My Appearance on Santa Barbara Talks with Josh Molina
It was a distinct pleasure having this discussion with one of Santa Barbara’s finest local journalists, Josh Molina, on June 14, 2023. We talk about the recent spike in ocean temperatures for the first part, then launch into a wide ranging discussion of what it means to be a doomer and the future of the planet.
Click on the image below to watch. Please enjoy the show!
I like his attitude: to save one butterfly for one more day, and not to try to save humanity. This is the attitude that everyone needs. He also mentions the “bright green lies”, which is also the title to a book by my favorite author, Derrick Jensen. Great interview!
*ditto* Susan,
I’m much the same frame of mind. Family/friends can’t deal with me any more. They fall into 2 main groups
(a) comfortable complacency that someone(s), somewhere, somehow will ‘figure it out’ with some tech magic and obscene amounts of capital investment; or
(b) want to join Just Stop Oil or similar.
One even yelled at me, that if I criticise ‘green energy’, I must be a shill for the FF industry.(Either with us, or against us?)
I said “none of the above”, I’d rather spend my remaining time trying to save something, a butterfly, a pine tree etc, rather than support further destruction.
Ironic, I can only speak my mind in the shadows of the internet, and mostly on the spaces that will probably undergo the ‘Internet Death Spiral’ first as discussed on the consciousnessofsheep.co.uk
Thanks for sharing! And yes to everything you’re saying.
Connected to the growth paradigm is the myth of progress, that things will continuously get better, that technological will fix whatever problems we encounter.
Great interview. I never understood the doomers. Now I do. And I am down with them.
Humans will be a blip in the story of Earth. The goal is to keep Earth going .. Humans not so much.
Great interview. Thanks a lot. Here few remarks:
1) “Growth paradigm”:
As someone with a scientific background in theoretical physics, I would say that life means, for me, a growth of entropy that creates more and more complicated structures. I agree that simple material growth is not beneficial for our Earth, but we have to replace it with something different like “intellectual growth” if we want to preserve human life. Like you, I also walk or bike through my small hometown, Juelich (in Germany), and prefer to engage in activities that stimulate “intellectual growth” rather than mindless consumption (“growth that we do not need”). The “less is more” philosophy also fosters life (or entropy in physical terms). I hope I have not confused you.
2) “Your criticism of the scientific community”:
As a climate scientist at the Research Center Juelich in Germany, I wholeheartedly agree with your critical remarks on climate science in general, following your findings (Antarctic sea extent, North Atlantic temperature anomaly in 2023, which appears to be the hottest year so far). Your findings are now being discussed on climate websites like NOAA and Copernicus, and you’ve done an exceptional job in rapidly disseminating this news. Since we do not fully understand these phenomena yet, “true” scientists tend to avoid discussing them. Regarding my research on the stratosphere, I am interested in exploring whether an increase in stratospheric water vapor after the Hunga Tonga eruption could explain all three anomalies. At least it could be a primary reason for all three phenomena, which aligns with my general strategy of “less is more” (:-)). However, I must acknowledge that this is purely speculative.
3) “Last but not least”:
My son told me about you. Being in my 60s, I was initially disappointed that my son follows your “doomer” philosophy. However, that is no longer the case.
This is one of the greatest replies ever!
Thank you!
Hi Eliot, Just saw your talk with Josh Molina. Thanks for mentioning the Planned Parenthood Book Sale at Earl Warren Showgrounds fpr Sept. 14th – 24th. I hope to run into you there.
I didn’t know anything about “Doomers” until now. Thanks. I like your rendition of it.