Collapse as an option

Is collapse an option? Can professionals in sustainability management, policy and research — myself included — continue to work with the assumption or hope that we can slow down climate change or respond to it sufficiently to sustain our civilisation?

Deep Adaptation: Navigating the Realities of Climate Chaos

“Deep Adaptation: Navigating the Realities of Climate Chaos” is a very sobering book. Where are we after 125 years of climate science? The evidence suggests that we are not going to make it. The scientists have failed to convince us. We choose to ‘save’ the industrial civilisation by pursuing the growth of consumption of materials and energy. Politicians have failed us. The system is no longer fit for purpose. The stories did not stick. Climate change communication has not resulted in the changes that we all need to make. Right now, we are driving ourselves over a cliff. Now it is too late.

Collapsology

The idea that societies around the world could collapse in the coming years is now widespread. Hints of the end of this world are appearing everywhere. A growing number of scientists now consider that the most likely outcome of climate change is a global societal collapse. We are now beyond a number of cascading tipping points, and more will follow. So now we must prepare for societal breakdown and ultimately collapse. The…