Date: 2024-05-15 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00012150
Burgess COMMENTARY
Peter Burgess
Darkness, Zombies and Dragon Inspection on the Road to Zero Carbon
Inbox
x
Rezwan Razani via ckmail2.com
Oct 31
to me
Dear Peter,
Happy Halloween. From me, Rezwan! Founder of Footprint to Wings. I hope you had a chance to check out the cool video from my last email.
Dark Feelings
I got some dark feedback from an old friend after that email. Among other things, it seems he feels a race to zero carbon is futile, hopeless. We’ll never win. Also, he doesn’t have much faith in his fellow human beings rising to the occasion. And he thinks I’m in denial about the true selfishness of human beings.
What do you think?
I’m glad he wrote back. It’s good to know where people are at.
And who can blame him? I’m bringing up a thorny, super wicked problem. It’s bound to stir up fears, doubts and misanthropy. Fears about the future. Fears that you have to give stuff up - like my SUV. Fears that someone will judge you - for not wanting to give up my SUV. Defensive anger - at the hypocrisy of those judgmental…
You get the idea.
We’re human. These feelings are normal.
But we won’t get far in the race to zero carbon if we don’t process them. Have you processed your feelings about the following:
- Is climate change solveable?
- Is a net zero carbon economy, with a great quality of life for everyone, possible?
- Do you know what, specifically, needs to be done?
- Do you feel your fellow humans are up to doing what needs to be done?
- Do you feel you are up to doing it?
- Are you worried you have to give up something?
- What are three adjectives to describe how you feel?
On a Personal Note
One other thing my friend said. He didn’t want to get “these mass emails” just personal ones.
Just so you know, for me, this race to zero carbon thing is as personal as it gets.
It’s like this:
- The Zombies are Coming
So you try to hang out, but keep seeing the zombies out the window, getting closer. You are really distracted. You don’t want your friends to think you're a drag, but…
What would you do in this situation?
I keep bugging my friends. I say, hey! Perhaps we can do it as a home improvement project. Not only will we weather the zombies, we’ll upgrade the house and increase its resale value.
But they wave away the crude plans I’ve drawn up. Without looking, they say, “These plans won’t work.” Some keep watching the movie. Others disperse to set up private panic rooms.
I call after them, “Guys! Why do you want to be stuck in a panic room? Claustrophobia! Plus I think I see a way out of this mess. But I need you. We just have to front-load the brainstorming. Figure out how to solve this problem. Then we can get back to the...'
But my friends are not listening. Like a bad horror movie, we’ve all split up.
And the zombies keep walking.
Dragon Inspection
Part of this is my bad. I’m not doing justice to the path to zero carbon. The dots are connecting in my head and the picture looks clearer and clearer. But getting it outside my head is…a process.
And you’ve got to see the whole picture. If you just look at little bits of it, flashes of the problem, it can seem hopeless. It’s like this:
There are some guys sitting in the dark.
One says, 'Anyone got a light? Let's see what’s around us.'
Another one strikes a match. And in that weak light, they see gleam of teeth and claws of a number of dark monsters lurking around them.
“Yikes! Never mind!” says the first, and they blow out the match.
I can see why people prefer not to look. Ignorance is bliss. Seeing is fearing.
What I'm proposing is that we go in the other direction. Get a bigger light. A massive search light. Shine it on each and every one of those monsters and dragons. Look at their scales and claws. Count their teeth. Measure their wingspan.
Figure out which ones we can befriend and fly away with, and which ones we need to slay.
So here’s the deal.
Walk through the dragon inspection with me.
There’s a lot to cover, but it’s not insurmountable. Here’s a 'map' of the fields we’ll peruse.
From Fear to Freedom
Keep in mind, the thing many people fear the most, “I’ll have to change my life, give up something” may actually turn out to be your favorite part. At first, you may be wanting to keep your life in pretty much the shape it is now. You may be most interested in technological solutions to do the heavy lifting.
But as you check out all the options, you may come to find you like what happens when you declutter your life, rethink jobs and consumption, restore Eden.
Or not. Your choice.
The point is, you have options to explore.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch:
Will our friends get buried in panic rooms as zombies torch the ranch? Or will they pull together and secure the ranch from the zombies? Better yet, will they figure out a way to harness the zombies for electricity? Stay tuned for the next installment of zero carbon theater.One final Halloween treat: Watch the Blob and get chills as you realize it’s a climate change story.
Thank you for being a part of my journey for personal and planetary redemption.
To zero carbon and beyond,
Rezwan
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