Introduction to Job One for Humanity, an Honest and Effective Climate Re-stabilization Plan for the Planet
The four major strategic parts of the Job One for Humanity climate re-stabilization plan are found below and off of links at the bottom of each major part the Job One Plan. This climate re-stabilization plan is designed to help re-stabilize the climate by effectively confronting and dealing with the growing possibility of extinction-level climate destabilization and it's catastrophic social, financial, environmental and political precursor consequences. (Extinction level here is defined as the projected potential extinction of approximately half or more of the species on earth and most [60-90%,] if not all, of humanity. Irreversible climate destabilization whenever used, is defined as severe climate destabilization consequences that could take hundreds or even thousands of years to correct or re-balance or never correct or re-balance.)
The Job One for Humanity climate re-stabilization plan is presented in a no nonsense, frank manner that can be as unsettling as the climate destabilization issue it addresses. This plan was derived from the most current data and then analyzing it from a meta-perspective using the tools of logic, systems thinking, and dialectical meta-systemic thinking.
This plan is not forever fixed. It will evolve as new science on the tipping points and the complex processes of climate destabilization becomes available.
The Job One for Humanity plan below also contains what our research has shown to be the most effective, systemic climate re-stabilization steps arranged in priority of importance (and in some areas achievability,) to help prepare for, adapt to and mitigate the escalating climate destabilization that we are now all witnessing. Anyone from any walk of life or age group (even teens and the elderly,) can find something in the plan below that they can do to contribute to helping achieve climate re-stabilization.
Before you actually begin any individual Job One for Humanity program step listed below we suggest that that you first:
1.) view two recommended 10-minute climate destabilization videos. Click here to do so now. (These videos technically explain in detail the unfolding climate destabilization, some of its key tipping points and why executing the Job One for Humanity plan below is urgently needed. Click here now for these two videos half way down the page.)
2.) If you liked the other two videos consider also watching this new 17 minute video called "Climate Change Made Simple" so you can talk about the basics of issues with anyone. Click here to watch this new June 2012 TedX talk video.
3.) Read all of the steps of whole Job One for Humanity plan. Then select the most important critical path step where you truly believe that you can have the greatest real influence and/or where you are most qualified. Do not waste time and energy on areas where you and your knowledge and skill can make no significant difference. The climate destabilization tipping point deadlines are already here or coming soon and we simply do not have the luxury to fight useless, low result or off critical path battles.
It is now time to take a candid look at the current state of the climate in the following section. Do this before you actually begin any of the steps of the Job One for Humanity program below.
A Not so Happy Candid Discussion and Summary of the Current State of Global Climate Destabilization
"There should be no denial surrounding the facts about the escalating climate destabilization caused by global warming due to the burning of fossil fuels. Unfortunately, even in the climate re-stabilization community there is still denial of just how bad it is. Lawrence Wollersheim
"The worst case projections for global warming may be the most likely, according to an analysis from scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)."
There is no way to deny it no matter how much we would like a more hopeful picture! We are not winning the global warming climate destabilization battle! Cataclysmic climate destabilization is already here and the remaining climate battle now is to try to avert an irreversible or a mass extinction-level of global climate destabilization. We are so close to going over the tipping points of the next climate cliff that some researchers feel we have already done so!
In spite of 30 years of warnings and education by scientists, the environmental movement and media exposure to an increasing body of compelling scientific evidence (now agreed to by 84% of the scientists qualified in climate science,) carbon pollution of the atmosphere has not slowed or even leveled off. It has increased! To make things worse it has not increased in a gradual manner.
Leading climate scientists like James Hansen say that we would remain safe if carbon in the atmosphere did not go over 350 parts per million (ppm). As of August 2012, carbon ppm was at near 400 ppm and was increasing at about 2 -3 ppm plus per year in a non-linear and accelerating exponential progression (imagine a rapidly rising and steepening carbon ppm graph curve.) If you include methane and other pollutants, the adjusted carbon ppm is more near 430 ppm currently.
If we include methane we will be at carbon 450 ppm in 10 years or less.
To put this in perspective from 1850 to about 1950 carbon pollution was steady at about a 1 ppm per year increase. From 1950 to 2000 it rose to 2 ppm per year and now it is exponentially rising rapidly towards 3 ppm per year in just a few more years. (If carbon continues to rise exponentially and virtually unchecked as it appears it will, some post 2025 predictions project carbon increasing to a possible additional 4 -6 ppm per year.)
Based on carbon ppm levels already in the system and reaching the 450 mark, this means that a two degree Celsius global temperature increase (4 degrees Fahrenheit,) is already an inescapable reality. One factor seldom considered in the public's awareness of the climate destabilization challenges is the climate momentum factor also relating to why we will reach the carbon 450 mark with certainty. (Price Cooper Waterhouse [an international accounting firm,] did the disheartening temperature calculations in late 2012 and said it is virtually assured we will hit 2 degrees Celsius and that we would probably hit six degrees Celsius.)
