imho, the missed aspect in climate debates is that it is more than anything a spiritual crisis.
A sense of disconnection from Nature - Nature as something separate from myself will always result in some degree of (unintentional) exploitation. I like the idea of using Maori perspectives in the post, as it steers the discussion into the right direction, however a focus only on future human generations, misses the point: We exploit nature because we are NOT nature, we are disconnected from it. Including unborn people forces us to think of nature in a different way, but we still will see it fundamentally as a resource to exploit - just exploit it "better", for the sake of more people.
Example: One would rarely exploit members of one's family or friend group, but also not fully refuse to participate in a global economy that exploits others, far away. Nature, in our hearts, is likely very far away.
The missed opportunity in my opinion is to learn to love nature not just by appreciating large expanses of greens on arduous hikes, but on a fundamental, spiritual level, as an expression of life, of god, of self.
Great points, Ilya. Thanks for sharing. Yes, western culture definitely revolves around nature as a separate thing and something we exploit and defend against. This has proven very ineffective. Many of our problems would be helped by increasing human connection with nature so I agree, whatever we can do to learn to love nature on a deep spiritual level is a good lever.
This is an interesting perspective on what is often portrayed as a negative topic Jonathon. Thanks for raising.
I often argue that climate action is not just a moral and reputational discussion, it’s a competitive advantage.
Soon, decision makers will be made up mostly of a generation who spent their Friday afternoon’s campaigning for change.
They will look for tangible evidence to support you and your business’s committed to reducing carbon footprints. The inability to do so could result in a loss of market share.
We see a similar demand in the food & beverage industry regarding packaging and production standards. Or, from banking and finance on the protection and security of assets.
If learn to use the climate discussion as an advantage, we can both look to reverse the damage we’re doing, while maintaining a positive and attractive brand within our respective industries.
I'm glad to hear NZ has been a leader in moving towards mandatory reporting on climate related issues. This is positive as knowing the actual cost of these events should spur the Government and private enterprise into taking necessary action. Certainly the mandatory reporting would create more discussion around climate change and that can only be a good thing.
I was also interested to read that soil is a critical reservoir of carbon. We really only hear about trees! Soil takes such a long time to evolve and is often taken for granted.
I agree that we need to be thinking of future generations. I didn't grow up worrying about climate change as there was no discussion around it. Now I really worry about the future my grand children will face.
Thanks Kim. Yes, soil is a super important reservoir of carbon and one that plays a key role in sequestration. But it is all too often forgotten about. You're right too in that it takes a very long time to regenerate once it has been eroded away.
Thanks Ollie. Yes, certainly important to look for the opportunities. There's no doubt it very much is a negative topic. The upside is dwarfed 100000X by the downsides, that's for sure. But it's important to go eyes open into such a period and look for opportunties as well as the more obvious costs.
imho, the missed aspect in climate debates is that it is more than anything a spiritual crisis.
A sense of disconnection from Nature - Nature as something separate from myself will always result in some degree of (unintentional) exploitation. I like the idea of using Maori perspectives in the post, as it steers the discussion into the right direction, however a focus only on future human generations, misses the point: We exploit nature because we are NOT nature, we are disconnected from it. Including unborn people forces us to think of nature in a different way, but we still will see it fundamentally as a resource to exploit - just exploit it "better", for the sake of more people.
Example: One would rarely exploit members of one's family or friend group, but also not fully refuse to participate in a global economy that exploits others, far away. Nature, in our hearts, is likely very far away.
The missed opportunity in my opinion is to learn to love nature not just by appreciating large expanses of greens on arduous hikes, but on a fundamental, spiritual level, as an expression of life, of god, of self.
Great points, Ilya. Thanks for sharing. Yes, western culture definitely revolves around nature as a separate thing and something we exploit and defend against. This has proven very ineffective. Many of our problems would be helped by increasing human connection with nature so I agree, whatever we can do to learn to love nature on a deep spiritual level is a good lever.
This is an interesting perspective on what is often portrayed as a negative topic Jonathon. Thanks for raising.
I often argue that climate action is not just a moral and reputational discussion, it’s a competitive advantage.
Soon, decision makers will be made up mostly of a generation who spent their Friday afternoon’s campaigning for change.
They will look for tangible evidence to support you and your business’s committed to reducing carbon footprints. The inability to do so could result in a loss of market share.
We see a similar demand in the food & beverage industry regarding packaging and production standards. Or, from banking and finance on the protection and security of assets.
If learn to use the climate discussion as an advantage, we can both look to reverse the damage we’re doing, while maintaining a positive and attractive brand within our respective industries.
I'm glad to hear NZ has been a leader in moving towards mandatory reporting on climate related issues. This is positive as knowing the actual cost of these events should spur the Government and private enterprise into taking necessary action. Certainly the mandatory reporting would create more discussion around climate change and that can only be a good thing.
I was also interested to read that soil is a critical reservoir of carbon. We really only hear about trees! Soil takes such a long time to evolve and is often taken for granted.
I agree that we need to be thinking of future generations. I didn't grow up worrying about climate change as there was no discussion around it. Now I really worry about the future my grand children will face.
Thanks Kim. Yes, soil is a super important reservoir of carbon and one that plays a key role in sequestration. But it is all too often forgotten about. You're right too in that it takes a very long time to regenerate once it has been eroded away.
The development of geothermal energy?
Thanks Ollie. Yes, certainly important to look for the opportunities. There's no doubt it very much is a negative topic. The upside is dwarfed 100000X by the downsides, that's for sure. But it's important to go eyes open into such a period and look for opportunties as well as the more obvious costs.