Gardenworld in Sabah
Author: Douglass Carmichael Issue: 2024-01-03
Gardenworld in Sabah
by Douglass Carmichael
ed. note: Doug is involved with a project in Malaysia trying to do Gardenworld in the jungle.
There is a general agreement that the world is not working. It is better at creating profit for some than quality of life for all. This situation may have remained tolerable, but unfortunately, the action of the current economy, extracting profit from people and land, has had a devastating, cumulative impact. Signs of this are increasing temperature, ocean acidification, loss of species, droughts, floods, fires, and plagues. The system is not delivering either to the fantasies of the rich or to the expectations of the general population.
Is a better way possible, or are we up against human limits? That probably means dealing with how individuals work with groups or society. Obviously, successful approaches are going to require groups thinking together.
Whether emerging dysfunctions are local or global, people will need local solutions for basic things like food, shelter, water, and companionship. The Gardenworld idea is to provide people with a goal that is plausible, visualizable, and attractive. But we find it hard to engage people in this vision since daily life to them still seems ok and, if it appears to be going wrong, the politicians should step in and fix it.
Our meetings this week begin here with the goal of projects in Sabah already in discussion. We will need some analysis and familiarity with the current situation. This includes a broader understanding of holistically conceived. This means that we recognize that there is no leadership of the climate project in the world or in the nations, but only locally. That also means understanding the financial system that subsidizes the current situation and makes change difficult. We also want to have full discussions of what Gardenworld would look like under various conditions. We also need analysis of the transition between the two, from now in the current situation to the possibilities. This means developing multiple possible storylines, scenarios, that are not known to be impossible. For example, the limitations on materials in the ground make reproducing the current energy regime of fossil fuels with a new energy regime of electricity, is not possible. The manufacturing of parts for such a system always requires a process which creates CO2, which means we have to think very carefully about what we’re doing.
The result is that most climate activists come to the conclusion that a system breakdown is necessary before people will start to re-organize. This is probably true. The result is that we need patience for the big developments, while working on small local projects that make good sense now.
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- Douglass Carmichael (author)
- 2024 (year)
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