Here is how it works. Greenhouse heat that is also trapped in the oceans and elsewhere besides the atmosphere from past carbon pollution has an estimated 40-80 year period of dissipation. This means that our climate warming has a 40-80 year momentum behind it. In other words, if we found a way to stop 100% of all current carbon pollution today our climate's temperature would have to deal with the heat dissipation momentum of the last 40-80 years before the climate temperature would fully stabilize. This also means that at whatever point in time we finally do radically reduce carbon pollution of the atmosphere we will then have this same climate momentum monster to deal with, but it will be worse because of the additional carbon we have added to the atmosphere in the time from now to that later point. Unfortunately, it gets worse, much worse!
It is also highly probable that because of our denial in facing the looming climate cliff and the danger of this problem as well as the physical time lags in developing and the widespread deployment of new green energy technology (25-35 years,) to correct or diminish it (once we do pass enforceable international laws making large scale carbon pollution of the atmosphere a crime,) that carbon will also rise rapidly to carbon 550 ppm, which translates to a 3-4 degree Celsius increase (6-8 degrees Fahrenheit,) in global temperature.
Making this recipe for mega-disaster even worse, new research indicates that for every degree of Celsius temperature increase global food production will drop 10% while the human population continues to soar toward 8 billion. Climate scientists who are normally guarded in their language call a 4 degree Celsius increase (6-8 degrees Fahrenheit,) "hell on Earth."
If climate destabilization proceeds to the levels currently being predicted, over time it will eventually cost the global society thousands of trillions of dollars in crisis recovery as well as soaring insurance rates, massive real estate depreciation and massive infra-structure losses --- not even taking into account the vast amount of human suffering and death. The Stern Review estimated that the costs of catastrophic climate destabilization will grow to consume as much as 5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP,) of every nation on earth --- and that is not even at climate destabilization's (CCD's) worse latter stages!
Right now most of the nations on earth are struggling with over indebtedness and their economies are in trouble with anemic annual growth. How will they ever remain financially viable, stable or even in existence if another 5% or more of their total GDP is drained off each year into the continually escalating costs of climate destabilization?
Catastrophic climate destabilization is already here BIG TIME and it's storms, flooding, wildfires, heat waves, migrating insect infestations and droughts will continue increasing in scale, severity and frequency. The real battle now lies in how to keep from going off the climate cliff and keeping climate destabilization from becoming irreversible or a humanity extinction level event where human-caused carbon pollution levels in the atmosphere pushes the global temperature increases to 5-6 degrees Celsius (8-12 degrees Fahrenheit,) and beyond...
Current efforts at establishing enforceable international laws for reversing climate destabilization have resulted in dismal failure. After many years and over a dozen major meetings the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is largely impotent and shows little hope as it is currently progressing to ever be able to deal with the critical path climate destabilization time lines and tipping points.
Cap and Trade laws, which are not the right laws we need anyway, (fee and dividend are the correct new laws,) have only been passed in one U.S. state (California,) and according to leading experts like James Hansen these fossil fuel industry lobbyist watered down ineffective Cap and Trade laws will not save us from catastrophic and irreversible climate destabilization in time. and there is more...
The Perfect Storm of the Unknown Climate Tipping Points
The two most dangerous facts about the climate:
1.) Current climate science on many of the critical climate tipping points is grossly incomplete and underfunded.
2.) Climate systems are complex adaptive systems and complex adaptive systems have tipping points. Those tipping points can cause sudden, unpredictable and severe changes and collapses. In complex adaptive systems tipping points and small changes in the master climate system or in its sub systems can unpredictably whipsaw into each other and into the master climate system and produce unexpected massive changes. (If you do not understand the basics of complex adaptive systems and their unpredictability we strongly recommend that you click this complex adaptive systems link because understanding the climate as a complex system and its tipping point paradoxes will be greatly aided and simplified.)
This complex adaptive system tipping point unpredictableness factor is critical because unfortunately as climate research stands now, no one can currently say with any degree accuracy at what point does our atmospheric carbon pollution experiment cross the final tipping points of irreversible or extinction-level climate destabilization. No one can tell us what exact carbon pollution level or climate system temperature tipping point or other action will do it --- or even worse, if we have already gone off that climate cliff and crossed that final climate tipping point of irreversibility. (To get up to speed on the specific tipping points of the climate and its subsystems watch a 10 minute video that graphically explains many tipping points by clicking here and go to the section half way down the page.) Unbelievably, with it's many still unknown climate tipping points, this makes human-caused carbon pollution of the atmosphere the single most dangerous and destructive blind experiment and looming disaster in all of human history.
As an example of the un-researched or incomplete tipping point research problem and dilemma take the example of our current best science computer models for when the Northwest Passage above Canada and Russia will be ice free during the summers. In 2007 they predicted this would not happen until 2035 to 2050. Now just a few years later based on the current escalating warming they now predict that in 2015-2020 the Northwest Passage will be completely ice free during the summers.
This means in just 7 years our best-science predictions had to be corrected by 30-35 years over a 43 year total prediction period. This means the best time predictions of 2007 were 60-70 percent off.
