Ben's Blog

I want everyone in the world to think about what will happen next. It is probably too late to stop climate collapse, it has already begun, but it is still vitally important to do everything humanly possible to limit it’s scope. It is probably too late to stop society collapse. It has already begun. Far too many folks will waste their precious time trying to prop up the present system, while others will waste their time trying to bring it down. It is collapsing all of its own, along with the climate. What we can do, what we must do, is think about what happens during and after collapse. If we start building an alternative to the present structure, not only will it help prepare us for the trials we shall face, but it may well help hasten the death spiral of this death cult we call Modern Society.

We have to imagine a whole new way of life into existence.

Our economic system is actually extremely fragile, and it is already at breaking point. Who knows, it may last for years, or it may collapse tomorrow. Let’s be ready for any eventuality.

World Economic growth has been slowing down for 20 years now, an inexorable slide into unknown territory. Capitalism is only stable when it is growing. When growth dips below zero, we get a recession. If it gets worse we get a depression.

Traditionally we deal with these calamities by borrowing a shit load of money to get the economy moving again, and hope it will grow faster than our debt. But while a depression is a disaster for the poor people of the world, it is a welcome relief for the planet as our pollution rate drops dramatically. In fact a depression is pretty much the only thing left to save us from total climate collapse. So it‘s about time we started thinking about how to actually maintain economic stagnation or decline whilst supporting the billions of people who will suffer during this time of transition to a stable safe environment. Unfortunately the present system has shown itself manifestly incapable and unwilling to divert the massive resources required to look after the needs of the poorest members of humanity.

The first thing that happens in a recession is folks lose their jobs, then they lose their homes because they can’t pay the mortgage. The banks won’t cut them any slack because economic growth relies in profit, the more the better. So we can’t say to those people who lose their job and their home, “don’t worry, we will suspend your mortgage payments until the economy improves,” because we don’t actually want the economy to improve, that would ruin the climate, so I am sorry, but you will never be able to pay your mortgage, so let’s just do away with mortgages altogether. Which of course means doing away with the entire crumbling system.

What that basically means is we cannot make the absolutely vital shift to a zero growth economy under the present system. We must construct a whole new system. Something unlike anything we have ever known, but including all the best ideas we do know already.

It would be foolish in the extreme to wait until the final moment of societal collapse before we try this brave new concept.

More sensible to start trying out our new ideas right away. Practice makes perfect, or at least less imperfect. If we have a scale model up and running when the proverbial shit hits the fan, we just might be able to skip the stage of mayhem and chaos that usually follows society collapse. A very dangerous stage indeed, involving much confusion, anxiety, and suffering, as well as a dire risk of the fascists taking control.

I am a doomer, but I am also occasionally an optimist.

Us doomers are pretty firmly convinced that climate collapse is inevitable, as sure as night follows day. With climate collapse comes society collapse. But I am pretty optimistic about the next society we dream up.

We desperately and urgently need a society whose number 1 priority is tackling climate collapse, whilst also focusing on providing the essentials of life: shelter, sustenance, warm clothes, and mental and physical well being, and not wasting time and creating emissions doing unnecessary things and making useless crap.

The present regime does not prioritize any of our essential needs. For a lot of us it does not provide them at all.

As well as being a doomer, I am also a prepper. Not one of those lone wolves hoarding guns and baked beans in some shack in the woods, but preparing our whole community to withstand the onslaught of climate collapse and society collapse whilst also doing our utmost to mitigate that collapse. There are hard times ahead, be prepared!

When Covid struck in 2020, the world took it very seriously. Nothing like imminent death to get you up off the couch. If only we would take climate collapse as seriously as Covid. To achieve the pathetically inadequate goal of Zero Net Emissions by 2050, we must reduce our emissions by 4% every single year. The only time this century we have managed to perform that herculean task was in 2020, by locking everyone up so they could not spend their money. As soon as we were let loose, emissions skyrocketed. Economic growth is the engine of climate collapse. Yet every government on earth is calling for more growth. That is insanity, pure and simple.

That is why we must start creating an alternative way of life that is not predicated on endless growth.

Just like during the second world war. It was a whole of society effort to fight the Nazis, whilst also keeping everyone sustained. The British actually get quite nostalgic about those hard times, when every one chipped in and looked after each other.

We must create a society where our precious time is not wasted propping up the economy. We will have to forgo our addiction to consumerism and concentrate on the basic necessities of life. We can focus on looking after each other and cheering each other up, we are good at that, when we are not too busy making a quid. We have to create a community where we don’t have to go out and earn a living to pay the mortgage. A community where we devote most of our time to creating alternative energy sources, planting trees and nurturing nature and those we care about. We don’t just have to reduce our emissions to zero, we also have to extract the emissions that are already in the sky. We can grow our own food, get our clothes from the op shop, health is covered by medicare, thank god, but housing the homeless is a big job.

If we can keep everyone housed when the money runs out, we’ll be off to a good start on a whole new way of life. A better way of life.

Under the present regime we must work each day to keep the economy growing, while that growth is destroying our planet. So we are all working hard to bring about our own downfall. That is insane.

Are we willing to sacrifice our beautiful planet to preserve the present system? Is it really that good?

Our society is not like the adds on TV. It is not all shinny new gadgets and trips to Bali. Yes, it has its benefits, like smart phones and fast cars, but it is also a system that fosters prejudice, discrimination, exploitation, racism, sexism, misogyny and homophobia, inequality, indifference, poverty and neglect, obesity, anorexia, autism, allergies, and cancer, insecurity, anxiety, addiction, alienation, loneliness, mental illness, depression and suicide, violence, war, cruelty and genocide, a toxic dying environment  and a disintegrating climate. 

I think we can do better than that.

Let’s start creating a way of life centred around mutual aid, giving, sharing, including, accepting, helping, caring, loving, restoring nature and dealing with the climate. Nurturing and growing our compassion and our humanity rather than our assets and our GDP. Let’s create a future where we not only survive, but we flourish.

Degrowth Central Victoria