannot be huge enough, cannot be focused enough, cannot be too soon. Already, this attention is lacking by many degrees of enormity and is, some would say, past too late. Nevertheless, we must pull ourselves together and face facts where we stand.
As a spiritual-psychological teacher and author, I’ve been speaking lately on global webinars in which there is some degree of hope in participants around how we might “turn this ship around.” Hope is good— and I am still, also, oddly hopeful — but realism is also crucial, and not “un-spiritual.”
If your child is running into oncoming traffic, it is not “unspiritual” to yell loudly and run out to grab them. One does not close one’s eyes, stop to meditate and say, “this is not happening.” Spirituality is not about denying reality itself. It is about responding to reality in the most loving and helpful way, the most courageous and least personally fearful, the least ego-centric way possible. If one’s ship is heading toward an iceberg, one must acknowledge this terrible fact to be able to respond with appropriate speed and right action. If the ship has already hit the iceberg, one might respond far differently. So, too, if your ship’s captain is drunk.
So, when I share these facts and the current global outlook, I do not mean to freak everyone out. But keeping our heads in the sand is surely not going to help. Being caught with our “pants down” or completely by surprise will likely lead to social panic and chaos as inflation rises and supplies — especially food supplies — continue to dwindle. If we understand what is coming our way, what is already upon us and why, we can be better prepared, psychologically, spiritually and physically.
So, How Do We Prepare?
Number One in my book: We cannot allow a truth-opposed, cruel and now authoritarian GOP back into power in 2022, nor in 2024 … and, I am hoping, never. (Ditto for European, Latin and other nations now facing neo-fascist or creeping authoritarian rule). This US party, heavily funded by the fossil fuel industry, has denied for decades that climate change is even real and has, until today, this very day, obstructed every even minimal attempt to tackle the problem — colluding with disinformation campaigns that demonize climate action and activists, shifting blame to China* (to block meaningful legislation here) and spreading terrible lies about a Marxist, communist or eco-fascist takeover of the US and, indeed, the world. This is pure distraction, to the point of sociopathy.
In the meantime, our homes and forests and wildlands are burning to ash from Hawaii to California, from Siberia to British Columbia, from Montana to Australia, from Greece to Turkey. Our rural, woodland towns are bursting into flames, and weather phenomena most of us have never heard of before (“heat domes,” “fire tornadoes,” “derechos” and “bomb cyclones”) descend upon us with increasing frequency.
It seems absurd to have to say this but: We cannot allow a party that is averse to acting on climate into power. The Democrats certainly do not get a free pass either. The entire neoliberal, globalist system is now questioned by, and under fire from most US Americans. Democrats must recognize this and respond. They must end any cozy, intimate relationships with so many corporate and financial bodies, including and especially fossil fuel companies. Yes, I am looking at you, Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer.
Desperate times demand not desperate, but radical, creative and inspired measures. We are now trying to save millions, even billions of human lives and the lives of millions of brother and sister species. We are, in short — and remarkably, outrageously — trying to save life on Earth. Thus, the GOP in its current tilting-fascist, climate-denialist form cannot win power again. The Democrats, and all leaders of any integrity, anywhere must lay out the facts of this crisis, the reasons why we are in this crisis — including GOP complicity and the “endless growth,” profit-driven (also heavily government subsidized) economy we live with. They must help the population to understand what they are already living through. This should not be terribly difficult! They and we, as citizens, residents and humans who rely on Mother Earth for life must engage to protect voting rights. We must end — or at the minimum, reform — the filibuster to do this. We must even add justices to the Supreme Court, where dark money-funded influencers have packed the Court with corporate and fossil fuel-industry-friendly justices. (See the extensive research, writings and speeches by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D. of Rhode Island.)
Second, we need to create domestic sustainability and local and regional sustainability in all things possible, especially food, power (from alternative energies), water and medicines. We must pressure our governments to do this, and we must do this in our own fashion, whether or not our governments (city, state, national) respond appropriately or not. Unfortunately, some Republicans, with the most recent example of Josh Hawley, in his Op Ed in the New York Times, are trying to take the lead on this issue (bringing manufacturing back to the States) because it worked for Trump, and working class voters agree.
Without mentioning that off-the-rails neoliberalism and free market insanity began, actually, with Ronald Reagan, Hawley is, of course, blaming the Democrats and setting himself up for some kind of run, perhaps on the Presidency. But the “Left” has been speaking to this since before major global trade agreements were hammered out — indeed, Leftist activists risked arrest and their lives to try to stop such deals. And the “Occupy Movement” drew global attention to the bleak disparities, the concentrations of power and wealth neoliberalism created. Democrats should acknowledge all this and act accordingly. This means, they must clean their own house.
The Progressive Caucus of the Democrats has the most integrity on this issue and this issue MUST LEAD, along with taxing the wealthy and providing social services and green jobs as per Build Back Better (which also must pass) — all of which are, unsurprisingly, very popular with beleaguered and frustrated Americans across party lines. Both Republicans (who have never pretended not to be pro-corporate) and corporate Democrats are the problem now, at a time when we do not have an inch of wiggle room for greed, nor clinging to the status quo. It is a time to let go: of old ways, of power, position, privilege and, yes, even money, because, in the end, as the climate activist group Extinction Rebellion (XR) likes to say: You cannot eat money.