What is really scary about this is what if many of the other time predictions of climate destabilization made the 2007 IPPC report are also off by 60-70% because of lack of tipping point research? What if what the IPPC is predicting in 2100 will actually happen in 2040 or 2050? What if the level of storms, flooding, wildfires, heat waves, migrating insect infestations and droughts of increasing exponential scale, severity and frequency that were predicted for 2060-2080 started arriving from 2020-2040?
Can we really trust any temperature increase or sea level rise predictions and timetables in any meaningful way until far more climate system and sub-system research is done? And most importantly, what does this new absence of adequate, comprehensive and truly accurate climate tipping point research mean to our current strategies and timetables for preparing for and dealing with catastrophic climate destabilization? Are we now using just slightly better than sketchily informed and woefully inadequate current climate prediction timeframes? (Read about the major climate system and sub-system tipping points that are not adequately researched and often missing in comprehensive and accurate detail from many of our climate temperature and sea level rise prediction calculations by clicking here.)
Now add to this new research by climate scientists that the Earth's climate is capable of major average temperature changes over large and small areas in much shorter time than ever imagined. First they thought major average temperature changes took thousands of years, then centuries now there is new research to show that in just decades average temperature can change can be significant. (New research has show that in the past the average temperature over the Greenland area increased 7 degrees Celsius (about 12-14 degrees Fahrenheit,) in just 2-5 decades. What if we cross one of the big climate tipping points unknowingly? We could be in radical temperature change before there is any time to adapt to it for the majority of the human population.
All of the above tipping point data makes the incompletely researched climate tipping situation the perfect scenario for the Perfect Climate Storm that can quickly lead us over the climate cliff to irreversible climate destabilization and extinction level collapse. Not knowing or ignoring these climate tipping points issues and their potentially drastic and rapid consequences is a risk we REALLY do not want to take! (If you have not seen this 9 minute climate destabilization risk analysis video, do so now so that you fully understand why we must act now and collectively and how we can be smarter in managing the blind climate experiment that we are all unknowingly participating in. This video and its earlier version have had millions of views in spite of its sometimes comical presentation of such a serious issue.)
The Perfect Storm of Perfect Storms
"You cannot be called an alarmist if there really is something to be alarmed about." Unknown
As if the unknown tipping points of climate destabilization are not enough of a perfect storm. There is another larger, more dangerous “perfect storm of perfect storms” coming into being in the not too distant future. This perfect storm of perfect storms occurs because as the global climate destabilizes --- it destabilizes the global economy. As the global economy destabilizes it destabilizes the political landscape of functioning nations. As the climate, the global economy and the political landscape of functioning nations destabilize it destabilizes all of the various societies (individuals, businesses, organizations etc.)
The first perfect storm of unknown climate tipping points not only whip saws all of our current global challenges such as population, poverty, national and regional conflicts and instabilities, economic instabilities etc into each other, it can also make them individually much worse and it inject them with steroids. Collectively environmental collapse, a failing global economy and failing nations all whip sawing off of each other with all kinds of unexpected negative consequences due to the usually unseen interconnections and interdependencies of our complex societies will make our current global challenges (when viewed as a whole complex adaptive system,) worse, far, far worse then they are now!
We are already struggling with serious global economic problems. We already have many failed and minimally functional nations. In those existing failed nations economic and social struggle and breakdown are already common. Now just imagine what will happen to exacerbate our global economic, political and other social problems, once those problems have been first further destabilized and then amplified by the escalating climate destabilization…
What also makes this perfect storm of perfect storms worse yet is that evolution on this planet has not proceeded to the point where there is a unified management or single government with the power of enforcement (when needed,) to align the self-interests of the many parties that must work together if there is any hope of avoiding irreversible or extinction level climate destabilization. The very worst news is that due to our evolutionary immaturity as a species a unified global management with enforcement powers is not anywhere on the near horizon to come to our rescue.
With escalating climate destabilization we have fully entered into an age of destructive creation, retrogression and global meta-crisis far beyond the management capabilities of our fractionalized and nationalized self-interests. How soon will this all begin you wonder?
It has already begun!
Unfortunately, our well-intentioned leaders either haven’t seen the pattern of a whole, interconnected complex adaptive system headed for a sudden and hard to predict collapse or, they refuse to see that this process has already begun. From now until we reach carbon 450 ppm somewhere around 2020 (which creates an eventual 4 degree temperature increase,) up through the decades of 2030 to 2050 we may very likely all be watching the “perfect storm of perfect storms” building and unfolding across our planet.
Too many of our leaders and intelligence agencies are ignoring the unknown climate tipping point factors and the recent, horribly-failed summer Arctic ice coverage predictions hoping that either “climate destabilization really won’t get that bad until the second half of the 21st century or that we (the generations alive now,) still have lots of time or can adapt to it.”
We in this organization believe that because of the vast amount of missing tipping point research and our still incomplete understanding of the elements and subsystems of the climate as a complex adaptive system one should adjust the time occurring and severity of consequences predictions of the 2007 IPPC report by 50-70% to the negative. This adjustment does not even consider how the IPPC report was most certainly politicized and watered down because of all of the nations and individuals who had to sign off on it before it could be released.
