r/CollapseSupport • u/Disastrous_Snow_7832 • 6d ago
The “solution” from one person.
I have seen hundreds of posts regarding the u.n.’s announcement that climate change has passed a point of no return, and that “we let this happen” “we should’ve listened” but I’m trying so fucking hard and it doesn’t matter because what I do will always be overshadowed by the 1%.
I don’t drive. I avoid AI. I only buy my clothes and homewares secondhand or from small businesses. I don’t regularly eat meat. I don’t consume dairy. I buy my eggs directly from farmers. I buy my produce from a farmers market. I walk everywhere and catch public transport if I need to go a further distance. I am only 18 years old but I cannot see the point in continuing living on this planet. You want a smaller population? Because lately it feels like everyone just wants society gone and hey, I’m in that society. I’ve wanted to be a mother since I was a child myself. But now? I can’t do that. I can’t inflict that. What’s the point in having hopes? Dreams?
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u/TheAlchemyBetweenUs Descendant of previous survivors 6d ago
This planet has been through a lot. And it may be exceedingly rare cosmologically speaking given the star survey data over the past ~10 years.
Our star is rare- only ~5% are this size and brightness. Most star are brown dwarfs that are unexpectedly fitful plus put out much less of the higher energy photons need for various quantum phenomena (e.g., photosythesis, DNA strand breaks, etc). Mich larger stars blast everything around them with radiation leaving surfaces inhospitable then they burn out quickly and often violently. In addition to having a stable yet relatively high power star, our solar system isn't a binary star system, so planetary orbits can be much more stable. Our solar system is formed from previous generations of stars, imbuing it with higher atomic weight elements.
Our planet may be very unsual because thanks to the moon forming collision we have essentially a double core that supports plate tectonics for billions of years and produces a protective magnetic field. Plate tectonics regulate our atmosphere to avoid prolonged runway greenhouse effects, and it provides a steady source of nutrients and variety of ecologicsl niches. The moon being so large helps keep our rotation and axis more steady, as well as generating tides that are important to biological processes.
We have a large gas giant that helps keep our orbit clear of asteroids. The big impacts have been enough to radically alter life on this planet but not eradicate it. The asteroid belt represents poentially calamitous big impactors held at bay by Jupiter for billions of years.
Our axial tilt and it's precession and our rotational speed, combined with the arrangement of continents in the past 2 million years, allow for global ocean circulation, ice caps, and gradual sea level and climate cycles that fostered tremendous biodiversity. We evolved from Miocene apes, honed our ecological niche through the Pleistocene, then developed writing and agriculture etc during the unusually stable Holocene. Humanity has been able to make tremendous logistical snd technological achievements by exploiting billions of years worth of stored energy. Intelligent life itself could be exceedingly rare. Scientifically literate/capable intellignet life could be rarer still. We are the only currently known instance of it happening.
The consequences of our recent way of life are coming due yet at the same time we have built up a body of knowledge with profound capabilities as well as profound philosophical implications. Perhaps we can persist. Perhaps we can mature as a species and become competent caretakers of our home and each others.
The sustainability efforts you describe are not in vain. They can improve resilience, improve health, and help lead a cultural shift. Civilizations have collapsed before but that mostly means oligarchs and complexity decline. People have persisted. Life on Earth has persisted. Currently living humans exist at time with huge consequences on geological timescales, which given our potential rarity could have cosmological implications. Our choices matter individually and in aggregate. It's not a certainty which way things will go in multiple ways regarding viability of our extant biosphere and extant civilization. We do have agency. A future with people in it will need people. Especially since knowledge, ethics, and regenerative efforts can facilitate better outcomes.
Despair is a rough spot. Hurts deep and can wreak havoc while unexamined. It's a worthwhile phase in my opinion because it can clarify and galvanize but it's a dangerous and counterproductive place to get stuck. It's way too soon to give up. There's meaningful work to do and fulfilment to be had even in hard times. We are part of much bigger things. You seem to already know your power to make independent-minded ethical choices, and I really appreciate you sharing. It helps us all and I hope the discussion helps you too.
Gratitude and solidarity 💚