Climate Change

January 14, 2006

Part 2 of a six-part series.

Whether or not food stays plentiful on the shelves of American supermarkets may depend upon whether Earth’s climate is changing gradually or rapidly. Right now, the effects of global warming seem to be accelerating due to a combination of human activities and natural cycles that we are only beginning to understand.

A Worst Case Scenario
In 2003, geologic and military analysts for the Pentagon released a report titled: “An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and Its Implications for National Security.�

“Abrupt� climate change would be triggered by the sudden collapse of the Thermohaline Conveyor, or North Atlantic Current, due to rapid glacial melting, something that has happened at least eight times in the past 700,000 years. The current is already showing signs of weakening.

The Pentagon researchers describe abrupt climate change as vastly eclipsing any terrorist threat to national security. Extreme weather shifts, disruption of global agriculture, severe water shortages, mass exoduses of people—rich and poor—from affected areas, could begin within the next 10 years, according to this “plausible worst case scenario.� The analysts advise the development of “no regrets� strategies for maintaining U.S. military control and access to natural resources during a protracted period of international chaos. (You can read the full report at www.gbn.com).

A Higher Vision
Is a militaristic, domineering response to global instability the only, or best option we have? Or is climate change an opportunity to consciously restructure our human societies along more localized, resilient, self-sustaining lines? If so, it’s clear that individuals and communities must find the courage and vision to lead the way.

One local visionary is author and psychotherapist Chellis Glendinning, who lives in Chimayo, New Mexico. Chellis has spent years developing methods to help people break through the denial, fear, grief, and anger that kept them from actively opposing America’s nuclear weapons program. She now works with individuals suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Chellis advises compassion for ourselves while facing the difficult challenges of the future. “But really I believe that right now, it’s information people need, not a psychological process,� she says. “We need practical things to do.�

Chellis points out that, until recently, Northern New Mexico was an isolated and sustainable place. “There is still the infrastructure,� she says, “like the acequias, horses, sheep, and heirloom seeds. There is cultural knowledge, both in the Norteño and Pueblo Native populations, and also from newcomers who practice things like permaculture and conflict resolution. So it seems that what’s needed is a process for focusing all of that.�

Agreed, but how can we best approach this process amongst historically divided cultures and a rapidly swelling population? Many newcomers seeking a more sustainable way of life might feel isolated from local Norteño and Pueblo communities.

“Remember,� says Chellis, “that we of European descent were swept into this area not just by individual choice, but by the process of empire. It’s crucial to be aware of the historical and ongoing impact colonization has. However, if a European-American comes to this place and lives as the people here live, and takes on the values here, then that person may be given the gift of assimilation into the community.�

What are the best traditional values of Northern New Mexican cultures that have made them so strong, and, for hundreds of years, self-sustaining? How can people new to the area develop a sense of place that will help them make positive contributions to the future of the community?

“Just be quiet,� advises Chellis. “For a long time. Listen, and learn the local history, because here history is still rooted. It’s understood to be important to the present and important to the future. Recognize that you are now a part of the history, and you’re either going to facilitate something good, or you are going to mindlessly facilitate a continuation of imperialism.�

Indeed, if we’re not careful, even a desire to build a sustainable community can be tainted by unconscious imperialist leanings. Chellis explains: “It’s so much a dominant society method to impose planned overviews that people have to fit into. First develop respectful, face-to-face community relationships, then you might just be developing the means for how to move toward sustainability in Taos.�

In our next article on Peak Oil, we will begin to discuss practical ideas for increasing local food and energy production in Taos.

growfoodnow@tierralucero.org.