While when it will come will most likely surprise us, how it will come is much better established. Global warming and climate destabilization will proceed irregularly. Some places will actually get colder as most of the planet warms. Weather will be more unpredictable as it worst effects increase in severity, scale and frequency. As major and minor climate tipping points are crossed there will be sudden and steep spurts and jerks of alternating and non alternating negative weather consequences increasing in severity, scale and frequency like floods, droughts, heat waves, wild fires, super storms, seasons that do not seam like their normal seasons any more such as monsoons that are too short, winters that last too long or springs that come too early or winters or monsoons whose snow and moisture runs off long before it can be captured for spring and summer use etc. If left unchecked, then eventually the exponential growth of carbon pollution in the atmosphere will cause our dynamic climate system equilibrium of glacial periods and non glacial periods that has oscillated predictably within a stable range for hundreds of thousands of years to destabilize and collapse.
Destructive Creation and the Possible Opportunity of Climate Destabilization
After all of this bad news about the climate is there a silver lining? They say "great catastrophe holds equally great opportunity."
Many individuals who have survived great catastrophes and collapses have said that the catastrophe or collapse gave them the chance to see aspects of our world that both society and themselves had hid behind veils of denial. They also said the catastrophe or collapse gave them the opportunity to change, restructure, realign and to take responsibility for what they had finally discovered behind the veil of denial. Historically great catastrophe or a collapse often precedes a period of great renewal, advancement and growth. For example, the Black Death and the Dark Ages preceded the great advances of the Enlightenment Age of human history.
If climate destabilization continues to escalate unchecked in any meaningful or remedial way appropriate to the threat level that exists now, climate destabilization will most certainly bring about its own kind of cleansing super storms, Black Death and Dark Ages period that we can only hope will teach humanity the lessons it needs to learn in order to bring about a new re-structured, realigned and more enlightened and sustainable global order and way of living for all.
And finally...
as if all the above was not more than one can bear, the nongovernmental environmental movement, which originally broke this issue has not in any well-coordinated way made irreversible or extinction-level climate destabilization the keystone environmental issue of our time and of all environmental groups. It is after all, the single issue upon which almost all other environmental issues will depend, be determined or be severely to significantly impacted. In spite of all of the worthy work that the environmental movement is doing in other non-climate areas, it cannot seem get it's coordinated act together on this keystone issue of global warming and climate destabilization the Job One for all Humanity for our time.
So now it is time to be honest with ourselves. The battle against stopping the rise of climate destabilization has been resoundingly lost and we are now in a planetary state of emergency. It is now time to start the second battle of the climate war, which is --- preparing for and trying to lessen it --- in order to lessen the suffering and save as many people as possible!
The Likely Future: Prepare, Adapt and Where Still Possible Mitigate to Slow Down the Consequences
Human history has resoundingly demonstrated that people, businesses and nations do not normally make the kind of major and costly changes needed until "the pain of going forward is less than the pain of where they are." In spite of political rhetoric to the contrary, this implies that until the climate destabilization crisis becomes far, far worse than hurricane Sandy was, (which will cost the U.S. in excess of 100 billion dollars,) it is unlikely that much if any effective national or international climate stabilization actions will be taken and, by that time, because of new tipping points being crossed, it could easily be too late to avert irreversible or extinction-level climate destabilization. Unless there is a real miracle, it is not likely that the world's politicians will do anything substantive until we start having regular climate destabilization mega-disasters each costing somewhere in the range of 1/4 to 1/2 trillion dollars each.
This likely ongoing failure to act collectively with enforceable international laws also implies that we need to prepare for and adapt to these worsening climate conditions now, while doing what we can to adapt to and help mitigate (lessen,) the effects of the rapidly escalating climate destabilization already upon us and finally, to do whatever we can to insure as many of us as possible survive after that.
"We need to understand that the stability of our global climate is the essential and conditioning "game board" upon which all life and all of life's games and goals are played. If this master conditioning game board of life is destabilized, it will destabilize all of our other sub-game boards (our current economic, social and political games.) Not many people really get that almost everything that they are currently doing within their personal, business and political lives will become increasingly destabilized as their local climate destabilizes and their local support systems collapse as the global climate and master "game board" becomes more destabilized.
We need to begin thinking about irreversible climate destabilization like a slow-moving, but still game-ending asteroid that is on an near irreversible extinction event level collision course with Earth. When you finally get this, you will begin to understand the seriousness of why we must prepare ourselves now and then act to immediately try to lessen the escalating cataclysmic climate destabilization that is already upon us." Lawrence Wollersheim
(Recommended new video Jan 10,2013 : Two leading evolutionaries Michael Dowd and Connie Barlow just made a new climate destabilization video with the latest information and summary of the most recent data. It is worse than what you have just read and it is now coming from very conservative organizations like the World bank and the Natural Resource Council. The Natural Resource Council supplies its reports to the American intelligence agencies. Click here to view this new video called Climate Change and Intergenerational Evil.
"We will either have to live and party like there is no tomorrow or we will have to work collectively to keep from going off the climate cliff into irreversible climate destabilization." A comment from an young adult who has studied the challenge.