If the wealthy still believe they can move to Mars or live in bunkers or in gated compounds in Montana, well, Mother Nature will be schooling them soon enough. As they say, you cannot fool Her. But it would be far, far better if the very wealth and very powerful recognized sooner, as in today, that we are in this boat together. A time of reckoning is upon us. Reckonings are good and lead to personal expansion, compassion, right action, love and true freedom. Welcome the reckoning!
What Else Can Be Done?
Besides speaking truth and preparing our populations for change, for possible scarcity and sacrifice, we can act for the good. There are plenty of excellent, if un-scaled solutions out there — including, IMHO, large scale Regenerative Agriculture, as featured in the Netflix documentary, “Kiss the Ground.” Ending deforestation (not in nine years, but now), planting trees in a smart, sustainable way, and rewilding for habitat where appropriate (and with speed) are all very good things to do for many reasons. But fanciful daydreams of white, Western environmentalists, as an XR friend of mine commented: “like raising chickens, and having Permaculture gardens everywhere … are not going to feed 8 billion people.”
Thus, I would ask all readers and especially policy makers to read the clear-eyed, recent essays of Professor Jem Bendell on his WordPress blog — now compiled into an overarching manifesto of sorts, titled “The Real Green Revolution.” Bendell is known for his compassionate realism and his now viral “Deep Adaptation” paper and global forum. As a former corporate sustainablity consultant and current academic, Bendell is far more well researched than I on our current predicament and what we must now do at international levels. He is also not afraid to take on “sacred cows” in any direction. To inadequately sum, according to Bendell: We must secure food and shipping where we can for people, not profits. We must attempt to save the Arctic regions from melting entirely using technologies currently available. We will, overall, need to use some technologies, wisely. We will need to turn to the powers of Mother Earth too. We may need to help trees to “migrate.” We need to change our monetary systems and money. We need, most of all, to address root causes within all our systems and not simply hope these systems will change. Bendell covers all this and much more. I cannot do this writing and its broad scope justice here. Please just read it yourself.
This essay, here, in a way, is my last attempt, as your Chicken Little, to move the dial on our comprehension of, and, ideally, sane and humane response to the climate and extinction crises as they now stand. (And they are moving quickly!) If you agree with what is written, I would ask you to please share this essay with policymakers, with your local officials — anyone who could possibly make a positive difference.
Until today, as more of us experience, first hand, the wide ranging catastrophe moving toward us, perhaps we have a shot at the kind of momentum, messaging and leadership we need to prevent the worst effects of the climate crisis and even to create positive effects, beautiful, heartfelt responses, healthy and humane new ways of living, growing food, trading, protecting resources and honoring one another.
As yet, we have simply not seen the political will for change and we have been blocked and hamstrung by the fossil fuel industry and other industries hell-bent — whether consciously or not — on making a profit at the expense of life on earth.
In the end, though, political will is actually you and me. When our leaders do not lead, the people MUST begin to lead. This is already happening in the global youth climate strikes and climate movement, in increasingly powerful indigenous movements, and more. So, I ask you, too, to become engaged and do what you can. Support indigenous movements for justice, sovereignty, for #landback, to protect water and stop pipelines and man camps.
Support climate justice efforts to cease pollution of POC communities and impacts on nations of the Global South. Support Regenerative Agriculture programs in your area, or nationally. Support sane Democrats or independents or progressives. Support an overall shift in our culture. Build resiliency and community around food and essentials in your city. Meet with council members and local representatives. Speak up.
Understand that the consumerism of the “West” or Global North has impacted less developed nations and that we must provide the support these nations will need to feed their populations. Understand that migration will only increase, and mostly because of our own actions — as settler-colonists, imperialists and as hugely consuming nations. We must resist the temptation to blame those who are not to blame. We must find a sense of compassion, abundance and sharing even in the midst of scarcity, shortage and “supply chain disruption.”
In the end, we can only “win” this, this effort to save Earth and her creatures, together.
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*What about China? is the latest in GOP obfuscation, denialism and delay. China still emits less CO2 per capita than the US. We have also “offshored” much of our carbon emissions, of course, to China through shifting manufacturing there.
Resources:
My work: www.AmiChen.com and see essay link below on “What to Do About the Climate Crisis”
Jem Bendell at WordPress and a “Real Green Revolution” … the immediate systems and fixes we need right now to pursue a path of least harm
Soil Health Institute — promoting Regenerative Agriculture in the “heartland” and beyond
People’s Action — engaged in listening, dialogues and GOTV efforts with people on all sides of the political spectrum.
SURJ — Showing Up for Racial Justice, actions for white people to support racial justice in elections and elsewhere in the US
Get out the Blue Vote:
Common Earth — a global organization combining spirituality, psychology and personal resilience with climate science, systems theory and a community in action. Registration is free. New courses beginning in January of 2022.
Please comment below if you seek other sorts of actions to engage in, or have questions or additions.
