WHY WE ALREADY HAVE THE SOLUTIONS!
This article was first published on nrad.org.au and is republished here with permission.
We have all heard the term Anthropocene or at the very least we have been bombarded with information about Climate Change, Climate Emergency and Climate Crisis. Einstein wrote about the Anthropocene. It’s not a new term. It is a word used to instil fear. Fear of dying, fear of annihilation, fear of the unknown. The Anthropocene as a word is for all intent and purposes designed to make us stop immediately and take note of our failures. But does it make us want to change? Does this word encourage and stimulate action? I am not alone when I say it makes us all swerk to say the least. In fact, the term Solastalgia has come directly from the lived experience of negative environmental change. We need a new and more encouraging term that will assist us to as human beings to see we have the solutions right now to solve the problems of the Anthropocene. Einstein is well known for his definition of insanity.
“INSANITY IS DOING THE SAME THING, OVER AND OVER AGAIN, BUT EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS”.ALBERT EINSTEIN
If we are to save our planet, we must all stop being mumpsimus fools and begin to imagine the new reality. Build a positive picture of what our lives will be in the future and how our planet will look after we emerge from this crisis mindset.
A better terminology.
Symbiocene – a term coined by Albrecht in his article for Minding Nature in 2016, seeks to move to a basis of mutual benefit. Taken from the word “symbiosis” Albrecht contends that symbiosis affirms the interconnectedness of all things. He further postulates that such thinking will put the human world view back into connection with life. Imagine if each morning we greeted the ants or the caterpillars and thanked them for their place in our world. If we understand that the behaviour of the ant taking detritus and putting it in our backyard is not making a mess but rather assisting in the creation of compost and removal of pests then our opinion of the ant and our world view changes for the better. Taking this idea further, the caterpillars might be eating your homegrown cabbages but its adult form, the Butterfly, will pollinate your medicinal herbs such as yarrow and calendula for use in treating your ailments. Suddenly those caterpillars look a whole lot different. They are not the enemy but rather just baby butterflies. Working together with nature rather than in competition opens our eyes even further to the essential need for those creatures working in symbiosis with other elements.
Extantion not Extinction.
Albrecht also talks of Extantion. Extantion – being from the word “extant” meaning valuing the existence of life in stark contrast to extinct – being that which has died out and gone. The media and various groups including governments around the world and some well-known charities often talk of the extinction of this or that animal, plant or other living being. Indeed, we have groups such as Extinction Rebellion who seek to draw the attention of Governments around the world to the Anthropogenic Climate Crisis facing us. However, and I have to say I agree, Albrecht suggests an Extantion Celebration. Celebrating what we have in and around us by opening our eyes to the world in which we live. Becoming a part of it, seeking to understand it and interacting with it will help us to see how much impact we can have in a positive way to improve biodiversity and it will help us to envision a greater world. A world that has beaten Climate Change and has emerged the other side beautiful and utopic. What a party that would be!
How do we get there?
In the title of this article, I said we already have the solutions. Now dear reader, (thanks for following this far) you are in for a treat. I am about to throw open the Tool Box (in no particular order) and I really want you to know that these tools are powerful.
Permaculture was born out of two academics from Australia who sort to understand working with nature. David Holmgren and Bill Mollison coined the term as a blending of Permanent and Agriculture. This now globally recognised design science has repaired, regenerated, and renewed thousands upon thousands of hectares of land. Not only does it have the tools to assist in the regeneration of land in any climate in the world but it also seeks to redouble its efforts by stacking functions to make our lives easier and more efficient.
Regenerative Agriculture is yet another very powerful tool in the box. It seeks to regenerate soils while still producing at an agricultural level. Regenerative Agriculture builds soil, makes it stronger, healthier, and more productive. It recognises that the soil microbiome is the heavy lifter in our agricultural spaces and understands that without it we cannot produce the crops we need to survive.
Natural Sequence Farming looks primarily at the land and its water flows. It seeks to manage water in a far better way than historically. Rehydrating and sinking water into the land to improve it overall. Water is the engine room of life.
Korean Natural Farming much like Biodynamics shows us how to use what is abundant in nature to supercharge our growing and manage pests and disease with natural substances. It is the knowledge of many First Nations People from around the globe consolidated to give us all we need without the use of synthetic chemicals.
Indigenous Management and Wisdom while not a tool available to everyone is also extremely powerful. By connecting with and working alongside the indigenous peoples of the area you gain wisdom, insight, and often mind-blowing techniques to assist with all manner of issues including but not limited to fire in the landscape.
While my description of these techniques or tools is short and succinct there is so much more to read and learn about them. There are also many more tools in this toolbox but for now, these are the main ones I want to draw your attention to.
As I sit here on an apricitic day I know in my heart if we as human beings can change the narrative of the present and focus on a future with a paradise of butterflies, birds, bees, enormous rainforests, and beautiful wildlife then I believe we have a much better chance of making it our reality. Being frozen with fear or stuck in inaction helps nobody nor does it help our planet. Fall in love with nature and all its beauty, now let’s get out there and grow the vision and something we really want to see.
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TAKE HEART, FOR THE EARTH’S ABILITY TO HEAL HERSELF HAS BEEN VASTLY UNDERESTIMATED
MIKE MCCOSKER (FOUNDER CARBON8)
Lost Words – You might be wondering why this article contains unusual words. These words have been lost to our vocabulary over time and we think they deserve to be brought back. Our minds need to be enlivened with words that spark the imagination. We fully intend for this to be a *quixotism that breeds within us all. A full list of these words and their original meanings appears below.
Anthropocene – an unofficial geological epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems, including, but not limited to, anthropogenic climate change.
Mumpsimus – a stubborn person refusing to change their mind despite being proven to be wrong
Swerk – to become gloomy or troubled
Solastalgia – the lived experience of negative environmental change.
Symbiocene – mutual benefit affirming interconnectedness of all things
Extantion – the valuing of the existence of life
Apricitic – a cold winters day with gloriously warm sun.