Maybe we should do both? What do you think?
At this point you are probably wondering what can you do to help or how soon will the worst of catastrophic or irreversible climate destabilization occur? You will have to read the tipping point linked research and other Job One for Humanity Parts linked farther down this page for that information. Also, if your feeling a little overwhelmed or that maintaining hope is challenging considering the current state of affairs do not be discouraged just yet. The Job One plan steps as well as the Job One Conclusion (Part 5 linked below,) will give you many reasons to keep hopeful as together we work though the challenge of the climate cliff.
The Job One for Humanity Climate Re-stabilization Plan to Prevent Going of the Climate Cliff into Extinction-Level Global Climate Destabilization
The Job One plan steps found below and on the following pages deal with the three most critical areas of needed change for resolving the climate destabilization challenge. They are meant to encompass a total systemic approach to resolving climate destabilization permanently.
The three most critical areas for the needed changes are:
a.) plan steps that hold back, slow down or repair the escalating climate destabilization damage.
b.) plan steps that build new structures, policies and institutions. And lastly,
c.) plan steps that deeply change the hearts and minds of each of us so that there is a true shift in consciousness and worldview. In this step of deep personal evolution, failure to complete the Job One for Humanity plan becomes no longer an option.
The three critical plan areas above are not enacted sequential, but are meant to go on simultaneously. As you read the following Job One plan steps and sub-steps you might want to ask your self occasionally, which particular change area is this particular step addressing.
Part 1 of Job One for Humanity, The Eight Key Steps for Acting Locally and Getting Prepared: (Things you can actually influence locally and actually do with a high degree of momentum building success.)
Step 1.) Recognize we are in a state of planetary wide climate destabilization emergency.
Let others know in your networks about this declaration
of planetary climate emergency document so that they are
aware of it too. Part of recognizing we are in a state of
emergency is knowing the facts about how bad it can get if we do
not fix this challenge now. If you are still a bit uncertain about the
many types of suffering and system collapses leading up to and
including the near and/or full extinction of humanity first get
the book called read Six
Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet
Also for more of the hard science causing climate destabilization read Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth About the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity, by James Hansen. (Farther down this page you will find the three most important emergency actions needed to be taken to deal with escalating climate destabilization. They are in the sections that call for an emergency meeting of the world's leaders to establish enforceable international laws on atmospheric carbon pollution, the section to establish additional research and funding for determining all of the critical tipping points of global climate destabilization and the section dealing with getting carbon in the atmosphere back to 350 parts per million (ppm.) Other sections in the Job One plan below are less important to the declared the state of emergency and, can be done on a non-emergency basis.)
If you have not do so already view our two highly recommended 10-minute climate destabilization videos. Click here to do so now. (These videos technically explain in detail the basics of the unfolding climate destabilization, some of its key tipping points and why executing the Job One for Humanity plan below is urgently needed. The second video is an rational analysis of the risk and how that risk can be managed. Click here now for these two videos half way down the page.)
Step 2.) Change your local climate conversation, framing and dialog to the new climate language and do your part to change the public awareness of this crisis!
Here is how. Stop using the terms global warming and climate change. Use only climate cliff, climate destabilization, catastrophic climate destabilization, irreversible climate destabilization and extinction-level climate destabilization! Here's Why?
Use these new climate related terms in every climate conversation and watch how the conversation evolves to a richer more informative and transformative process when you do. Please encourage your friends and local non-profit organizations to do the same in their conversations as well.
Keep in mind that accurate fear is not a bad thing. It is an evolutionary mechanism used to mobilize the resources of the body to better resolve the real threat of accurate fears.
Climate destabilization is an accurate and real fear that should be profusely and openly discussed everywhere. The fear and discomfort people will feel in these conversations is also a good thing because in most people it will result in some actions being taken once again to remove the fear. This is not something we can ignore. Climate destabilization is a real and accurate fear containing such a magnitude of looming destruction and suffering that if we do nothing, then going through the 5 steps of grief once you really get how bad it is --- is a normal, healthy and necessary experience if we are going to make it though this threat to the whole planet.
Step 3: Get Your "Plan B" in Order by Building Resilience into our Local Support Systems by Preparing Your Family, Business and Community for the Catastrophic Climate Destabilization (CCD,) that is Rapidly Increasing in Scale, Frequency and Severity
There is absolutely no guarantee that humanity will collectively respond in time to irreversible or extinction level catastrophic climate destabilization successfully. If fact, because we have not yet reached the 1/4 to 1/2 trillion dollar climate calamity level yet and there is not enough global climate destabilization understanding, population and government solution consensus, and enforceable international laws with too little time to make AND ADAPT to too large of global energy supply system changes. Consequently, there is a good to high probability that we will pass through and beyond the most critical climate destabilization tipping points.
Many wise individuals could argue historically, rationally and convincingly that humanity will not respond to this growing climate crisis until it is simply too late or until the suffering and pain of climate destabilization is so horribly severe that many of us will simply not make it to enjoy its eventual solution. History is overflowing with examples of individuals, businesses and nations that seldom change their behavior until the pain of going forward with the needed changes is much less than the pain of staying where they are.
In biology it is common knowledge that 99.999 percent of every species that has ever lived on earth has also gone extinct. These long and shorter historic patterns also imply that the global and national suffering from Climate Destabilization will have to become much, much worse before the collective motivation and demand to change it will occur --- and once again, by that time we may have already crossed the critical tipping points condemning humanity to hundreds if not thousands of years of suffering, death, social, economic and political instability or even extinction.
Additionally, no government or charity will be able to respond to the ever-increasing demand for more emergency resources and services as the costs and other consequences of catastrophic climate destabilization increase in frequency, scale and severity with each degree of temperature increase. In the future individuals and businesses will need to have their own emergency plans and resources already in place or they will be like many of the hurricane Sandy victims waiting endlessly without power, heat, food and medicines until someone finally found them and helped them.
The basic wisdom of this Plan B Step of "Get Prepared for Climate Destabilization" of the Job One for Humanity plan is simple. First, because it does not look like we will make the massive energy system, international law and lifestyle changes in time prepare "you and yours" for the worst. Then forget about those preparations and work your butt off to create the best possible outcomes in this toughest test in all of human evolution.
Here is what you can do to create your "Plan B" now so that you can care for yourself and help build greater resilience into our needed systems:
Step A.) Store the necessary personal, community and national climate emergency supplies. While we still have time before the next climate destabilization wave, because of the information in the before mentioned state of the climate summary practical wisdom indicates that one should first prepare one's family, business and nation for the anticipated increasing disruptions in resource supply and resource distribution as well as the economic, social and political turmoil that will result as catastrophic climate destabilization steadily worsens.
This means building more resilience into your existing personal, community and national systems to hope to survive escalating climate destabilization until we manage it. To add personal resilience create at least a 30-day reserve supply (60-90 days would be much better as things get worse,) of all necessary survival commodities (food, water, heat, energy, lights, communication devices, medicines, self defense etc,) and create a family, business and community catastrophic climate destabilization crisis mobility and migration to a safer place plan. Do this now so that you and your loved ones will not be trapped, suffer unnecessarily or be unprepared as climate destabilization continues to worsen in scale, severity and frequency before it hopefully starts getting fixed.
At the community, business and national level building more resilience means building emergency and non-emergency reserves for the many consequence faces of escalating climate destabilization. Additionally communities and states need to start planning now for how building and zoning codes must evolve to lessen and adapt to the effects of climate destabilization. Part of this preparation step at the community and national level is to give the population far more information on local and projected climate tipping point time tables and expected consequences as well and more information on escalating adaption strategies. Without carefully planned resilience and backups built into every level of our interconnected and interdependent essential systems there will be far too much unnecessary suffering.
Step B.) Start Creating a 5% -10% cash reserve. As catastrophic climate destabilization worsens towards irreversible or extinction level climate destabilization hundreds of millions of people (eventually billions if the most critical climate tipping points are crossed,) will also need to and begin to migrate closer toward the poles to eat and live. No current government, charity or corporation is even remotely prepared for these massive human migrations and the unbearable economic, political and social crisis and stresses that they will cause at every systemic level of our planetary existence. So, you personally must be individually responsible and prepare for these things well in advance for both yourself and your community. This minimal 5%- 10% personal and community cash reserve will help you cope with the many unexpected and unpredictable consequences as our local systems begin collapsing and you must adapt quickly or move.
To survive what is coming if we remain on our current course, all communities and governments will immediately need to work up to putting at least 5% -10 % of their total GDP into reserves each year if they hope to stay politically and financially stable while coping with the rapidly escalating costs of catastrophic climate destabilization. (See Stern Review 5% of GDP climate destabilization cost estimates.) Because no community or government will be able to keep up with the continually rising costs of climate destabilization, businesses must also create similar 5%- 10% reserves to help them cope with all the anticipated supply, manufacturing, distribution and labor disruptions. (If you are a individual, business, community or nation loaded with debt, we strongly recommend that you also reduce that debt as soon and as much as possible. Having lots of debt in a crisis is likely to make you or your organization far less adaptable. What is most needed will be high liquidity and flexibility.)
Individual families must also create the same 5%-10% emergency reserves for the same reasons and particularly if those families are in a river or lake flood plain, near a coast, in a wild fire or drought zone or in known severe storm areas. Rebuilding, repair, dramatically increasing food and insurance costs, emergency housing, temporary or permanent emergency transportation or migration costs out of crisis zones, losses in real estate and farmland values, etc, will rapidly consume these survival-essential 5% -10% reserves as the climate passes through new critical tipping points. (If you have trouble saving money get the book, "Your Money or Your Life.")
Step C.) Individuals, businesses, communities and nations start planning on how you will adapt and/or move your resources and infrastructure to compensate for the rising temperatures, floods, droughts, wildfires, new diseases, insect infestations, season changes and distortions and severe storm and weather pattern changes.
Business planners, city Planners and long term planners of all kinds need to begin immediately using the least optimistic best predictions that we have on how the climate destabilization will unfold. The amount of adaption work needed to be done and the small amount of time relevant to difficulty of the changes needed to be made makes this step a logistical imperative.
Step D.) As much as it is possible in worsening conditions, find ways to really enjoy your life now and take one day at a time! Take time to do and experience things you may have delayed. Take time for cultivating and enjoying your relationships. Things may be the best right now that they will ever be for quite a while (as we move into worsening climate destabilization and the havoc it will wreck on all of our global ecological, economic, political and social systems possibly for hundreds to thousands of years.)
The importance of taking one day at a time and doing whatever you can do each day to contribute anything toward the solution of climate destabilization is in part because the scope of the task before us is near overwhelming. If one really understands the scope of how much as to change in major and significant ways in our lifestyles and livelihoods and systems on a global basis in a very small amount of time one can get overwhelmed very quickly and despair. That is why the one day at a time attitude and focus is so important. (Some sustainability advocates who have extensively studied the scope of our climate destabilization challenge have found themselves having to use the tools of the 5 stages of death to finally help get themselves out of the deep existential species despair and fear they often fall into. When the finally get through the steps to acceptance they can once again enjoy their lives each day while taking one day and a time and continuing to make whatever daily contribution they can make to help mitigate the extinction level challenge we all face.)
Step E.) At some point start working on your long term 20-60 year family, business and national infrastructure and community migration plan. At the worse climate destabilization projections of an average temperature increases of 12 degrees Fahrenheit a long term migration planning is a must. You can stagger this migration plan to meet the speed of the global temperature increases, sea rise and the increase in severity, scale and frequency of consequences as they occur in your particular area. If you live in equatorial countries or the southern latitudes head toward Canada, Russia and the Scandinavian countries. Long before we approach extinction-level climate destabilization you are going to want to have executed your migration plan for going farther north before borders are closed to immigration and land prices soar.
The above actions are also things most under your direct control and influence and not someone else's! Do these things and build some momentum to use in the later tougher steps. Unfortunately, individuals must prepare locally because it is also not very likely that the 1% of the power elites on the planet who hold the real power to make the needed decisions, new laws and order needed resources to the climate destabilization problem will likely do so in time. This is ironic and paradoxical because in the bitter end --- they will be the ones who will lose the most.
Step 4.) Self-Organize a local Job One for Humanity Meet-up or Support Group.
This way you can find support for yourself and mutual creativity with others in your area working to help re-stabilize the climate. You do not need anyone's permission to self-organize a local Job One for Humanity meet-up or group. Just do it! There are plenty of materials on this and other climate websites to create a powerful and well-attended climate destabilization climate cliff meet-up or group...
Step 5.) Find, join or build a specialized climate destabilization emergency mutual support community.
What is coming if left unresolved, is so bad that you will not be able to survive this alone very well. To survive escalating catastrophic climate destabilization better (or even at all,) either physically or psychologically, become part of or create a real mutual support community of like-minded individuals who will come to your aid, support and have your back as things worsen before they hopefully get better.
If most of us are going to suffer to various degrees as it now appears, it is better to have the humor, balance and support of a like-minded and specialized mutual support community with the needed complimentary life and life-crisis skills to help lessen such suffering. It is not unreasonable to believe that only those that are part of a prepared and mutually supporting and cooperating community are likely to make it into the later stages of irreversible or extinction level climate destabilization and have any kind of a life that still has humor, balance, happiness and cooperative trusting relationships in it!
In the initial worsening conditions of climate destabilization these specialized communities will also be geared to helping you find ways to still enjoy your life and take the time to cultivate and enjoy relationships. This is because the rewards and joys of the inner life as well as community life may be the most available remaining pleasures because of the worsening outside physical climate conditions. We call these new self-organizing, specialized climate destabilization mutual support communities, Universe Communities or Job One for Humanity Communities. Real community takes time and mutual commitments to build so be patient and keep working at this while you are doing the other three major parts of the Job One for Humanity plan. (To learn more about the principles and structure of these Universe Communities and why building them is also essential to the long term future if we ever can reverse the climate destabilization time bomb, click here.)
Step 6.) Take personal responsibility and initiative for sharing the ideas and practices of the Job One for Humanity plan with everyone you can.
Step 7.) Begin Reducing your personal participation in the carbon-polluting based economy. Start practicing more sustainability, frugality and downsizing in your personal life and be an example of the change you want to see in the world!
This is because that is what almost all of us will be doing in the later stages of catastrophic climate destabilization. Learn and live the difference between what you want and what you really need. Books like "Your Money or Your Life" can help you do this so that you are well-practiced and enjoying your life far more with far less.
Whenever possible, learn what you can do personally and immediately reduce your activities (your personal eco-footprint,) that put more carbon into the atmosphere and use too many resources wastefully. Follow the slogan reduce, recycle and reuse wherever you can.
If you can, walk or ride a bicycle instead of driving. Shop locally, grow your own food, eat less meat (the cattle/meat industry is another top-of-the-list cause of climate change). Each day ask yourself what can you do today to reduce your carbon pollution of the environment. (For more information on what you can do personably to reduce your eco-footprint and carbon pollution click here and look at the Department of Sustainability courses as Universe College.)
Special Note: With this step to reduce your personal carbon pollution also has to come a rather harsh does of reality. Unfortunately, all of our personal collective efforts to cut carbon and other green house gas emissions and live more sustainably will simply not even come anywhere close to being enough to stop climate destabilization in time to avert the levels of catastrophic, irreversible and extinction level climate destabilization unless --- the key actions of Job One for Humanity Parts (2 and 3 linked at the bottom of this page,) are also accomplished quickly! While you can feel good about your personal carbon reduction actions do not be deceived into believing that even when taken collectively --- they will save us. We have to change the way we generate our large-scale energy away from coal-fired electric plants and other fossil fuel energy generation to green and renewable large-scale energy generation!
Additionally, individual actions to reduce ones fossil fuel use matter in that you are living in congruity with your beliefs, you are not making things worse and you are honoring our important and special relationship for stewarding nature to the best of our abilities. This means that just because your personal reduce, recycle and reuse activities will not be enough to stop irreversible climate destabilization they should still be done because of the above as well as the 5,000 Year Reduce, Recycle and Reuse Principle.
There are two very big reasons for paying attention to the 5,000 Year Reduce, Recycle and Reuse Principle. First, there is the finiteness of Earth's resources factor. Everything that everyone will need who will live on Earth over the next 5,000 years will have to be found primarily only on Earth itself according to our scientists. This is because moving to live on the closest possible potentially inhabitable planet with new needed resources for human life would take a space fight of 5,000 years --- if we could increase the speed of current space fight by 100 times. Bringing resources back to Earth from closer uninhabitable planets would be both technically and economically unfeasible in the quantities that we will need key depleted resources --- if we do not preserve them now!
Secondly, there is peak oil challenge and the many transportation, agriculture and other major changes it will bring in the near future. Lets face it Earth with its current limited resources is all we have to realistically live upon for the greatest mass of our population for the next 5,000 years --- we have to reduce, recycle and reuse! (If you are not quite sure what the peak oil challenge is, click here.)
Step 8.) For only those of a spiritual or religious nature, pray and actively work within your religious faith community to make the many steps of the Job One for Humanity plan or something similar to it the key social action and eco-spiritual program of your particular religious community!
We really also need the amazing leverage of members of all of the faith communities of the world to resolve such an immediate threat and daunting challenge to all peoples and faiths of the planet. Unless the major religions and their leaders get on this collective evolution of spiritual focus and social action programs fast there may eventually be no other spiritual programs for them to do with their members.
This is because late-stage escalating catastrophic climate destabilization will also destabilize the resources and organizational structure of the world's religions just when they are most needed to help their members deal with the extreme environmental, social, political and economic destabilization that will occur as more and more critical climate tipping points are passed.
To learn more about eco-spirituality as an essential core of all religious faiths, click here.
For ideas on what other spiritual and religious organizations might consider, click here.
To see why our organization and those members of our community both secular and of a spiritual nature are involved in the climate destabilization issue, click here.
Job One Part One Summary
The "Act Locally and Get Prepared" steps (1-8 above) of Part One the of Job One for Humanity plan are also wise because we have to first preserve and sustain those individuals and organizations most aware and active in this new sustainable prosperity and safety through climate re-stabilization movement because they are the ones who are already leading the way in saving all of us from all the devastating climate destabilization consequences that are coming. Only by first "preparing for the worst" are we then able to "forget" our preparations and focus most fully on then working wholeheartedly to create the best possible outcomes. To do otherwise would be to put the "cart in front of the horse" and to betray our protection obligations to both ourselves and those who depend upon us.
These strategies are also wise because as unfortunate as it is, we will not likely be able to do much to effectively forward the "Get Practical" action steps of the Job One for Humanity Parts 2 and 3 (linked below,) until much more personal, business and national pain is felt in the escalating climate destabilization crisis which then collectively causes/forces us to finally be ready to learn new things, to be ready to change positions and finally to be able to make the changes needed.
Until we actually correct the escalating climate destabilization by successfully doing the key Job One for Humanity Parts (2 and 3, linked below,) things will most probably continue to get worse in our global economic, political, social and environmental systems --- so be prepared by getting prepared locally first!
The steps above are also the ones that you most likely can do or influence. This will also help you build some success momentum. You will need every bit of this success momentum as you begin to face the much tougher actions found in Job One for Humanity Parts 2, 3 and 4 found in the links below.
The Other Major Parts 2-5 of the Job One for Humanity Climate Re-stabilization Plan:
Click here for Job One For Humanity Part 3: Take the Four Most Effective Remedial Actions to Get Human-Caused Carbon Pollution Back to Carbon 350 ppm or Below and Upgrade Global Energy Systems
Click here for Job One for Humanity Part 4: The Four Slower-to-Implement, Long-Term Climate Destabilization Mitigation Strategies (These are done after you have been successful with the prior steps.)
Click here for Job One for Humanity Part 5: Conclusion and Special Job One for Humanity Notes